Day 8 Morning

9 April 2010 AM

Today shall be broken into 2 parts. As I probably mentioned before, QT offers various entertainments and they lump up some extreme activities together and offered it as a bundled package at a discounted price. We signed up for one of those, and this morning, we shall be doing white-water rafting.

I haven't got many images to post, as we went without the camera (because you would expect yourself to get wet in extreme water sports), so I'm going to have to pull images from the ever-reliable google, to get my message across.

Aerial view_Shotover River & Skippers Canyon (google)

QT provides rafting on two of their main rivers - the Kawarau and the Shotover. While the Kawarau probably has more scenic views to offer, we chose the Shotover for the grades of the rapids. The Shotover River has Grade 3 - 5 rapids and its suitable for beginners.

Cavell's Rafting Base

We gathered at one of the i-sites in QT before being herded into a bus that will bring us to Cavell's Rafting Base where we exchanged our normal clothes into wet suites, life jackets & rubber sneakers. It was awfully cold and the wetsuits are not necessarily dry, when we put them on. They were rather damp, and together with the morning chill, wearing the wetsuits turned out to be an adventure itself.

Rubberizing

We gathered around the decking area where we were given a safety briefing on white-water rafting. There were basic tips, how to wear the equipments properly, etc. etc. Next minute, we hopped back on the bus where it will take us through the Skipper's Canyon to begin our rafting. I have to say, the journey itself, was mind-numbingly exciting.

Edith Cavell Bridge

Steady hands required (google)

This is what we have to drive through. We were faced with tight, windy, 1-way gravel paths hugging the granite mountain on our right and steep, vertical drops on our left. Neat! Our excellent driver, an enthusiastic lady with a mob of hot pink hair, maneuvers the dangerous curves like a mountain goat. A trailer filled with our rafts is attached to the back of the van. Of course, if you have the extra dough, you can always hitch a ride with the heli and skip all the torment the gravel path has to offer.

Heliraft (google)

Joining us on the bus is one of our rafting guides - Marcio the Brazillian with arrestingly huge eyes and an equally impressive, indecipherable accent. We were briefed on arising situations, more safety talk and signed disclaimer forms saying we will not sue the company should we drown and die. We shall have to float on our backs should we fall into the river. We shall not attempt to stand on the river if we fell. We shall direct our legs parallel to the flowing current.

Part of Shotover River

17km of the dangerous track ends at the starting point of our rafting tour - Deep Creek. The glacial blue of the river excites D, as he has never seen rivers so brilliant before. We trooped down from the bus and gathered around each other and waited for further instructions.

Leading the rafting adventure, is the main guide, a commanding figure of Maori descendant, I think. He has a stout body, shoulder-length curls and a perpetual frown. He scanned us, pouted & began his speech. "Good Morning everyone! My name is Chief!" And his sentences seemed to always end with an exclamation mark. He cracks racist jokes, pokes fun at fat people, humiliates Australians and gets away from it all. He is arrogant, proud, and wickedly hilarious. The crowd loved him.

With 20 years of rafting experience, you could almost get away with anything. Introducing, the exorbitant, CHIEF. I don't think that's his real name either.

We were divided into groups of 6 to a guide, depending on our size and weight (Minimum weight 40kg). It was quite unnerving as we have to sit with our bums hanging right over the edges of the inflatable rafts. One leg is slipped under an inflated divider over the inside of the raft to balance yourself. It's a very precarious position to be in.

Smile

Our voyage started off relatively smooth and easy. This was the chance for all of us to grasp Whitewater Rafting 101 : Summarized Version. In the beginning, we learnt how to paddle, and how you must never let go of your grip on the top paddle lest you hit the person next to you.
Next, we were taught basic commands namely "left over right", "right over left", "hold & down", "paddle forward", "paddle backward" which pretty much explains itself.

Easy waters @ Deep Creek

After approx. 20 minutes of being carried by the current, we finally get a taste of our first rapid, a Grade 3, the Red Rocks. It was....over before we knew it. But it managed to bring the colour back to our cheeks, as it was freezing cold. We passed through a couple of Grade 3s and it could best be described as being flushed through a toilet bowl. The rush of waters, the splashes, the bobbing of the raft was something entirely new & exciting to us.

But this was not just all about speed and rapids. We have many long, slow moments of floating about, and this is the chance to admire the sheer cliffs, crystal clear waters and of course, mountain goats. There were also obvious evidence of past mining activities in the form of rusted machineries left by the river bank, an eyesore nevertheless, yet a poignant reminder of NZ's mining history.

Shotover edge (google)

Soon, we reached the "Mother Rapids", a succession of 6 numbers of Grade 4 rapids with interesting names like "The Squeeze", "Toilet" and "Oh-Shit", just to name a few. We had to "hold & down!!" a couple of times, and just so you know, everytime the Guide yells that one out, he meant that the rapids may be out of control and capsizing is possible. "Hold & down" means you hold down your paddle at the edge of the raft with your right hand, and grab the security lines on the raft with your left hand, and sit inside the raft while you bob along the rushing waters and pray you don't get washed out.

Emergence

We were quite fascinated with the tensile structure of the raft, because while it is soft and pliable, you would expect it to tear and leak, especially when we kept bumping into sharp boulders. Many times, we were shoved right up to the edge of the cliffs and we were squeezed along the jagged rocks. They remain as taut as anything.

We finally met a tough, tight and dangerous Grade 5 rapid named the Mother-in-law. She's pretty cool to tackle. To go through her, you have to pass through something similar to a bottle-neck situation, where the valley narrows ahead and you have to squeeze through, only to find a blade-like boulder sticking out in the middle of your path. Still, whoever that named the rapids, must have survived with their sense of humour intact.

Although, Mom-in-law was a shocker, she did not have the last say.

Oxenbridge Tunnel (google: gradientandwater.blogspot.com)

This was the finale. To enter into the unknown, the tunnel, the body of the cliffs. We had to queue up to enter the tunnel as it was naturally confined, and can only fit one raft at a time. Soon, it was our turn. We paddled forward, eased ourselves into the black hole and held our breaths. We had to tuck our paddles into the raft as we might scratch them against the rocky walls.

It wasn't as thrilling as expected but it was still, momentarily roaring to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel and anticipate being flushed out of it. And a-whoosh we go!

Cascade Rapids

It was crazy-fun! Truth be told, there were some stretches of the River that was long, slow and relaxing. We find those really boring, but it would have been fantastic, if the weather was not this cold and your bladder was not filled to the brim, you get what I mean?
All in all, it was definately a rewarding and physically demanding experience. I suppose, to be able to fully grasp the thrill, one would need the skills and technique to do a solo rafting, and comprehend the strength of waters on their own.