When we had finished our rafting trip & on the way back into town, Ross proclaimed he wanted to go bungi jump. Of course my response was, sure. Ross replied that he was about 75% sure he wanted to take the jump. Our plan the next day was to head straight out for Milford Sound. I told him I would jump as well, but he had to be 100% sure before our plans got changed. Somewhere back in town, Ross said he was like 90% sure he wanted to jump. I of course replied, that ain't 100% yet. After dinner, Ross said he was 100% sure. I told him I would ask again in the morning & if he was still 100%, we'd drive back up to the Kawarau River bridge before taking off to fiordland.
The next morning, I asked & Ross said he was still 100%. We drove the 12 miles back east to the river, got out & walked into the facility. Diantha asked if we were going to walk over to the edge and watch before we signed up. No way! And take the chance of a mind change!!! So Ross & I stepped up, paid the fee & were told to return in 20 minutes to weigh in. THEN, we went & watched some jumping. We returned, weighed in & walked up to the bridge where we were handed a harness as we waited in line. Diantha had gone below to take pictures & watch us sweat!
Ross went ahead of me, not once did he outwardly whimper or suggest he was going to change his mind. He was called into the staging area, harnessed in & hopped over to the edge. I watched him wave to the camera, thumbs up, then he jumped, a very proud moment!!!! I was very impressed. Those of you who know him, know this was a monster demonstration of bravery. My hats off to you Ross! First in the family!
So, I was called into the staging area right after Ross jumped. I was harnessed in and hopped over to the edge. Now, I became even more impressed with the fact Ross had jumped when I made the mistake of looking down. 43 meters to the river. The water was beautiful blue, calm & a long,long way down. The guy who had harnessed me in had me hop alittle closer to the edge. I grabbed the hand grip to hold onto for balance. The guy said I was ready, but I would need to let go of the grip. I really didn't want to & wondered why I had agreed to do this. I was petrified on the inside, but be damned if I showed it, particularly since I could see Ross at the bottom looking up & watching me, Daintha waiting with the camera & about 20-30 people waiting to see me take the step off the ledge. So, I cleared my mind, & did a swan dive. I don't really remember the trip down, but do recall slowing as the bungi rope started to pull at my legs. I was supposed to hit the water, but missed by a yard. As I hung there waiting for the rubber raft to come out & get me, I did check to see if I had wet myself & was glad to learn I hadn't. I got lowered into the boat, unloaded at the ramp & walked up the path with Ross to meet Diantha, higher than a kite.
Needless to say, this was quite a rush, 6-8 seconds worth. Did it & doubt I ever will again, particularly if it is not over water. The irony, Ross was ready to go back & do it again. I was ready to settle into a nice stress-free drive south and west to fiordland!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Say what?
So before we risked our lives down That Road (I dare anyone to Google Earth it and check out the photos) to splash down the river, we pulled over at the famous New Zealand bridge where folks can bungy jump. We watched in amazement and oohed and ahhed. As we left, Ross said to me in the car, "I'm want to bungy jump." I kept my eyes straight ahead. I raised one eye brow - the one he couldn't see. I said, "Oh. Maybe there's time tomorrow." Whatever!, I foolishly thought . . .
Sunday, April 18, 2010
NZ - Queenstown, Day ???, who's counting!!
Queenstown is an adrenelin junky's dream come true! Beautifully situated on a huge glacier carved lake in the middle of the southern Alps.
We decided to get in some whitewater rafting on the Shotover River & booked for the afternoon half day trip. We were bused from downtown Queenstown out to Arthur Point where the company has their water based activities facilities on the river. We were suited up in wetsuits, booties, splash jacket, helmet & life jacket. Then back on the bus for the ride of our lives!! It has been a long time since I have been on a road that has scared me like this one. In fact, our boat guide said this road was ranked as the 15th worst road to drive in the world. At the time, I thought it was #1. The bus is also hauling a trailer with 4 rafts. The rock ledge road is barely 8 feet wide along the CANYON, sheer drop straight down & as I looked out & down, many times I could not see any road, I mean nothing!!!!!
So we got down to the put in beach, put boats in the water, grabbed oars, safety demo & then assigned to boats, 6 per + our boat guide, Kyle, who is from the US. We spent about 3 hours (about 17 kilometers) running the Shotover, going thru some 3-4 rated rapids. There are a few 5's , but this is the end of their summer, early fall so the river was down. We also went thru a lengthy tunnel carved out of the cliff for diverting water during the area gold rush. The trip was a blast! Lots of fun. Ross & I were at the front of the boat & got pretty wet & Diantha was at the left rear staying dry. Would I do it again? Yes, but I would have to be knocked out to take that bus trip again!
