The Gumboot "Stadium"

To Rotorua we went on Sunday. It was a long travel day for all of us, after having been living large in the big city for a few days. We took tons of stops along the way, which was nice for some us, but you could tell some were getting ornery as the trip lagged on. My favorite stop though, and I am sure everyone thought the same was the gumboot throwing contest. Now as you may recall, gumboots and simply rainboots and one would traditionally use them to, well I don’t know, maybe…wear! Not this time.

The entire trip, Katie and Jono, our fearless leaders, had been telling us that there was a couple hundred thousand dollar gumboot throwing stadium on our drive to Rotorua. Some were skeptical about it, but others, like me, couldn’t wait to see what all the fuss was about at the stadium. Well needless to say, it was not a stadium. It was just a small plot of land, with tall fences on either side. As we gathered around, Katie and Jono demonstrated to us how to throw a gumboot. Ummm….they were siting on the bus too long, that must be why one or two may have gone our of the fences. Then it was our turn.

We all took our turns, as gumboots went every way except the way they were supposed to go. One flew backwards, one almost took of a head, one didn’t even make it past the start line, and mine, well…it may or may not have gone really far over the side of the fence. At the end, awards were given out for farthest thrown and most stylish throw. I was not a winner, but I stayed strong and didn’t let it get me down too much.

Finally, a day long bus ride and one Lord of the Rings movie over, we made it to our destination: sulfur-smelling Rotorua, or RotoVegas as Jono called it. I must say it was an interesting place. Stores seemed to close rather early, like 6 pm, and some people weren’t to friendly, but I suppose that’s anywhere you go. The night was left to our exploration and some much needed rest for what the next day would bring.