Cowabunga!

After our outstanding gumboot throwing contest and getting to take in the views of the Tongariro National Park and World Heritage Area on our way, the next day in Rotorua was one full of excitement. We headed to the Kaituna River to brave the cold waters and rapids for some white-water rafting!!!

We would go in two groups, in boats of six people. We watched as the first group went down their rapids, yell at their first touch of the cold water, and drop down the seven meter waterfall at the end. Minus the fact that a few mates went overboard at the last waterfall, all of us in the second group just could not wait to get our hands on an oar and gear up for our own adventure.

The groups came back and as they shed their wetsuits, it was our turn to get geared up and head out to be trained super quickly about rafting. The one drawback about waiting was that we had to wear already wet wetsuits, but hey we were going rafting, we were going to get wet anyway. So off we went. Bathing suit. Wetsuit. Thermals. Leopard print fleece [yes I just said leopard print]. Waterproof coat. Booties. Life vest. Helmet. Oar in hand I was set to go on my next adventure. We walked down to the water edge and got the 411 on how to paddle, how to adjust ourselves for the waterfalls we would go down, and what commands to listen for. And just like that, we were off!

My guide was great, continuing the tradition I have had of having an incredibly knowledgeable and fun-loving guide for whatever I have been doing in NZ. He told us the most important thing was to have fun. Yes, I do believe that goal was accomplished. We went down the rapids, rowing forward and back, bracing ourselves for falls. Every time we would go down one we would clank our oars together, high above us and yell some battle words. We weren't really battling the waterfalls, but it made us feel brave anyway. That first drop was a chilly one. Sitting in the front of the boat with my friend Lee, we basically got dunked under a small fall. It came as a shock due to the cold, but it was not that bad.

Then we saw it. The seven meter waterfall, right ahead of us, the one we had seen a few minutes ago fall out of their raft, and an entire raft flip, but we were determined. With oars in the air, we yelled "COWABUNGA!" and went off to conquer the rapids. Listening to our guide make his calls, we tucked our bodies in the boat, held on to the sides for dear life and put our heads down to brace the impact. Done. What?! No flipping?! Everyone's still in the boat? Fantastic. We drew our oars up in the air as almost a celebration for not flipping. We all ended up jumping in [or getting thrown in] anyway with our wetsuits and life vests.

My guide even let me be captain for a bit! I was making calls and steering to the best of my ability. When all was said and done, I was asked to participate in a familiar activity: cliff jumping! My favorite pastime in Ithaca, NY, so why wouldn't I want to say I did it in the great NZ? In we went, once again in our wetsuits, and with that, rafting was complete.

Once again it was another incredible activity on ISV's adventure tour. Yet another one I have never done before and one I'll never forget. I continuously find it astonishing how NZ has so many fascinating areas to discover, tucked away in small towns and hidden like buried treasure. No matter what you do here, you end up with a ridiculous amounts of candids and a handful of memories.