The next day.... to be continued
We decided to get in some whitewater rafting on the Shotover River & booked for the afternoon half day trip. We were bused from downtown Queenstown out to Arthur Point where the company has their water based activities facilities on the river. We were suited up in wetsuits, booties, splash jacket, helmet & life jacket. Then back on the bus for the ride of our lives!! It has been a long time since I have been on a road that has scared me like this one. In fact, our boat guide said this road was ranked as the 15th worst road to drive in the world. At the time, I thought it was #1. The bus is also hauling a trailer with 4 rafts. The rock ledge road is barely 8 feet wide along the CANYON, sheer drop straight down & as I looked out & down, many times I could not see any road, I mean nothing!!!!!
So we got down to the put in beach, put boats in the water, grabbed oars, safety demo & then assigned to boats, 6 per + our boat guide, Kyle, who is from the US. We spent about 3 hours (about 17 kilometers) running the Shotover, going thru some 3-4 rated rapids. There are a few 5's , but this is the end of their summer, early fall so the river was down. We also went thru a lengthy tunnel carved out of the cliff for diverting water during the area gold rush. The trip was a blast! Lots of fun. Ross & I were at the front of the boat & got pretty wet & Diantha was at the left rear staying dry. Would I do it again? Yes, but I would have to be knocked out to take that bus trip again!
The next day.... to be continued
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Day 4: New Zealand
You know how we felt trying to walk today! But it was so worth it - bridges and all! Ross wanted to walk up to the "face" of the second glacier nearby, Fox. So we at least hobbled up to it! Again, amazing and beautiful. The sun was shining and the sky was brilliant blue. We were still in sweatshirts, jackets, and gloves! The glaciers here are particularly interesting because they come down from the Alps into the rain forests of the west coast here. How unusual! So the views are of dramatic snowy peaks on the mountains and lush rainforest all around.
We spent the day driving south along the west coast. This is very rugged terrain, and the cliffs and rocks below remind us of the most dramatic sections in Oregon. At one point the road went along the ocean, so we stopped to get out and touch the Tasman Sea. The water was cold, the sand was rocky, and sparkling white rocks, perfectly rounded and smooth dot the shoreline. I collected one the exact shape of an egg. I said to Ross, "Where is everyone? Why aren't people down here swimming or at least playing at the beach? It's beautiful here!" Then the sandflys hit. Within moments we were eaten alive! So we jumped into the car squealing and drove with the windows blowing the air through! The bites are still painful three days later!
Our drive took us away from the Alps and rainforest, away from the ocean to the farmlands as we headed south east towards Wanaka. The countryside here reminds us of Oregon, but there is something more enchanting about it. Is it that it's New Zealand?? Could be. The farmhouses and out-buildings are rustic and quaint. Sheep dot all the fields, as do cattle and elk. Yes elk! Farms of elk. Pat salivates as we drive past.
It is fall, and the trees are turning color. It's our first real visual that it is fall, since New South Wales doesn't really experience a change in the season as we know it. So the farmland and countryside are gorgeous with the different trees.
Wanaka is a town situated on a beautiful lake, very much like Wallowa Lake in north eastern Oregon. We pulled into the Youth Hostel there and set up camp in our bunk room! The hostel was cozy and comfortable, very much like a ski lodge with spectacular views out over the lake. Not bad for $50 US for all three of us! We perused the brochures looking for tomorrow's adventures in the Queenstown area, known for thrills and adrenaline activities . . . I left the guys to this, since the suspension bridges were enough adrenaline for me for awhile, and made a cup of tea. By dinner we were booked on a white water rafting trip for 1 p.m. tomorrow. I was assured nothing was high up . . .
We spent the day driving south along the west coast. This is very rugged terrain, and the cliffs and rocks below remind us of the most dramatic sections in Oregon. At one point the road went along the ocean, so we stopped to get out and touch the Tasman Sea. The water was cold, the sand was rocky, and sparkling white rocks, perfectly rounded and smooth dot the shoreline. I collected one the exact shape of an egg. I said to Ross, "Where is everyone? Why aren't people down here swimming or at least playing at the beach? It's beautiful here!" Then the sandflys hit. Within moments we were eaten alive! So we jumped into the car squealing and drove with the windows blowing the air through! The bites are still painful three days later!
