A Week-In-The-Life of The Professional Hobo: Shooting a TV Show

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2010: Having created the popular week-in-the-life series, Iā€™ve not yet written about a week in my own full-time traveling life. The week profiled here is far from my average week, but was enough of a full-on adventure that I thought you might enjoy it.

As a quick introduction, I was corresponding with Adventure Aaron while he was in South Africa shooting a tv show called ā€œAliveā€. I gave him a few suggestions, including the worldā€™s highest bunjy jump, which certainly helped him feel ā€œAliveā€! Shortly thereafter, he told me he was planning episode two in New Zealand, and invited me to come along for a week of adventures as a ā€œfeatured expertā€ on the show.

Well, twist my arm. Please enjoy my week-in-the-life of shooting a tv show; an episode of ā€œAliveā€.

This post was originally published in 2010. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content. 

Monday

8:00am: None of us slept well in our Auckland hostel. It has nothing to do with the digs, and everything to do with jet lag for Aaron (the producer/host) and Fletcher (the cameraman), and sheer excitement for me.

I take the morning to call my mum for her birthday, and try (unsuccessfully) to log on to the internet. Server problems ā€“ hmph! Apparently this isn’t uncommon in New Zealand.

12:00pm: We hop on the bus to Rotorua, where most of our weekā€™s activities have been organized for us by Destination Rotorua Tourism & Marketing.

4:30pm: We check into Novotel – our digs for the week. I spend the next hour jumping on the fancy bed, squishing the feather pillows, and gawking at the free toiletries.

5:30pm: Okay, I should actually get some work done. Itā€™s been a few days since I logged on, so I set up my laptop in the room. Iā€™m happy to catch up.

7:45pm: I go for a walk by the lake, take pictures, then grab dinner at a local noodle house.

9:30pm: Although Iā€™d like to have a swim and sauna, the fancy bed with 300 thread count sheets is calling my name. I read up on Rotorua and fall asleep shortly thereafter.

Tuesday

7:30am: Aah! What a sleep. I make coffee and set up the laptop in my room. How luxurious.

8:30am: How about that ā€“ breakfast is included. Iā€™m beginning to like press trips. I meet Aaron & Fletcher at the buffet, and we plan our day. We are supposed to go skydiving today, but the clouds mean a reschedule.

10:00am: We are picked up by Heather of Destination Rotorua Tourism & Marketing, who has arranged our week of adventure for us. She is a wonderful lady, full of warmth and Kiwi hospitality. She takes us to a favourite spot of hers called Kerosene Creek: a naturally hot creek. We are amazed that such a beautiful place is relatively untouched, totally natural, and free to use. And itā€™s bloody hot! My feet actually burn as they sink into the sandy bottom.

kerosene creek in New Zealand

We spend an hour shooting and swimming in this idyllic spot.

11:30am: We are back in the car and enroute to Rainbow Springs. Here, we see native Kiwi birds being hatched, raised, and reintroduced to the wild. We even visit the feeding room for some up-close-and-personal Kiwi bird action ā€“ a very special treat the public arenā€™t privy to. We take a quick tour of the facilities, which house a number of native and endangered species.

kiwi bird sign

2:00pm: A delicious lunch has been arranged for us by Rainbow Springs.

2:30pm: We drive to Sulphur Point. Rotorua is perched atop some serious geothermal activity, and the pervasive smell of sulphur is everywhere. Here at Sulphur Point itā€™s overpowering, as we peer at the bubbling mud and laughing gas pools.

Thermal area in Rotorua New Zealand

3:00pm: We shoot a quick interview with Don of Destination Rotorua.

3:30pm: Back at the hotel for a few hours of personal time. Fletcher & Aaron transfer the video they shot, and I do some writing. Thank goodness Iā€™ve received extensions on a few assignments; this trip is shaping up to be pretty busy. Iā€™m still juggling some tight deadlines though, so thereā€™s no rest for the wicked.

5:45pm: I turn off the computer and race around to prepare for the eveningā€™s activities.

6:00pm: We meet the bus for a night at Tamaki Maori Village. The driver entertains us with various international translations of the word ā€œkia oraā€. We spend the evening learning about Maori culture and enjoying a hangi (traditional Maori cooking).

