Black Water Rafting

Oh boy oh boy what a weekend! Now, I know a lot of you have heard of and have been White Water Rafting but have you ever heard of or been Black Water Rafting?!? Well, neither had I until this weekend... So to define black water rafting; it is consisted of carefully climbing down and through many steep and slick rocks while also trudging through fast flowing water and then sitting in a tube that properly fits your hiney to float down many narrow passageways that are surrounded by rocks and glowworms in 40 degree water 65 meters below the ground.... *takes deep breath* YES!!

A great group of my friends and I got together and traveled to Waitamo which is about 2 hours from where I am in Te Kauwhata. We rented a cabin for the 6 of us and managed to only get in trouble a few times (they should really make pool fences higher if they don't want people in them at night). Saturday morning we went for coffee and tea at a nearby cafe that had the most decorative little setup and that cozy, at-home feeling.

After, we went for a hike down the road from our cabin and trekked through so much mud my shoes were no longer black. It was a great walk through many trees and the trail was lined with limestones that stacked as high as 20 feet. We crossed over 2 bridges that led us to an open pasture where larger limestones rested in various places. After we were all soaked with mud and dew from the grass, we trekked back the same way we came and ventured on to some other random places in the area.

3:30pm. Show time. We arrived at the lodge just before 3:30pm where we met our guides for the adventure. We were led to the changing station where we were given 5mm wetsuits and booties as well as boots to go over them. Penguin status. We suited up and were all too excited for what lay ahead.

We hopped in the van that led us to our first stop- jump training. We each grabbed a tube that fit our hinies and then lined up to take the leap from the boardwalk. One by one we tucked ourselves into the tube and went butt first into the 40 degree water below. Pretty sure I was shocked out of any sense of feeling as soon as the water hit my skin and definitely had more water splash up my nose than any other person there. Pro. We then climbed out a bit down the stream. Training was over. We loaded up in the van again and heading for the caves.

We walked down a short trail that led us to a hole in the ground with stones for steps that guided us into the mountain's side. Down down down we went with waterfalls pouring out all around us until we reached a wide opening that we all piled into and the guides explained to us how to get through the next part of the cave. We turned our head lights on and filed through the narrow and low walls of the cave. Water rushed around our ankles with every step, trying its best to knock us over. Good thing we had gripped boots on that kept us from slipping and sliding, though they did not save us from the random holes scattered along the cave floor. Immense stalactites hung from the roof, forcing us to crouch low to the ground in many areas of the cave. Other passages were so narrow that many people had to turn sideways and suck in. After about 30 minutes we reached our first waterfall. Just as we had practiced, we turned around, stuck the tube to our rear-ends and jumped back. Again water flooded my face and my wetsuit but it wasn't as bad the practice jump, thank God. We floated along for about 15 meters and piled back out to continue along the cave on foot.

We paused single file in one long passageway where we were told to turn off our headlights and look up. And there they were. Sprinkled across the ceiling stuck millions of glowworms that lit up the roof of the cave like stars on a moonless night.

The tour guides explained to us that a glowworm is the larvae stage in the lifecycle of a two-winged insect. It grows as long as a matchstick and looks a bit like a maggot. A glowworm uses its glow to attract food and to burn off its waste. It's tail glows because of bioluminescence. Insects fly towards the light and get stuck in the sticky lines that the glowworm hangs down to catch food. Glowworms also use their glow to put other creatures off eating them (from the Black Labyrinth Tour's website). You can read all of this and more on the tour's website at www.waitomo.com/Waitomo-glow-worm.aspx

We went on through a few more passages as the sound of water falling became louder with every step. We had reached it. Our second waterfall jump, the largest of the two. Everyone lined up once more, clung to our tubes, and one at a time fell the 5 meters down into the bone chilling water. I think I had more water in my nose than in my boots by the last drop. After the leap, we were told to hold onto the rope drilled into place along the wall of the cave. Then, everyone put their feet under the person's arms in front of them (called an eel) and we were off! We all turned off our lights and drifted along, admiring the glowworms glittering above. I felt like I was floating through space, a universe full of stars and gravity could not overcome me. The drift lasted around 15 minutes, some people sang and told jokes while others relaxed and sat back to enjoy the show. It was all too surreal and electric as the dream came to an end. We climbed out of the cave, leaving our dream world 65 meters below with many smiles.

We rode the van back to base and were very happy to be greeted with warm towels and hot showers. We were treated with tasty Tomato Soup that heated our bodies up with every sip.

We all headed back to our cabin and got ready to go out and watch the All Blacks play at the local pub. The group that had gone on the same tour as us was also at the pub and we all were able to reminisce over the day's blessings. It was a wonderful day and night and I cannot wait to plan my next adventure!

Thank you for reading :) til next week!