Our drive took us away from the Alps and rainforest, away from the ocean to the farmlands as we headed south east towards Wanaka. The countryside here reminds us of Oregon, but there is something more enchanting about it. Is it that it's New Zealand?? Could be. The farmhouses and out-buildings are rustic and quaint. Sheep dot all the fields, as do cattle and elk. Yes elk! Farms of elk. Pat salivates as we drive past.
It is fall, and the trees are turning color. It's our first real visual that it is fall, since New South Wales doesn't really experience a change in the season as we know it. So the farmland and countryside are gorgeous with the different trees.
Wanaka is a town situated on a beautiful lake, very much like Wallowa Lake in north eastern Oregon. We pulled into the Youth Hostel there and set up camp in our bunk room! The hostel was cozy and comfortable, very much like a ski lodge with spectacular views out over the lake. Not bad for $50 US for all three of us! We perused the brochures looking for tomorrow's adventures in the Queenstown area, known for thrills and adrenaline activities . . . I left the guys to this, since the suspension bridges were enough adrenaline for me for awhile, and made a cup of tea. By dinner we were booked on a white water rafting trip for 1 p.m. tomorrow. I was assured nothing was high up . . .
New Zealand or Bust!
We have two weeks of school holidays (school begins for the school year Jan. 28 and goes for 10 weeks, then 2 weeks off, then 10 weeks on, etc. until Dec. 18), so we have taken off for New Zealand. Now we are on the last night of our trip, and I, for one, am melancholy! It has been an amazing time, so I'll begin to describe each of the days.
We left Easter Sunday for Brisbane where our NZ flight would leave from. We visited the Australian Museum, home of Steve Irwin's family, to see the crocodiles and feed the elephants. They put on quite a show, ending with the trainer jumping into the croc's water and swimming away so he'll chase him through the exit, which he does. Show or no show, in the end, no one is really kidding!
Tuesday we landed in Christchurch and stayed the night at a small backpacker's hostel that Ross coined as "definitely hippie." Okay, it was. But very cozy, too, and had a marvelous, enormous cat that we loved all evening. It had a "car-be-que" in the back yard, as well as a converted 1950's bus where the caretakers reside. We put on our sweatshirts and jeans for the first time since being in Tasmania in January. No dogs on the "car-bie" for us - it was cold out there!
Wednesday morning, Day 2, we drove in our slightly okay very used rental car up over Arthur Pass through the Southern Alps from the east coast of New Zealand to the west coast. The pass is where the Aussie-favorite ski resorts are (think Hoo Doo in 1969), and it's also where many scenes from Lord of the Rings were filmed. Pat loved it! Aaron, you would have been going crazy - we'll show you pictures! It reminded me of Sonora Pass with the steep grades and beautiful meadows.
We passed through Ross, New Zealand, which was not much, no offence, and stopped only long enough to take a picture of Ross next to the town sign. I would have bought a tee shirt if they'd had a store . . .
By evening we were at our Youth Hostel in Franz Josef just a stone's throw from the glacier. The air was cold, the beer was colder, and our own pasta and sauce tasted great! The most fun about cooking in the big group kitchens is watching all people making their dinners. Since there are probably 7-8 nationalities represented on any given night, the foods, languages, and customs happening all around us are entertaining and educational! We've watched some very interesting breakfasts, particularly, unfold. Rice with canned smoked fish (very sardine-y looking to me!), avocado on toast, oatmeal that looked anything but oatmeal, and many assorted mysterious packages printed in Asian languages being consumed all around us!
Day 3 we spent on an AMAZING hike up to look out over the glacier. It was 12.3 km, 5 and 1/2 hours, and arguably the most interesting hike we've ever taken. We passed over many creeks, including one that we had to bridge ourselves (read Pat and Ross mostly collecting very large rocks and splashing around to set them right for moi).
The hike had three, count them, 3, suspended foot bridges over very very very deep canyons. Anyone who has climbed trees and held harnesses for and with me knows that I am not a fan of things high up. The first went over the actual river from the glacier and was two planks wide and very long. I sang my way across (who doesn't love James Taylor at a time like that?) which does not mean I was dancing and singing. That means I had to SERIOUSLY calm and distract myself to get the heck across. When the second one came up I thought, okay, here we go again, and this one looks nice and small - I can handle this one. That was until Ross looked over half way across and yelled, "Hey Pat, this one goes down really far!!" Oh. And they actually stop and take pictures of the beautiful canyons/waterfalls below halfway across! I'm too afraid I'll run out of verses of Shower the People for that.
