Black Water Rafting - Waitomo Caves

So during the NZ trip i also got the opportunity to try out Black Water Rafting. The reason for this being a challenge is that I am not the best swimmer in the world. Or more clearly i can probably doggy paddle to save my life if i had to but generally i am pretty much the opposite of a water baby. (hence also needing to learn how to swim as a challenge). The other challenge is of course water, in the dark and small caves testing even the non-claustrophobic of us.

Anyway the first challenge was getting into the wet suits, they were wet from having been rinsed as well as really cold. It was actually only about 10 degrees at the time of our tour and then throw on these horribly cold inside out wetsuits and it was not a great start. If only the outfits included some gloves too.

We went to a "practice stream" and had to learn to jump backwards into the water and into our rings. I was freaking out at first as the tour guide was standing on a high platform and i was thinking we were going to have to jump off that and if so i was thinking i wouldn't be able to do it, thankfully we had to practice off a smaller height and it was all a'ok, until we landed in the ice cold freezing water. Definitely the literal version of jumping into the deep end.

Oh did i mention the jumping backwards practice was because there were two waterfalls that we had to jump off.... yup backwards. in the dark....

One of the hightlights of the black water rafting was that there were nice calm moments where you were just floating along looking at the glow worms, which of course arent glow worms but glowing maggot poo. yeah i know, bit of a let down to realise they arent cute worms.

Being partially on the birthday week tour meant a few things, one i got to wear a pair of old ugly togs over my wetsuit which was pretty funny really, gotta love a reason to dress up. But sadly i also had to take the jump off the waterfall first which was pretty scary and i wasnt the happiest chappy on that one. I had to sneak around a 25m deep hole and then jump into the unknown. Because no one was in there first it was dark. Pretty scary to be honest.

Anyway probably not the most exciting entry and i guess its probably evident that it wasnt the most fun i have had. It didnt have the adrenaline rush of the sky tower or the child like "wheeee" of the luge. All in all i am happy to have done it, but would i do it again... nope.

Leaping to my imminent death - aka Sky Tower Jump

I wouldn't have said i was scared of heights, the taller the better when it comes to roller coasters I say. However this isn't just height, this is 192m, with a sprawling panorama encompassing the tops of buildings, the harbour vista and a wind which is blowing like a gale at This height.

If I said this was the first time my mouth had gotten me into trouble I'd be lying, i found myself once again questioning what the fook I thought I was doing and how did i end up in this bright coloured jumpsuit?!

So i put the Sky Tower jump on my itinerary, and now i have navigated us all to the base of "the tower of doom". Time to put my money where my mouth is. To be honest from the bottom my resolve remained strong and i was still buoyed with the confidence of all that I have already put myself through during the start of the week. It was when i got into the ticket/visitor centre and got to see first hand via the multiple TV screens how high we were going to be as i saw the poor devil before me being prised off their centre of happiness and thrown into the air with gay abandon. Yes, Gay abandon...

My hands got sweaty, infact it was generally pretty hot all of a sudden and it wasnt until Fi said she would jump too that i felt comforted that we could both party in heaven together that i was able to slide my way over to the ticket booth and pay the lady and sign the sanity waiver.

I felt momentously better when i saw that we would be wearing all in one jumpsuits of Blue, Red and Yellow with massive lightening strikes across them. Surely in a getup like that I would be invincible.

Anyway i am self indulging. When i got to the top we took dibs on who was going to jump 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc. Fi decided first was the only way to fly and ensure that she would be able to do it. I promptly chose second. Well my poor girl was taken into a glass room next to ours and put on the safety. If you could only see her face as she looked back at us all with an expression which screamed "what the fook am i doing" and "I dont want to do this anymore" mixed into one. Her walk down The Plank was made painstakingly slow as she dragged herself sideways inch by inch and interspersed with SOS looks. I want to tell you all that she pulled herself together and proudly leaped off the building but alas she decided going backwards off the building and letting go of the vice like grip only at the last minute was going to be her way.

Needless to say this did not fill me with courage, but it did confirm my resolve that I could do it. I managed to walk out fairly confidently and take the leap off the building on the first countdown (much to my own surprise). When I got to the bottom I felt completely weightless and the adrenaline had me 10ft tall and buzzing. I could see it in the eyes of all my friends as they landed at the bottom and it was fantastic to have shared that scare and exaltation with them all.

As Katie and I were speaking and trying to psych ourselves up to actually jump we both talked about how we wanted to be the type of people that could do things that scared us. Well we did it, so for that day, we were able to face a challenge and a fear and go with it anyway.

I was so proud of Fi, Katie, Amit, Tammy, Jill and myself.

Being 30

Ok so i have just turned 30 years old. Before i had this auspicious birthday i of course had a pre-mid life crisis and reflected on all I have done. So often I find myself as i am sure you have before too wondering about how fast these years have flown by and how much is still left on my to do list.

With that in mind I decided to coin the 30 Challenges for the year of my 30th and try and cross off a few lingering wishes and childhood ambitions. I also figure this will keep me from financing a sporty red convertible and chatting up young girls.

Anyway i have posted my incomplete list, yes there are but 27 challenges below and hope that you can all suggest the final three to make the list :)

I will be updating my blog regularly with my progress and letting you all know how its going so stay tuned kids!