9:30pm: Back at the hotel. Despite spending the day shooting together, we havenā€™t had much time to simply socialize. Fletcher, Aaron, and I head out for a few drinks and non-tv talk.

11:50pm: Lights out.

Wednesday

7:30am: Despite schedule changes last night that mean I donā€™t need to be awake yet, I leap out of bed afraid Iā€™ll get a call to be ready at 8:00am anyway.

8:00am: Downstairs at breakfast, I realize Iā€™m the only one up. I relax over breakfast and cappuccinos.

9:15am: I discover that weā€™re entitled to half an hour of free wifi in the lobby every day, and take advantage of it. Offline computer work ensues.

10:45am: Heather picks us up for our day-long epic with Kaitiaki Adventures: heli-sledging! This warrants an entire post unto itself, but basically we are fitted for wetsuits and helmets, and driven out to the helicopter for our flight to an untouched section of river.

We spend the afternoon white-water rafting and sledging (a sledge is a glorified boogie board that you ride the rapids on). My introduction to sledging is a class four rapid called Smokey Falls. Thinking better of it, I am pushed into the white water and told to hang on for dear life. I survive! Fletcher has fun all afternoon testing his waterproof cameras, getting dramatic footage of the rapids and stunning scenery.

sledging in New Zealand, while shooting a tv show

By the end of the afternoon, the guides are having lots of fun with us, and Iā€™m regularly being tackled out of the raft. We finish off with a hair-raising jet boat ride back to the van.

6:30pm: Weā€™re not done yet. We arrive at the Polynesian spa to shoot (and soak in) the natural geothermal pools.

8:00pm: Back in town, Aaron & I enjoy dinner at an Indian restaurant, where we talk business and travel. Fletcher is transferring video in preparation for tomorrow.

9:00pm: Fletcher joins us, and we head out to meet the river guides at a local bar.

12:00am: Weā€™d love to stay all night, but we have a big day tomorrow. I need my beauty sleep!

Thursday

6:30am: I consider getting up so I can get some work done, but I think better of it after reviewing the itinerary for today, and fall back asleep before I know it.

7:25am: Iā€™m up just before the alarm, excited for today. I get ready and pack my bags.

8:00am: Iā€™m downstairs for breakfast. Thank goodness itā€™s included ā€“ hotel buffet breakfasts are very handy given our hectic schedule.

8:45am: Heather takes us to AgroventuresĀ (now referred to as Velocity Valley), which is best explained as a playground for adults. (Check out this post for a video of our antics!) Here we shoot (and enjoy) the following:

  • Veering around corners at break-neck speeds (literally) in the only commercial jet boat track in the world, driven by a world champion jet boat driver.
  • Schweebing: another world first. It was designed by an Australian who lived in Japan and rode his recumbent bicycle to work, wishing he could just ride over top of the traffic. Hence the Schweeb: a monorail with recumbent bicycles dangling below. The track is great fun, and I manage to clock a time 13 seconds ahead of the Canadian average for my age group and gender. Iā€™m unable to walk afterwards.
  • The Freefall extreme (only one in the Southern hemisphere). As a former skydiver, Iā€™ve always wanted to try a freefall simulator, which is basically a huge engine blowing up enough air for you to ā€œflyā€ on it. Itā€™s harder than it looks!
Nora Dunn, The Professional Hobo, wind tunnel skydiving in New Zealand
  • The Swoop. Iā€™ve done this before in Canada, but itā€™s a first for Aaron & Fletcher. I make sure to freak them out by not pulling the rip cord on time. Heh Heh.
Doing the Swoop while shooting a tv show in New Zealand

12:00pm: As if we havenā€™t had enough adventure for a day, we arrive at NZone, where we experience the worldā€™s highest commercial skydive at 15,000 feet! I have 289 jumps to my name, but itā€™s been a while and this tandem experience is extremely memorable. I even strike a deal with drop zone to pack parachutes in trade for accommodationā€¦if I come backā€¦

The Professional Hobo skydiving in New Zealand
skydiving in New Zealand

2:00pm: With their first jump out of the way, Aaron & Fletcher can now face food, and Heather takes us for a quick bite.

