GOPR5792.JPGOur second adventure was "black water rafting," which translated to floating in a cave wearing an innertube.
Towards the end of October, Eliz & I took about three weeks holiday in New Zealand, having signed up for Haka Tours North-South island adventure tour. This was my selfish birthday present to Elizabeth, and I had insisted despite our busy schedules that we go before the end of the calendar year. We had a terrific time, and met a wonderful group of young people who had also signed on. (While Haka assured us we wouldn't be the oldest ones on our tour, we had at least a quarter century on all of them.)
Between us, we took almost 3000 photos, which I've winnowed down to about 750. I've further broken these into 24 pages, which you can jump between more easily. A few of the pages have linked video, or will have when I get around to uploading them.
Page 1, wherein we arrive to Auckland and explore the town and harbor.
Page 2, wherein we meet our tour group and head in the bus for our first destination on the north island, Whtianga.
GOPR5792.JPG
Our second adventure was "black water rafting,"
which translated to floating in a cave wearing an innertube.
IMG_2644.JPG
They took us in a van to the changing station, which
was basically accross the street.
GOPR5793.JPG
They had us all in wetsuits because the water is quite
cold.
P1060122.JPG
Everyone was pretending to be James Bond, except Elizabeth,
who is a strict pacifist. (For the record, I was pretending
to have a "breather.")
GOPR5796.JPG
On the way to the caves.
GOPR5802.JPG
There was a short hike, which was nonetheless challenging
because the wetsuits were so constraining.
GOPR5807.JPG
Rodney
Jenny said our CaveWorld guide was a pretty typical
Kiwi. By that she meant he was a man of few words.
GOPR5805.JPG
That’s a headlamp on our helmets.
P1060124.JPG
Before the dampness.
P1060129.JPG
P1060127.JPG
GOPR5821.JPG
GOPR5825.JPG
GOPR5828.JPG
Going in.
P1060141.JPG
Glow–worms were a chief feature of the tour, but
not an easily photographed one. Their bioluminenscence
draws insects in to a sticky end.
P1060139.JPG
Like many insects, they spend most of their lives in
the larval stage, only maturing to mate. Glow–worms
attract prey with their glowing behinds and these strands
ensnare the victims
P1060144.JPG
At this point, we had really only gotten our feet wet.
P1060145.JPG
That was about to change.
P1060157.JPG
Jenny
Our Haka tour guide.
P1060158.JPG
Elizabeth
We grabbed each others’ boots to all stay together.
P1060159.JPG
Greg
We were smiling despite the cold water seeping into
our trousers, which was none to comfortable at the start.
P1060160.JPG
Jon
Jon & Marc (just behind) made up our Canadian contingent
on the tour.
P1060170.JPG
This slide dropped us into darkness with a rude dunking
at the bottom.
P1060166.JPG
We were told to cross our arms on the way down.
GOPR5852.JPG
I didn’t get much of the rest of the tour, because
it was too dark for photographs. Here we are, climbing
the stairs to the surface.
P1060178.JPG
I think that’s Eliz & I, emerging.
Page 4, wherein we check out a swing bridge and the Blue Spring, where the majority of New Zealand's bottled water originates. That night, we dine with the Mitai tribe and are treated to a demonstration of some Maori traditions.
Page 5, wherein Elizabeth and I go zip-lining in a native rain forest.
Page 6, wherein we visit the Waiotapu Thermal Park and check out the natural hot springs and Huka waterfall in Taupo.
Page 7, wherein we sail Lake Taupo on a boat that once belonged to Errol Flynn.
Page 8, wherein we enjoy a group barbecue and try our hands at Gumboot Throwing. We arrive to Wellington and enjoy a nice dinner.
Page 9, wherein Eliz and I hike to a view atop Mount Victoria, then check out the Wellington museum and the botanical gardens.
Page 10, wherein we meet the others for some street food and fireworks to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day. The next morning, we leave our bus for a ferry ride to the south island. (Just in time as it turns out, since Ronnie lost her rear suspension towards the end and broke down completely when the next group took her over.)
Page 11, wherein we travel to Kaikoura, and Eliz & I swim with some dolphins. We end the day at a nice Haka lodge in Christchurch.
Page 12, wherein we go hot-air ballooning with Yen & Brian, then check out the Christchurch Art Museum.
Page 13, wherein we meet up with our group and head out to Tekapo, where we were all surprised by a snowstorm in the night.
Page 14, wherein we enjoy our first afternoon in Queenstown and take a gondola up to Bob's Peak to be amazed by the view and learn how to luge.
Page 15, wherein Eliz & I are joined by Lauren on a horse trek near Glenorchy.
Page 16, wherein Jon, Brian, and Yen join us in a "canyoning" adventure that was more than we'd signed up for.
Page 17, wherein Eliz & I enjoy a leisurely day on Lake Wakapitu.
Page 18, wherein we drive over a mountain pass to get to Wanaka. The following day, most of us take a hike up Mount Iron. Some of us also go to see "The Lonely Tree"
Page 19, wherein we make a number of stops for beauty on the way to the Franz Josef glacier.
Page 20, wherein some of our group hike to see the glacier.
Page 21, wherein about half of us go on a final group kayaking adventure on Lake Mapourika.
Page 22, wherein some brave singers stand up for karaoke night at the pub. The next day, we stop in Hokitika and see some live kiwi birds on our way to catch the train in Greymouth.
Page 23, wherein everyone but our leader boards the Alpine Express bound for Christchurch, the final destination for the organized part of our trip.
Page 24, wherein Eliz & I have a final day on our own in Christchurch, which we spend wandering in search of good eats and take a ferry to Diamond harbor. We also finally get a chance to check out the Christchurch botanical garden, which is definitely worth the visit.
Page created Nov 27 2017