 

CHIEFS CHIEFS CHIEFS!

As I mentioned in a previous post, my host mum Mareet was able to get a couple of tickets through her wonderful friend, Whitney, to the New Zealand Semi-Final Super Rugby match- The Chiefs vs. The Crusaders. So, I was thrown Chiefs shirts and flags to wear to the game, looking like the biggest groupie there, when in actuality I was this girl from Florida that had never watched a live rugby game in her life. Mareet introduced me to her nephew, Matthew, who accompanied me to the game :) We drove over to Hamilton where we met up with some of his friends that were ever so lovely and I instantly became friends with all of them! I've come to the conclusion that Kiwi men are the nicest, most genuine blokes I've ever encountered. Not to mention the girls were ever so inviting and were not shy to ask me about myself! We hung out at his mate's house for a bit before we all headed to the game. Matthew and I found our seats, and flash they were!

The match took off with high intensity as the crowd roared for their teams. I was able to snag a flag from a cheerleader which I waved high the entire game. I believe I only knocked the guy in front of me once. It was ever so exciting to be in the crowd for such a big and important game. Matthew explained a lot of the rules to me as the match went on and I learned so much about the individual players. Many were also on New Zealand's All Black's National Union Rugby Team.

The Chiefs pulled through with a big win 20-19. What a game!

To top off my groupie-ness, I asked Matt if we could stay after to get some autographs for Grayson and Roman (secretly they were for me). We made our way over to the players and I was able to meet a few of the Chiefs many of which were also All Blacks.

Here is a picture of me getting Sam Cane's autograph. Got him to sign my headband too. :)

And one of my favorite pictures :)

That night we went out in Hamilton and the local boys showed me a fabulous time. Couldn't have been more thankful for that day and night.

The week flew by and we all believed it would be near impossible to get tickets to the final game for the following Saturday; but Matthew's sister, Teri, worked her magic and was able to get us tickets to the final! Unbelievable! I felt so spoiled getting to go to both games.

We stood in the "Green Zone" this time where the younger/drunker crowd was.

The game was so intense I'm pretty sure we were quiet more often than not, just waiting for The Chiefs to make a big move. And that they did. They came through with a huge win against The Brumbies 27-22. Victory for The Chiefs!!!

What an amazing experience. That night out in Hamilton was crazy. Such good vibes everywhere!

GO CHIEFS!!

Thanks Mareet and everyone who helped this all work out :)

Raglan

08/03/13

My third weekend in TK I took a day trip out to Raglan where Manu Bay is located, also known by surfers as the second best left hand break in the world!

The surf was going off, head high barrels, one after another! I so wanted to get in but this was the same day as The Chiefs game and I didn't want to be pressured for time renting a board, returning it, etc. So instead, I enjoyed myself watching from the beach.

Left after left rolled in with up to 20 surfers enjoying their perfection. It was quite the trek across the rocks to get into the water but many did it barefoot and with ease.

I climbed up some of the bigger rocks around the mountain side to get a better view of the outside break and this is what is looked like...

:) just beautiful!

After drinking some locally brewed coffee and enjoying some small chat with the locals, I made my way inland in search of Bridal Veil Falls. 4k from the main road and a 10 min walk from the car park, ran the 55m Bridal Veil Falls.

Possibly one of the most beautiful places I've seen, I could not believe my eyes at the site of this heavenly place. There was a viewing area halfway down the track (seen above) as well as a boardwalk that lay at the foot of the falls. I thanked God with every step I took to the bottom, almost in disbelief that He has blessed me with such incredible adventures.

Then, as if to be knocked back into reality, I slipped on the third to last step and busted my butt so hard that everything went flying from my pockets. Phone landed on the very edge of the boardwalk and gopro that was thankfully strapped to my wrist whacked me directly between the eyes. Surviving. But what a rewarding view it was when I finally gathered my things and myself.

What a beautiful and surreal place...

On the way back up I was treated with Tui's singing and the sun shining through the trees.

Ever so thankful, I reached my car and heading home with great delight at how the day had played out. But it wasn't over yet! The Chiefs Rugby game was only hours away! :)

Ketchup

Oh what a busy 4 weeks it has been here in Te Kauwhata! I arrived to TK with a warm welcome from my new family. They have provided me with so much it almost feels like a dream (still pinching myself). Their home is so cozy and inviting; it is definitely a home away from home. Can't say I ever saw myself living on a cow farm!