2:30pm: We arrive at River Rats for our last high-octane adventure of the day: rafting the worldā€™s highest commercially rafted waterfall at 7 metres (21 feet). Despite our rafting and sledging yesterday, Iā€™m nervous for it since 1 in 20 rafts flips on this waterfall. But we survive, and surf a few rapids that prove to be more hazardous than the waterfall itself, almost sinking the raft entirely!

5:15pm: Having survived the dayā€™s adventures we are back at the hotel. I do some quick hand laundry.

5:30pm: No rest for the wicked. Heather picks us up again to take us to Hellā€™s Gate: a natural geothermal reserve and mud spa. After getting some perfect shots, we soak off the dayā€™s activities in a mud bath for 20 minutes of messy skin-softening bliss.

shooting a tv show in New Zealand at Hells' Gate
mud pool

7:45pm: Back at the hotel, we shower for dinner.

8:00pm: Weā€™re starved. Fletcher and I go out for dinner, and stumble on the inaugural Rotorua night market, where we enjoy some good street food, including fresh raw New Zealand mussels. Iā€™ve never eaten them raw before, but hope to do so again. Yum!

9:30pm: Iā€™m stressed out by my mounting pile of work. I stay awake to catch up on emails and get a little bit of writing done.

1:00am: Whoops: long day. Iā€™ve been awake for almost 18 hours. Iā€™d better get some sleep; weā€™re far from finished this hectic shooting schedule.

Friday

7:30am: Despite less sleep than Iā€™d prefer, Iā€™m excited for another day of adventure, and my feet hit the ground before the alarm.

8:00am: Brekkie again. Gotta eat!

8:30am: Aaron is sick in bed this morning, so Heather takes Fletcher and I to OffroadNZ, where we experience a jeep bush safari (I drive!). I even tackle a foreboding section called the luge: an 80degree drop that is about 25 feet long.

Next we tackle some similarly huge obstacles in a monster truck (driven by an expert this time). Setting up the shots takes a long time, as happens frequently this week.

12:00pm: Weā€™re on a tight schedule when we arrive at Zorb. This is another one of my suggestions for the show, so Iā€™m happy to shoot this one solo. After 2 passes of being chucked in a giant plastic ball full of water and rolled down a hill, we quickly change and race to meet Aaron, who has rallied for our next adventure.

1:10pm: We arrive at Volcanic Air Safaris, which turns out to be a highlight of the trip. We take a 40 minute helicopter ride to White Island (50kms off the coast) to experience New Zealandā€™s most active volcano up close and personal. Thereā€™s entirely too much to describe here, so check out this post for more on the unbelievable experience.

The Professional Hobo, Nora Dunn, on White Island
Adventure Aaron shooting a tv show on White Island

5:10pm: Awed and humbled by the afternoonā€™s experience, we are back at the hotel and ravenous: we didnā€™t have time for lunch.

5:40pm: The three of us head out for dinner. We spend most of it in silence, reflecting on our afternoon.

7:00pm: Ice cream in hand, I sit by Lake Rotorua and continue to reflect.

8:00pm: Back in the room, downloading pictures and video from my camera. Iā€™m suddenly feeling nauseous and feverish. Was it dinner? The sulphur fumes from the volcano? Or just plain fatigue? Iā€™m not sure, but thereā€™s no hope of working. I crater into full-on illness.

10:10pm: I try to sleep, but with the nausea I would rather be dead. Being sick on the road (especially with a schedule like this) is no fun.

Saturday

7:30am: I wake up feeling like death after a rough night. I skip the morningā€™s activities in the hopes of recuperating before the eveningā€™s activities, which Iā€™m looking forward to.

I spend the day sleeping, working, and willing myself to feel better.

5:00pm: I pump myself full of painkillers and rally for what ends up being another highlight of the week: a Kiwi BBQ at Heatherā€™s house. There are about 15 people in attendance, and Aaron, Fletcher, and I are the guests of honour. Having gotten wind that we like smoked fish, Heather has sourced a trout (which can only be caught and not bought in New Zealand), and they smoke it on the spot for us, serving it hot as an appetizer.