We also climbed a contraption that was wooden planks lodged around a rounded rock face with sort-of steps bolted in so that you didn't shimmy right off into the Abyss Below. Good thing I know a lot of James Taylor songs. It ended at the itty bitty picnic table on the perch looking over the glacier. Yea! No it didn't end. It half-wayed at that point, cuz we got to turn around and come back down the same way! Over the same lovely bridges with the same songs! The view from the top was fantastic. It was the guys' first glacier and my second one since 35 years ago in Alaska with my mom and two sisters.
The beer tasted even better that night, and since we could barely walk, laying low playing cards was just what the doctor ordered!
We left Easter Sunday for Brisbane where our NZ flight would leave from. We visited the Australian Museum, home of Steve Irwin's family, to see the crocodiles and feed the elephants. They put on quite a show, ending with the trainer jumping into the croc's water and swimming away so he'll chase him through the exit, which he does. Show or no show, in the end, no one is really kidding!
Tuesday we landed in Christchurch and stayed the night at a small backpacker's hostel that Ross coined as "definitely hippie." Okay, it was. But very cozy, too, and had a marvelous, enormous cat that we loved all evening. It had a "car-be-que" in the back yard, as well as a converted 1950's bus where the caretakers reside. We put on our sweatshirts and jeans for the first time since being in Tasmania in January. No dogs on the "car-bie" for us - it was cold out there!
Wednesday morning, Day 2, we drove in our slightly okay very used rental car up over Arthur Pass through the Southern Alps from the east coast of New Zealand to the west coast. The pass is where the Aussie-favorite ski resorts are (think Hoo Doo in 1969), and it's also where many scenes from Lord of the Rings were filmed. Pat loved it! Aaron, you would have been going crazy - we'll show you pictures! It reminded me of Sonora Pass with the steep grades and beautiful meadows.
We passed through Ross, New Zealand, which was not much, no offence, and stopped only long enough to take a picture of Ross next to the town sign. I would have bought a tee shirt if they'd had a store . . .
By evening we were at our Youth Hostel in Franz Josef just a stone's throw from the glacier. The air was cold, the beer was colder, and our own pasta and sauce tasted great! The most fun about cooking in the big group kitchens is watching all people making their dinners. Since there are probably 7-8 nationalities represented on any given night, the foods, languages, and customs happening all around us are entertaining and educational! We've watched some very interesting breakfasts, particularly, unfold. Rice with canned smoked fish (very sardine-y looking to me!), avocado on toast, oatmeal that looked anything but oatmeal, and many assorted mysterious packages printed in Asian languages being consumed all around us!
Day 3 we spent on an AMAZING hike up to look out over the glacier. It was 12.3 km, 5 and 1/2 hours, and arguably the most interesting hike we've ever taken. We passed over many creeks, including one that we had to bridge ourselves (read Pat and Ross mostly collecting very large rocks and splashing around to set them right for moi).
The hike had three, count them, 3, suspended foot bridges over very very very deep canyons. Anyone who has climbed trees and held harnesses for and with me knows that I am not a fan of things high up. The first went over the actual river from the glacier and was two planks wide and very long. I sang my way across (who doesn't love James Taylor at a time like that?) which does not mean I was dancing and singing. That means I had to SERIOUSLY calm and distract myself to get the heck across. When the second one came up I thought, okay, here we go again, and this one looks nice and small - I can handle this one. That was until Ross looked over half way across and yelled, "Hey Pat, this one goes down really far!!" Oh. And they actually stop and take pictures of the beautiful canyons/waterfalls below halfway across! I'm too afraid I'll run out of verses of Shower the People for that.
We also climbed a contraption that was wooden planks lodged around a rounded rock face with sort-of steps bolted in so that you didn't shimmy right off into the Abyss Below. Good thing I know a lot of James Taylor songs. It ended at the itty bitty picnic table on the perch looking over the glacier. Yea! No it didn't end. It half-wayed at that point, cuz we got to turn around and come back down the same way! Over the same lovely bridges with the same songs! The view from the top was fantastic. It was the guys' first glacier and my second one since 35 years ago in Alaska with my mom and two sisters.
The beer tasted even better that night, and since we could barely walk, laying low playing cards was just what the doctor ordered!
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