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Published: January 27th 2010
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After leaving Wanaka we made our way down to Queenstown where we stayed for three nights. It was extremely tempting to do every adventerous activity on offer but I would instantly run out of money if I did that so we settled for a quiet few days instead (knowing we had white water rafting coming up on our way back to Christchurch). Queenstown is cool, but just so very expensive. I did however discover a brilliant budget shop where I got some new sunglasses for just 5 dollars! (I had broken yet another pair). On our last day in Queenstown we took a ride up the gondola to take in the view out over the town and the lake. Really stunning scenery and the weather was beautiful which made it even better. We could not however pass up the opportunity to ride the luge track at the very top so we raced down there a few times before discovering what can only be described as the best sausage roll in the world (we just had to have two, it would have been silly not to). Tuesday morning we departed for Geraldine and out to the Rangitata River where we were to stay in a small lodge before we headed out into the rapids to do some white water rafting the next day. There were only four of us staying the night so we literally had the place to ourselves! All meals and a bed were included in the trip price so it was all in all a fairly good deal (would recommend it for sure). After a big breakfast, equipment talk, safety briefing and a big lunch we took a 40 minute ride on the lodge's bus to the drop in point of the river. The scenery was absolutely beautiful and rumor has it that footage of the Rangitata River was included in the Lord of the Rings films. Having said that, nearly everywhere you go on the South Island people claim that their particular place was seen in the films...which by the look of it all, could very well be true. I didn't really know what to expect of the grade 5 rapids (1 being small, 5 being absolutely huge and 6 being basically being impossible...and not even on this river). After we had a group photo (see facebook pictures) we dropped into the river and the guide ran through the instructions, maneuvers and safety again. All was in order and we even tried a practice flip of the boat for if (and most likely when) we were to go over. The guide said that the water running through the river (at about 80-100 cubic metres per second) is only 6 hours old as it runs straight of the glacier; a glacier over twice the size of the Frans Josef and Fox Glaciers that we saw the other week. The water however, pretty cold! The first few rapids were grade 1 and 2, (like the ones in Thailand on the Jungle Trek) and they were ok to handle. Then things started getting tricky with the grade 3 rapids. The boat dropped over the boulders, then bounced back up over the wave, nearly tipping us out every time. We did however make it through (soaking wet) and we pulled over to the side of the river to get out and look down on the grade 5 rapids coming up. Now, from the air, they didn't look to bad. I mean, they looked daunting but not terrifying. I couldn't have been more wrong. As we got back in the raft and headed out into the fast flowing water of the river I knew I had got the wrong impression. They were daunting and the were fully terrifying! The horizon dropped away and we plunged a few metres down into the rapids. The boat was going everywhere, water was rushing over everyone but we kept paddling through and we made it out the other side! Dan and I were up the front so we had a bit more work to do to keep the momentum going! Awesome feeling and even more excited to try the next ones. A couple more grade 3 rapids tried to tip us out but we hung on and made it through. Then the guide said "get ready for the big ones!" Having already dropped into the biggest river and rapids of my life I thought I was ready for anything. I wasn't. We approached the 250m stretch of grade 5 rapids (appropriately named "The Wall") and things got messy. We dropped in and all I could think about was to keep on paddling to get us through because we had a long way to go. We made it through and headed over to the left for the next section called "The flipper" (I could see where thins was going). We were chucked around everywhere but for some reason, we were still afloat! Struggling to come to terms with the fact that we might make it through in one piece we went into overdrive and paddled really hard into the final grade 5 who's name filled me with great confidence..."The Wall Slam of Death". The boat dropped in and we got got caught in the wash back, the front on the boat lifted up more and more and more until it was horizontal with the water (I'm still hanging on...great photo) then one waves washed us all off! I get plunged into grade 5 rapids in icy glacial water and as I being pushed under water by the pressure of the water I started to think of what I was going to do to get out of this. I wriggled around and got out of the "washing amchine" section and came up to see I was flying down these huge rapids. The guys in the other boat looked down and told me to get into a lying down position to avoid...well, injury! Just after I missed a few rocks I felt something beneath the water. It was Dan who had been under water since the boat flipped! That was 100m back! We both then took on the last rapid before entering the calm water where we were rescued by the other raft. Boats tipping happens nearly everyday apparently but a few people were a bit shook up. I however, flipping loved it! It was one of the biggest adrenalin rushes ever! So much fun...yet crazily dangerous at the same time. We then took on a bit of cliff jumping (about a 10m jump) and then went down the last three rapids before the end of the rafting section of the river. Such an awesome day and I would recommend not only rafting in NZ, but rafting this river with this company. Extremely professional and great value for money. We then had a big bbq dinner before taking a look at the photos, then heading to Christchurch on the bus. In Christchurch today then flying up to Auckland tomorrow morning before taking another flight out to the Cook Islands on Sunday! Next update will be after that...when we arrive in LA. Busy few days comming up! But the rafting day was brilliant and their website says..."Few other rivers can offer you New Zealand’s most amazing scenery paired with the thrill and excitement of some of the country’s most exciting white water rafting action" - couldn't have put it better myself! Some big time grade 5 white water rafting is something I have always wanted to do...and this trip certainly made that happen!
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