We feel so incredibly welcome, and my impression of generous Kiwi hospitality is confirmed. We eat until we almost burst, drink until we canā€™t stand, and laugh until we have laugh lines to prove it. By the eveningā€™s end, we are doing magic tricks with the kids and singing Maori songs.

Heather gives each of us a New Zealand jade necklace to remember them by, saying that jade holds its spirit best when gifted and not bought.

With invitations all around to come back and stay with a number of people and a desire to get to know these folks better, I decide on the spot that I must return to New Zealand as soon as possible. This is why I travel; I look forward to experiencing more home-brewed Kiwi friendliness within a month.

10:50pm: After a short taxi ride weā€™re back at the hotel, feeling warm, humble, and so grateful for such a genuine New Zealand experience with genuine people. I do some hand laundry and head to bed with a book.

11:50pm: I am asleep with my book in my hands.

Sunday

6:00am: Iā€™m up to the alarm with red eyes and a pre-laid plan: get ready, pack up, hijack one last wifi session in the lobby, eat breakfast, and check out by 7am. Done!

7:10am: I meet Aaron & Fletcher in the lobby and we catch the 7:30am bus to Waitomo for our last adventure of the week.

10:00am: We arrive in Waitomo, with no idea where weā€™re supposed to go. Heather has arranged an adventure for us and kept it a surprise, assuring us that weā€™ll love it.

10:30am: We discover that Waitomo Adventures are our hosts, and that we are doing an epic adventure to the ā€œLost Worldā€. We are suited up with wet suits, helmets, and gum boots, and taken to the entrance of this vast cave. It begins with a 100 metre abseil (rappel) into the cave (the highest commercial abseil), and continues with five hours of scrambling, squeezing, leaping, and swimming through this wet cave.

The Professional Hobo abseiling in New Zealand
The Professional Hobo, Nora Dunn, caving in New Zealand

Although we periodically see glow worms along the way, weā€™re rewarded at the end when we turn off our headlamps to enjoy what looks like the milky wayā€¦.of glow worms.

After walking out of the cave, we enjoy a steak dinner prepared by our guides and many laughs. With a soft spot in my heart for caving, I seriously consider coming back here to work as a guide for Waitomo Adventures.

7:30pm: We drive back to Waitomo proper, bid goodbye to our awesome guides, and check into our digs for the night. We finish off with a quick drink at the local pub.

9:00pm: Exhausted by the weekā€™s adventures, we are all back at the caravan park and ready for bed. But Fletcher and I get into downloading video and pictures and chatting, and before we know it a few more hours have passed.

11:30pm: I finally retire for the night, after writing some notes about our amazing adventures.

ā€œAliveā€ is scheduled to air on national television in the States for May 2010. This six episode series features a different country each month, and New Zealand will be the second episode. As more information becomes available, Iā€™ll post it here, and you can also check out Adventure Aaronā€™s site for more information.

Iā€™d like to thank Heather and Destination Rotorua Tourism & Marketing for putting together this incredible agenda for us, driving us everywhere, and making us feel so at home in New Zealand. Between Aaronā€™s offer to come on the show and Heatherā€™s hard work, my dream trip to New Zealand came true.

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24 thoughts on “A Week-In-The-Life of The Professional Hobo: Shooting a TV Show”

  1. Wow, what a terrible, terrible life you lead, Nora. I really just don’t know how you cope… šŸ˜‰

    I lived in New Zealand for close to 25 years on and off, and I don’t think I’ve done *any* of the things that you got to do in the space of a week! Very jealous, to say the least…

    In good news though, I think you’ve inspired me to spend my next NZ holiday in and around ‘Rotovegas’ doing extreme sports! šŸ™‚

    Reply
  2. @Dave – I know; it’s a tough life, but somebody’s got to cop it, huh? (winks, smiles)! I do feel incredibly lucky to have experienced all this, especially since I am something of an adrenalin junkie.
    “Rotovegas” – that’s funny!

    @Flip – I don’t know if it will hit Youtube for copyright purposes….but hopefully I’ll find a way to broadcast it….