So.... What have I been up to? Well, day one I of course wanted to checkout the house and explore the town a bit. Roman, the middle child, took me out on the farm with Yve, the youngest, to introduce me to some farm friends. Since I am a Floridian and from a beach town, I am all but used to interacting with cows. We trudged through a mix of mud and poop (I pretended it was all mud so I wouldn't throw up) and arrived at the edge of the lake where about a hundred cows are grazing. All of the sudden they start mooving towards us and corner us against the trees. They were only feet from us when Roman starts saying over and over again "they are going to charge!!!" Me being the most clueless person about cow behavior, I started freaking out inside (trying to play cool in front of the kids) and backed up against the tree as far as possible with little Yve behind me. Roman ditches us and climbs up high in the tree, out of "harms" way. Trying not to lose my cool, I call Mareet and like I'm in a horror movie, she doesn't answer. The cows are now sniffing at my face and my heart is about to pop out my ass while Yve is screaming behind me and Roman is hollering from above "don't look them in the eye!" I close my eyes and start praying when my phone starts to buzz. "Mareet! Oh my gosh! WE ARE SURROUNDED!! They look like they are going to charge! What do I do!?" She begins to giggle and says "oh, they won't charge, just walk forward." I take one step towards them and they shy away. Idiot. That's what I get for listening to a 7 year old. We easily walked straight through the herd back to the house. What an experience...

That night we had chicken for dinner and as we were eating I asked Grayson, the oldest, to pass the ketchup. He looks at me sideways and says "the what?" Does anyone know why the heck we call it ketchup? Because I definitely couldn't tell them when they asked. After having a 5 minute conversation about how it is "ketchup" not "tomato sauce," Grayson and I agreed that he would call it "ketchup" and I call it "toe-MAto sauce" from now on. I never knew that the phrase "tomato-toemato" would ever come into play in my life! I then told them about some other differences in food names like jelly vs. jam and jell-o vs. jelly as well as weird things that we have, like cheese that squirts out of a can (this sounded disgusting as I explained it to them). Love the differences! I am definitely getting used to hang drying my clothes as well!

The kids are an absolute blessing to my life. Week one and two I got to spend a lot of time with them and really got to know them because it was a school holiday. We went to the park and local bakery; they also taught me a lot about rugby. I even got to tag along on father-sons movie day and saw Monsters University (pretty sure I laughed harder than they did). The family has provided me with more than I could ask for. Mareet even hooked me up with a couple of tickets to The Chiefs rugby semi-final game! Which I will tell you more about soon :)

I am so happy to be here in TK and very much looking forward to the next 5 months with this family! :)

Journey to the North

It has been a couple weeks since I have blogged. I have been very busy with the move to the North Island and getting situated with my beautiful new family!

Let's go back in time.... Two Wednesday mornings ago I bid farewell and gave a huge thanks to my cousins. I have had such a wonderful time living in Christchurch with them. I climbed aboard the Nakedbus at 7am and began my trip to Picton. About 3 hours into the drive we stopped in Kaikoura for lunch. It was absolutely freezing but ever so beautiful. You could see bits of snow covering the tips of the mountains.

I stopped in at one of the local shops and bought myself some mittens... Absolutely obsessed with them!

We loaded back on the bus after some coffee and made our way to Picton. It was a very rainy day which was actually quite nice because I was able to relax for a bit in the hostel. I stayed at Big Cod Backpacker, a three minute walk from the ferry I would be catching in the morning. It was a cozy little place. I walked in and was greeted by a lovely woman who I chatted with about my adventures. She showed me to my room where I'd be bunking with two English girls.

I felt right at home and joined in with the girls watching Titanic in the lounging room. Perfect for a rainy day!

About two hours before dark the sky cleared so I decided to go site seeing around town and ended up trekking one of the shorter trails near my hostel. Bob's Bay trek was very muddy from all the rain but was still rewarding.

Bob's Bay led down to Shelly Beach where I was able to snap some of my now favorite photos. So much color even though it was a cloudy day. What a view!

Marlborough Sounds are in the background where I would be sailing through to get to Wellington the following day.

Shelley Beach.

Mountain view of the small town of Picton :)

I trekked back the same way I came; managing to only partially cover myself with mud, and returned to the hostel just before dark. I made some dinner and met a lovely family from Australia that was on holiday and also enjoying the beauty of New Zealand. The kids (about 7 and 8) told me they were only allowed to watch PG movies... We shuffled through our options and after much contemplation, I introduced them to Grease. Their first comment was "this looks OLD" haha. But the music had them dancing soon after. What a classic!

I was able to get a good nights sleep before waking up at 4:45am to catch the Interislander Ferry. Another freezing day. Good thing I had some sweet mittens to keep me warm! I boarded the ferry and was greeted by a very sweet employee, Mafi, that I chatted with a bit and then he showed me around the boat a bit, introducing me to the front room that had the best views. We sailed along through the Malborough Sounds with six foot swells beating the sides of the boat.

It was a three hour journey to Wellington and I made it without getting sea sick! Yah!

