Adrenalin rush

I'm the one with the pale blue crash helmet!
Yes, I've had an exciting time since my quiet week (apart from the thrill of meeting Harmy, of course!) in Dunedin. I moved up the East coast of the South Island, stopping for a couple of nights at a high country 'farmstay'. This was a disappointment, as the advertised farm-related activities did not materialise (but then neither did any chickens, which was a relief for me). I was lucky though (something always seems to turn up) in meeting an American couple who took me with them to some sheepdog trials, which were surprisingly interesting as they have four different types of trial, using two types of dog - ones who use eye-contact as well as movement to control the sheep, and others who use their barking. The dogs race so far up the steep hills to fetch the sheep that they are too far away to see... Quite fascinating, even for a non dog-lover like me.
I moved on from there to a beautiful setting - Lake Tekapo. This very clear, blue lake is surrounded by snow-capped mountains. I walked up to the Mt John observatory - this is sited here because the sky is the clearest in New Zealand - no light pollution. At night you stumble across lots of people lying on the ground staring up at the heavens! The walk from the summit of Mt John and down along the lakeshore is full of magnificent views. I'm running out of superlatives here - I need to look at a thesaurus. The sun was out, so I spent a while just sitting looking at the vista, feeling very contented. The nights there were cold, though - autumn has arrived...
On my second day there I thought I should do an 'activity' other than walking, so I opted for a horse trek. I was a tad nervous, having tried it a couple of times a long time ago, and suffered from a lack of co-ordination vis-a-vis going up when the horse goes up, and down ... a bruising experience the previous time! But this time we went at a sedate pace, and my aged horse (19 years) was very tolerant of his inexperienced rider.
I took a day trip to Mt Cook village - this being the highest mountain in NZ. It actually lost 10 metres in height in 1991, when an avalanche chopped the top off. I had a brilliant day for my visit - the skies were clear, with only an occasional cloud obscuring some of the mountain, whose Maori name 'Aoraki' means cloud-piercer. I went on a tramp up a nearby track - very steep and challenging, but rewarding - reaching the point in the second photo. I resisted the urge to swim in the pool, as the nice young man in the picture was about to do. The corned lamb sandwich I'd made myself tasted superb up there - al fresco eating at its best! The third picture, if I can attach three again, shows Mt Cook itself.
I then set off on my last trip on the Magic bus, completing the circuit of the South Island back to Christchurch. This made me realise that my time in New Zealand is limited, and that I must think about the things I haven't done that are on offer here, and about which I might think later "I do so wish I'd done that".
End result of thinking:- yes, white water rafting on the Rangitata river. I signed up to this with a very naive view of what it entailed. I think I imagined that I would sit in a raft, nicely strapped in, while the current took us downstream. I'd get a bit wet, and it would be fun and exciting. Wrong. I actually had to play an active role, which, if I messed it up, would tip me and possibly the other 5 into a raging river. We were taken to their headquarters and shown a film of what would happen. Oh boy. I tried to escape at this point, but there was no way out. We were dressed in two layers of thermal jumper; wetsuits; 'bootees', waterproofs; helmets and lifejackets; and given an oar each. Then followed a long briefing in calm water which included 'what to do when you are out of the raft and can't get back to it or the riverbank, and are being swept away'. No straps to hold you in, incidentally - just one foot wedged under an air-filled shelf. Many instructions followed - I only remembered "Get down!" and "Hold on!" - which were the vital ones as it turned out. We were given the chance to 'wimp out' before the two grade 5 sections (grade 6 means 'unraftable' - lovely word! - if someone gets a raft down a grade 6 safely it is immediately downgraded to grade 5). But no-one else ducked out, so I felt obliged! It was an unforgettable, exhilarating and breathtaking experience, enlivened further at one point when we were completely engulfed in water and I got confused between "get down" and "hold on" and didn't manage to grab the rope; a scary moment. But I'm here to tell the tale, and glad I've done it. Another tick on the list of 'things to do before...'.
This brings us up to date, really. I'm now in Christchurch awaiting the arrival of Franky (a mate from my CIS days) and Michael next Tuesday - they are flying in from Australia, doing their trip the other way around from me. Meanwhile, I've decided (no surprise here) that I can't bear to leave NZ yet, so I've changed my ticket and will stay longer here, probably going back up to the North Island to see the towns on the East coast which I missed around Christmas time and flying to Sydney from Auckland in April (that also gives me a chance to catch up with the crowd in The Bog Irish Bar before I leave!). I might even catch some of the second and/or third test matches.
Another marathon blog, sorry, but I'm finding it all SO EXCITING and I want to share...!

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