    Reply
  3. Is it green with envy? or blue with real envy? or red with super real envy? Or is that my face is like a rainbow?

    Nice, One, Nora. What a fantastic week! My adrenal glands would have been shriveled up little bits of tissue….

    Reply
  4. @Frank – lol! We did eventually hit the point where we were doing so much adrenalin packed stuff in such a small space of time, that we became almost apathetic about it! What? The world’s highest rafted waterfall? Meh! Give me what you got! (smiles)

    @Mike – It was one of my favourite activities, given my love of all things rope…

    Reply
  5. @Sherry – Yes, sledging was truly awesome, and something that isn’t done very much in the world…so NZ is a great place to try! Well worth the money, if you ask me – especially the Okere Kopia heli-sledging tour in particular. The location was so very special….I get shivers (good ones!) just thinking about it!

    Reply
  6. That is an incredible week! I’m exhausted and pea green with jealousy!! Glad that your sickness didn’t hold you back – you can deffo add your name to the thrill seekers sign in your photo!

    Reply
  7. @Carrie – Thanks! I feel lucky to have experienced an adventure like this, for sure!

    @niamh – I got tired just writing about it…you can imagine how many days I slept once I finished the trip! And yep – I’m a thrill seeker, through and through!

    Reply
  8. @Nancie – I think living extreme adventures through others would make you an armchair adrenaline junkie; Many would say that’s a considerably safer pastime! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you get to see NZ again soon.

    Reply
  9. I’m glad you enjoyed your time in Rotorua doing all those crazy things! Heather is my daughter so I got reports of what was happening each day! I wish I could have made it to the BBQ as I hear from the other guests that an awesome time was had by all.
    Enjoy your next visit to Rotorua!

    Reply
  10. @Anne – What a treat to have you stop by my blog! I’ve heard lots about you, and hope that we can connect when I’m back in Rotorua (which will be sooner than later, as you probably know)!

    Reply
  11. Hey Nora….When I was in my 20’s…a hundred years ago…a friend and I were holidaying in Rotorua and some guys took us to Kerosene Creek which was wonderful, swimming in the dark in such a beautiful place. Well…for years I have wondered where it was and on some visits to Rotorua have tried to find it …to no avail. And now here I find you have been there!!
    Maybe when/if you come and stay with me in December you will be able to tell me where it is!!

    Reply
  12. @Jo – Yes, it’s not well-marked, and when a friend and I returned to Kerosene creek a second time, it took us quite a while to find it, even with explicit directions! But now I’m pretty sure I know where it is, so I’ll be happy to tell you the “secret to Kerosene creek”!

    Reply
  13. Shall look forward to finding it again! Loved your blog about the Spanish artist…what an amazing collection of art in a humble little home. Good for you taking the bull by the horns and going in! Those experiences are what traveling is all about to me…..avoiding the madding crowds and finding the jewels!

    Reply
  14. hi nora
    i’m not quite sure if its ok to ask but,didn’t ur relatives &friends object your decision to take the plunge? sorry if i’m being too inquisitive.
    I think your decision required a lot of courage.
    a confused friend in sincere awe

    Reply
  15. thanks nora. that did certainly help.
    I see that you follow your heart, which I too yearn to do.
    by the way, visited india yet?

    Reply
    • Nancy,
      No, amazingly – although it’s “on my list”, I haven’t visited India yet. I’m waiting for the right opportunity to go and do something interesting there!

      Reply
  16. Thanks for your post, this was fun to read! You’re a star, for sure! You should be in the movies, really! Make a reality show about your travels, I’ll bet a TV station would pick it up! They were lucky to have you on their show!

    Reply
    • Hey Christine,
      Actually I have made a few appearances in the movies; my biggest flick was The Proze Winner of Defiance Ohio (Dreamworks, with Julianne Moore and Woody Harrelson). Look for the girl in the green dress! I’m a recurring theme singing and dancing through the middle of the movie for about 15 minutes.

      Admittedly, the thing I miss the most with my travel lifestyle is the professional acting/singing/dancing (stage and screen) that I did.
      Ah well – Hollywood could still come knocking yet! lol

      Reply

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