Friday 13 October 2006 - River Surfing at Kawarau River 

After winning a trip to do River Surfing in The World Bar (thanks Sel) we spent Friday afternoon with Serious Fun getting thrown around in the Kawarau River! River Surfing being whitewater river boarding invented by Jon Imhoof in 1989.  Queenstown was the original home to river boarding, now their sister company in Zambia is the only other place where this can be done. 

Met at the Red Rock and had a 40 minute journey to Kawarau River starting at the Roaring Meg section -6km of fast flowing water graded 2-3.  Got dressed in our wetsuits, boots & life jacket and got given our body boards.  Down at the river we put on our helmets and fins and jumped in! Refreshing for a minute after the sun but quickly got freezing! Gathering in the eddy (behind a rock where water was slow and going in opposite direction than the fast flowing river!)

Not a good start from Rita who jumped in and ended up heading straight for the fast flow in the middle of the river! Battling towards the eddy but quite concerned as she just couldn't get there - it was only when Bjorn (a trainee guide) came over and realised she had lost a fin!

A quick lesson on 360 degree turns, ducking under the waves - mini duck! and half turns from Neil and Emily, our guides for the day - then we were ready to go! Rita back in the water was told to come to the front and swim with the guide, didn't take her long to hold hands with the guide - at least this time it was a bloke!

Swimming upstream to get into the fast flow then round you spun and so fast shooting down the river! 10 of us in a group so spent most of the time banging into each other.  As you just had no control whatsoever you just had to go wherever the river took you! First rapid was the Man Eater,  this meant to be the biggest one but the next one was worse, Rollercoaster - 4 or 5 continuous rapids! You couldn't get your breath back before the next one hit you in the face! More mini rapids and lots of whirlpools before we got to the Dead Cow.  Opportunity for some squirts (chance to push your body board under the river taking you with it and letting it take you along until you get pushed back to the surface again!) A quick stop along the way for some rock jumping! v. high jump from a rock into the river! Calmer water, happily drifting down the river before we jumped out, met by the van to get driven back a little higher than where we started last time, to do it all over again!

Much better second time round - at least we knew what was coming! Rita was going to sit it out but got talked into going again, trainee guide holding her hand this time! Ellie trying to be a bit more adventurous this time trying some ducks and turns, even attempting a squirt! Not liking the Rollercoaster when she was battered by the first wave and all disorientated just couldn't recover! Finally getting her breath back we made it to the end! Good, seen as Bjorn kept on going on about it being Friday 13th!

Back into town and went to see Dawn & David's mobile home before heading out for a curry & drinks.