Canyoning!

I know its been awhile since I posted an update, but I have been too busy and just haven’t had a chance. This is the problem with blog writing: if you aren’t doing much you have plenty of time to write entries, but nothing too interesting to write about. Alternatively you are super busy and have tons to write about, but no actual time to create a posting. I know you, as my faithful blog readers, might feel differently, but I much prefer to be busy and not post as many updates. I was considering saving some tidbits for a future entry, but I have decided to go for the gusto and make this will be a longer than normal entry with lots of photos. I hope you enjoy.

The laid back Kiwi attitude even extends to flying. A couple weeks ago the flights to Auckland were on sale, so I booked myself a one night trip to Auckland. Flying here is such a treat! You only need to arrive at the airport 20 minutes before your flight, you can carry as much liquid/gel onto the plane you want, my bag was only very casually X-rayed, and my ID was never checked. I departed my flat at 7:30 am on Saturda, caught a bus directly to the Wellington airport, got my flight and arrived in downtown Auckland by 10:30am via bus. I wasn’t too interested in seeing the city of Auckland itself (everyone in Wellington had said, ‘Oh, Auckland’ when I said I was heading there similar to how we might respond to anyone going to Toronto.), so I decided to catch a ferry and go explore Rangitoto Island which was formed only 600 years ago by an erupting volcano. While most of the island is now covered with vegetation there are still significant sections where there are lava rocks. I hiked to the top of the volcano crater and had a relatively nice view (apparently it can be quite nice, but it was a bit hazy the day I was there.)

On Sunday I went canyoning. For anyone who isn’t familiar with the term, it involves donning full wetsuits, helmets and climbing harnesses then making your way down a river canyon by rappelling down waterfalls, jumping into pools, sliding down rock chutes and scrambling through shallower sections. From the moment I heard about the opportunity to go canyoning I knew it was something I wanted to do.

The trip started with a 45 minute van ride to the west coast of New Zealand while we got to know each other. On the trip Canada, Germany, Wales and England were represented with our guide being from New Zealand. After being issued our wetsuits, harnesses, helmets, neoprene socks and shoes, and oh so stylish polypropelene thermals it was time to start the 30 minute hike through the rainforest from the parking lot to the river. (I will have anyone that has laughed at my bright long johns know that I fit right in here. The only thermals I have seen in New Zealand are striped ones.)

Having reached our starting point it was time to get dressed and take a group shot. (There were many group shots throughout the day as you will soon see).

As a warm-up (or more correctly a cool down with the water temperature) for what was to come, we hopped into this first pool that was only chest deep. It was just as I hopping into the pool shown in the photo below that I remembered that I don’t even like jumping into a pool from a three metre diving board and I would now be doing this from rock ledges twice this height. However (as you can probably tell from the following photos), I quickly got over this and had an amazing time!

(In case you can’t recognize me, I am one of three people wearing a red helmet and a black wetsuit)

At this point we were pretty satisfied with ourselves having conquered the first two jumps.

Group jump! I am in the middle but a bit obscured by various arms.

Scrambling through the canyon. I am the third red helmet

More scrambling, this time I have the pack with our lunch.

Some of the beautiful scenery

Sliding down a natural waterslide.

Another group shot.

Rapelling down through a waterfall. The water was pounding into my face as I was being told to look up and smile (while squinting into the sun).

Sliding down another waterfall.

Yet another group shot.

And another at the bottom of a waterfall we had just rappelled down.

After all this exercise, we were starving. In the van on the way back to Auckland the conversation always seemed to return to the subject of food no matter what the initial topic was. We took this as a sign and went out for dinner together once we got back to Auckland. Unfortunately I had to leave as soon as I was done my meal since I had to get to the airport and catch my flight back to Wellington and go to work the next day. There is always something going on at work. This week we had a special event in honour of the Melbourne Cup Horse Race. I will save the details and photos for a future blog entry. All I will say now is that it reminded me of being in elementary school.