I have written this email 3 times now and each time I write it the computer crashes and erases it. I figured I should take this as a sign, the email was clearly too boring to subject you all to, something had to be done, the anti needed to be upped, and that's just what I did....
I believe I last left you as I clambered onto...and promptly fell off...a surf board, accompanied, of course, by my trusty Terrier, "Gov"...who had a phobia of water and yet was better with the board than me...yes by terrier I mean small yappy dog. Who knew repeatedly falling off a board into water could be so tiring, two hours later, i did!! In my defence I did manage to stand up 2 1/2 times!! Well, 3 half times and once properly, but I was generally so girlie and surprised and excited by it all that I squealed and promptly jumped off, much to the instructor, and his dog's despair- he was not charging nearly enough to deal with 2 hours of that!!
Perturbed slightly, and in A LOT of pain, I decided to give the sea a miss for a while and take to the skies instead-by helicopter no less!! Well surfing isn't very Surrey is it?! So off I flew, all Top Gun, sunglasses, head sets and...gas masks?!!? Well I wouldn't just take any old flight now would I? I flew to the volcanic White Island...or, as I suspect, the set from the latest Star Wars. This place was eerie-not least because it was a sulphur mine until a Lahar washed all the minors into a never to be found oblivion, leaving skeletal rusted remains of the works behind; but it is untouched in every way, no pathways, no chains or signs and is surrounded by the usual suspiciously blue waters-except for one patch where the sulphur meets the sea forming a mustard yellow smear. Walking around looking into craters that weren't there last week, feeling the steam on your face and the heat of the ground in your shoes is a mind blowing experience-especially when you arrive by a helicopter...which is doing 90' doughnuts above the main crater! (That is a very bizarre experience, you don't really realise you're sitting in parallel with the ground until you look out the window and wonder where it's gone, and why your stomach is complaining so...)
It hasn't all been extravagance though, I haven't forgotten that I am but a lowly traveller sent to be rugged and experience all, I have been rather cultural to. In fact I spent the day chilling out with a Maori Chief no less, who showed me around Whakatane, all the ancient Pa sites (original landing sights for the ancient Wacca's- Maori canoes) and all the wonderful things us Palangi have done to them in the interim...er...such as blowing up sacred rocks to build shingle beach walls, or building monuments to the Maoris on them...mmm...interesting logic we have...
Then it was off to Tauraga to meet friends and swim with dolphins...or...ride on a freezing boat for 5 hours being told how rare it is not to see dolphins, how perfect the conditions were, how we may even see orca, how penguins were very rare so not to bother looking for them, but to keep your eyes peeled for ALL the dolphins we were just about to see-after all there'd been so many around recently...all the while dodging penguin after sodding penguin, and how many dolphins...?! I swear they work in cahoot's, a conspiracy I tell you! My friend luckily was not so elusive and showed me a lovely day, touring the best walks, eateries and ye oldy villages (of course!)
I was very pleased when I woke up the next day to be greeted by a flat car battery...and with only 30 min to get to my white water rafting trip. Normally this I'm sure would've been no cause for stress, but this river is only raftable on 26 days of the year...guess which day my car decided to have a break on...yup...Calamity Carys' Car dies on day 26! Luckily the AA was not on a break...even more lucky is the fact I was not in England where I would still be waiting for their arrival! They got me started and on my way in plenty of time to wheel spin into the car park. Having already survived one high adrenaline white knuckle ride that day the river would be easy peasy right...mmm....I'll let the picture's explain...
http://rhbncac.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2039005&l=864e5&id=200901546
...(though please while looking at them consider the fact that I was the only girl in the raft. Thus I was the only target for all the wimp jokes in the raft....but...unless my eyes deceive me...am I not the only one smiling in the raft? While all about me scream in terror, flexing their "big-strong-brave" boy muscles only to hold on for dear life...mmm...lets not underestimate the powers of the little blonde girlie girl next time eh?!)
Obviously by this time I was on quite the adrenaline kick and figured why not cap off the day with a small detour to Rotorua. Ah yes I hear you say, to see the beautiful thermal parks, or sample some of the wonder that is the mineral mud baths...er...no...to go ZORBING!!!! Well in my defence I'd seen all the proper stuff before (and yes it is stunning and fascinating and I highly recommend it) but travelling is all about rebirth and finding yourself surely? Well you wont be reborn in a bath tub will you?!? No no, its all about squeezing yourself in to the small rubbery sphere, full of warm water that is a zorb ball. Seriously it practically induces flash backs as you plummet down the side of a hill with no idea where you are going, how fast and which way up, before you, and all the water spill out of a teeny gap in the sphere at the bottom. But when in Rome (which ironically enough, I'll get to...) and when in the home of the zorb (the aerodrome) you have to also try a spot of stunt jet boating and bungy swinging...rude not to so off I pop... The bungy swing is incredible, closest I'll ever become to being wonder woman- you're practically flying! You get winched up 200m in a sleeping bag no less (OK I said closest to wonder woman, not exact match) before you're forced to pull your own release chord and plummet (apparently the day's theme) until the chord catches and swings you back up again at incredible speeds, flying! The stunt jet boating was pretty much the same, but in a boat...who knew they actually could do hand break turns...let me tell you it is lucky they can!
Well I think 5 extreme sports is probably the medical limit for one day (those of you who've been in my car/booked me for penalty points will know that a drive with a panicked, late, me does fully qualify as an adrenaline sport) and certainly for one email so I'll give you all a wee tea break before round two....
C x
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