Canyoning Part II..and some other adventures

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Hello Everyone,

The rest of the group had a very successful canyoning trip. All in all they abseiled (repelled) down 11 walls, the biggest being over a 120 foot sheer wall/waterfall. They jumped off a couple of cliffs, the highest one was about 22 feet (Justin conquered the big one and the others were happy to stick to the under 15 foot jumps...still a big accomplishment 😉 The day consisted of many adrenaline rushes and pushing themselves to the limit. When the guide told them they had finished the canyon, everyone let out a sigh of relief only to find out they still had to jump off a 80-90 foot cliff and zip line down to the finish with only the guide to slow them down. They enjoyed themselves thoroughly.

Before leaving Wanaka we all went on a 3 hour hike through the mountains, past a lake and ended up at an amazing outlook where we could see rows of mountain tops, the stunning valley below and Lake Wanaka which twisted around the mountains. It was well worth the hike.

Our next stop was Queenstown, about an hour and a half south of Wanaka and nestled right in between a bunch of mountains and settled next to a lake. We only stayed here a night as we thought there were better places we could venture off to.

We found ourselves in a town called Te Anau which is located on the edge of Fiordland National Park and by Lake Te Anau. We stayed here for 3 nights at a fun backpackers called Barnyard Backpackers. It was very cozy and comfortable and located in the countryside with a pet dog and a pet black sheep. In the paddock next door there were quite a few reindeer, cows and horses so that was fun to see. We took a day trip to Milford Sound which is a 2 hour drive from Te Anau and from there took a boat ride through Milford Sound. It was quite rainy which actually was to our benefit because the waterfalls were just roaring. I have never seen sooo many waterfalls in on place before. It seemed like each mountain side was just covered with them. On our boat trip we saw seals and penguins. The views were unbeatable and near the end the clouds cleared so we were able to see the majestic mountain tops. The drive out there was also something else. You really can't go anywhere in this country and get a bad view.

After Te Anau we left for Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers. It was supposed to be a 6 hour drive but unfortunately turned into a 10 hour drive because of a deadly bicycling/car accident. On our way through Peasant Valley we noticed a crew of cyclists huddled around a person on the ground and stopped to see if they needed assistance. The guide of the group came running over to the car and said we need a helicopter now, go drive to the nearest town (which was 40 min. one way or 50 min. the other). My mom and I (both of us being RN's) rushed over to the injured man and Justin and Mary rushed off to get assistance. He was in very critical condition, bleeding from his ears and nose and unconscious and posturing (tremoring in response to a serious head trauma and brain injury). My mom was a guardian angel that day and did an exceptional job caring for this man and keeping the group of people calm and giving them hope. Because we were in such a remote area and for some reason there was much miscommunication with emergency services it took 3 hours to get the help this man needed. The first help to arrive (nearly an hour after the accident) was a local rescue helicopter who responded after overhearing the tangle of miscommunication over the airways. Unfortunately he did not have any first aid gear or meds and could only transport the man if he was in an upright position. About 25 minutes later an ambulance arrived and 10 minutes after that a second ambulance arrived neither of them having meds. They did however have IV equipment with out-dated IV solution and a couple of volunteer crew. About 40 min. later a hospital helicopter arrived and shockingly still did not have any meds or anything we could use to improve the man's condition. They were useless. We sat with this man doing the best we could with no meds or any other medical equipment for over 3 hours until the help we needed finally arrived. During the 3 hours we waited my mom ran the show. She was able to roll the man on his side to keep his airway open and allow the blood to drain out rather than down his throat. She monitored his vitals, pupil dilation, made sure that no one moved his body to keep his spinal cord in line (even though another head strong German nurse tried her best to lift his head up) and after the ambulances arrived she did an fantastic job at starting an IV line with a 14 gauge needle (a needle big enough you could thread a piece of yarn through it) which can be pretty difficult because of the size of the needle. The paramedic then tried to start another IV in the man's arm but was unsuccessful so mom came to the rescue once again and got it going on the first attempt. The help we needed finally arrived over 3 hours after the accident occurred. The helicopter was equiped with the correct meds this man needed, a qualified doctor who could intubate and secure an airway to keep the man breathing. Then he was taken to a trauma center and died 2 hours later. It was a very sad day but it was a good thing we stopped and that my mom has the knowledge and skills those people needed that day. We are all very proud of her.

So, on a happier note we arrived to the town of Franz Josef Glacier and got settled in. The following day I decided to do the most scenic sky dive in the southern hemisphere. It was fabulous and a great adrenaline rush. My shoulder was fine I just had to keep it tucked in the entire drop. After the skydive we hiked around the scenice Lake Matheson..apparently the most photographed lake in New Zealand. We also hiked up the both the Fox Glacier and Franz Josef. Both very lovely and scenic.

Now we are in a town called Motueko and planning on doing some kayaking.

That's it for now. Hope all is well. Don't worry about us, its staying nice and warm down here and keeps warming up the more north we go. If ya's are getting cold we can send our sweaters and jumpers (sweatshirts) home because i don't think we'll be needing them anymore 😉

We would love to hear from you guys.

Until Next Time,
Beth and Justin

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Comments

[Ben and Katherine]

Hello
sounds like you've had the best time ever, hope the shoulder's ok beth, fancy popping by london on your way back home?

[Joe]

Hola
Hey guys, I've kinda been slacking here and there in keeping up w/ your adventure...stuck attempting to get ready to go to Iraq... From what I have been reading it sounds like you've been having the time of your lives! Keep having fun :)

[Jim ( Beths Dad)]

Party's about over
WOW, looking at the calendar it appears the venture is about over - 1 week left...... Dad

[Jim ( Beths Dad)]

Denver area
Look out Denver, Beth and Justin (Boozer ?) are headed your way.