I caught a bus into town and was dropped off at the railway station where I asked directions to the nearest backpackers. Directly across from the railway station was Downtown Backpackers. How convenient! It was massive... The size of a hotel! And really pretty :)

I quickly noticed that Wellington was at a completely different pace than that of the cities I'd been to on the South Island. I felt like I was back in the states, waiting to cross six lanes of busy traffic and passing one large building after another. Still beautiful though! I reserved a bed, dropped my bags off, and went back out to explore the city.

I walked around The Harbourfront (seen above), map in hand; first stop- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (meaning "Our Place"). It is the one of largest museums in the world and definitely the largest I've ever been to. Exhibition space is equal to that of three football fields!

The first exhibit I visited was the "Mountains to Sea" exhibit that had a variety of New Zealand's plants and animals on display.

The gorgeous insect and snail exhibit had me thinking about my beautiful mother and everything she taught me about moths and butterflies. One of my favorite exhibits.

The New Zealand Kiwi and other assorted animals.

A life sized Moa, I used the gentleman in front of me to show this flightless bird's size.

The Colossal Squid!! Can you say MASSIVE! This is a Colossal Squid that was found in 2007 when it was caught on a longline in Antarctica. He is measured at 4.2 meters and weighs 495 kilos. The Colossal Squid is the largest known invertebrate on earth. If you want to read more about this beast CLICK HERE.

This room was fantastic. You could walk along the map and every square you stepped on had informative facts about that certain area which were revealed on the wall next to you.

There was obviously much more but I don't want to give it all away! You will just have to see it for yourself. :)

Just down from Te Papa was Te Raukura- the wharewaka (canoe house) exhibit that is home to Wellington's two waka (canoes). Before 1880, this area was home to one of Wellington's largest Maori communities. These canoes were the Maori's main mode of transport. The exhibit stated that this building is "a fulfillment of a vision to establish and return a Maori presence to the area."

What fantastic handiwork!

I then walked on to cross the City-to-Sea Bridge that links Frank Kitts Park and Civic Square.

Frank Kitts Park

The bridge is decorated with Pacific-style woodcarvings-

I was fascinated by the carvings and excited to see what lay on the other side of the bridge. And there it was! The Civic Square.

What incredible architecture! The square is lined by the City Gallery, the Town Hall, the Visitor Information Center, the Public Library, the City Council Center, concert venues, and the Michael Fowler Centre. Many of which I was able to visit!

Suspended in the middle of the square is Neil Dawson's ferns sculpture.

After I finished admiring the magnificent architecture of Civic Square, I popped into the City & Sea Museum just around the corner.

One of my favorite exhibits was the old Board Room of the Wellington Harbour Board.

It was created between 1925 and 1926; board members met here to discuss operations of the port and deal with various issues. The exhibit offered headphones that could be worn to listen to real past events and issues that took place in that very board room.

I went on to explore some of the other exhibits--

I was able to learn a lot about Wellington in one day. Ever so exhausted, I returned to my hostel and passed out for a few hours. When I awoke, I was greeted by my hostel mates, Benjamin and his lovely girlfriend from France. I got to know them a little and learned they would be studying at Victoria University right there in Wellington, both studying psychology. Benjamin took me out on the town to show me the night life. After discovering there wasn't much on a Thursday night, we stumbled upon a small bar which seemed to be the only happening place in town. We were instantly urged to join in on conversations carried on by people from all over the world. In one circle I met people from Brazil, Germany, France, Canada, Switzerland, and a few other places. It was incredible hearing everyone's stories, their different backgrounds, and how we all shared similar dreams to see New Zealand. A lad I met from Brazil, Paulo, and I spent a lot of time together sharing stories and I learned he was also a surfer. He agreed to show me around to the local surf spots in Wellington the following day. After a fantastic night of meeting new people, Benjamin and I said goodbye and headed back to our room.

The next morning I met up with Paulo and of course it was pouring but we didn't let it hold us back. He showed me all the different spots where the locals paddle out. There had to be at least ten spots he showed me. What a surfer's heaven Wellington is! After, we went for brunch at a local cafe where I had some of the best coffee and food of my life.

He ordered the fish and potatoes and I the big breakfast-->

SCRUMPTIOUS!

It was a great rainy day. Thanks so much Paulo!

That night I just hung around the backpackers, packing and preparing for my eleven hour Nakedbus ride to my new home.

Wellington was wonderful and I hope to visit again before I leave New Zealand. The bus ride north was very long but I was able to see heaps of snow and many gorgeous places in passing as well as meet some very sweet people on the bus. I arrived in Te Kauwhata at 7:30pm where I was met by my lovely new host mum, Mareet! She drove me to the place I would call home for the next six months and in shock I was; never did I ever see myself living on a cow farm!

What an adventure! Feeling so very blessed and ever so excited. Many more adventures to come! Thanks for reading. Will share again soon.