Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
10th Feb - we carried on our journey through the North island through to River Valley.
We headed to Tongariro National Park, which is New Zealand's oldest national park, one of New Zealand's three world heritage areas and fourth one created in the world! We went for a walk and came across a cone shaped mountain which was used in Lord of the Rings as Mount Doom. Stuart played songs from the movie just to put us in the scene.
We hopped back on the bus and an hour later we enter the surroundings of River Valley Adventure Lodge, our base for the night. The dorm room we stayed in was amazinggg! It was like 1 massive bunk bed with just one massive mattress on the top and bottom bunk. Me, Hannah and Kylie booked white water rafting for the next day. We had a team nap and then watched Hangover 2 together on Killian's (German guys) laptop before going back to bed again.
11th Feb - we woke up at 6am, again, to go white water rafting. We went downstairs and put on our wetsuits, boots and life jacket. Wow we looked cool!! We jumped in a van that took us down to the Rangitikei river. We were taught how to get back into the boat if we were to fall out. Hannah was used as a demonstrator! We also were shown how to paddle forwards and backwards properly.
3 of us girls got put in a boat with another girl and our instructor, Sam. He was from Kent originally but had the most amazing job teaching extreme sports around the world. I wish I could do that! Everything he said to us in the boat was a sexual innuendo. He said we would understand it better that way!
We paddled down the river in the valley. It was so incredibly beautiful. We started off in grade 3 rapids and ended up in grade 5 rapids (the most dangerous rapids you can get). At the beginning of the trip we bumped into a massive rock and I went flying out the boat. Typical. Hannah flew out too and fell on top of me. We always seem to do everything together! Even when not planned. The water was freezing! We got pulled back into the boat and carried on rafting through the rapids.
At one point we got out of the boat and floated down the river. We also got pushed down a little waterfall where I nearly ended up floating down the river with the strong rapids! The instructor was shouting at me to swim faster as I was getting dragged away.
Towards the end, they asked us if we wanted to do a cliff jump. It was 7 metres high. Even though I was s***ting myself I thought sod it! It's gotta be done!
We ended the rafting back at the hostel, got changed and got back on the bus to head to Wellington.
- comments
Mumi You brave girl!! Glad it's over!