Ninjas assemble: Whanganui River Journey

After our last Great Walk excursion, Lake Waikaremoana, we started planning the Whanganui River Journey. It is a 145km paddle down from Taumarunui to Pīpīriki with a few sections of class 2 rapids and a lot of flat sections. As we have been planning this since last October, we have a lot of logistics to figure out. How many people were going? How many nights? Were there huts available? Or do we camp? What gear did people need? Which company to rent gear from? Would they transport our kayaks? So we started another legendary email thread.

There ended up being 8 of us on the trip as Banu had to pull out late because her parents decided to visit. So there was a large contingent of Americans with Raf, Laura, Beth, Peter, and I. Followed up with the 2 Kiwis, Mike and Paula. Rounding out our group was Rachel representing Ireland. Little did we know that Irish would be descending upon the river in force. We encountered no less than 4 large groups of her people. Good thing they didn't her all the grief we gave her over the long weekend. Our itinerary involved us camping each night and paddling from Ohinepane to Whakahoro on Day 1. Day 2 was Whakahoro to Mangawaiiti. Day 3 was Mangawiiti to Ngaporo. With the final day being Ngaporo to Pipiriki. So it would be roughly 123km with a short 5.4km return walk to the Bridge to Nowhere. The journey down the river was an awesome experience even with the weather not being the greatest. We were treated to some pretty epic views on the journey: early in the morning there was the mist rising revealing the fern and pine trees. All day long we were treated to ducks and birds flying around, but not a fish to be seen. With all the rain, the waterfalls were in full display.

We finalized our plans the week before Easter with hiring 3 canoes and booking transport for our 2 bigger kayaks. We met up with the rest of the Ninjas at Taumarunui Canoe Hire late Thursday Evening. We ate at a little take away spot in town with Mike and Paula, that had some pretty decent onion rings and a fried chicken and homemade stuffing. We had to wait for Rachel and her crew to arrive as there was some paperwork to be done, but while we waited we got to play with 2.5 week old kittens. Matter of fact one of the boys working there just picked one up and put it in Beth's hand without uttering a word. All I heard was the little mewing escaping it open maw and I saw Beth as she looked around partially dumbfounded at the kid's back while starting to pet the kitten and shrugging her shoulders.

That evening, we camped at Taumarunui. The next morning we were driven to Ohinepane after given a very lengthy briefing. Beth and I had used this company back in December when we did day 1 with her parents and our briefing was significantly shorter. We didn't get on the water until close to Noon and we had 37km to paddle. Beth and I paddled our kayaks and the others were paired off as couples, except for Rachel and Peter. After getting the gear loaded and the 'Ok' from the staff that they could paddle the canoe effectively enough we went through our first section of swift water. We paddled for about a couple hours and then pulled over at Poukaria for lunch. This campsite is right after the remains of a car in the river. Beth ended up getting stung in the arm while we were eating lunch. It was low enough that it didn't rub on her life jacket while paddling. We pulled into Whakahoro after about 5:30 hrs and we had to navigate a very steep, muddy, and precariously placed landing spot to unload our gear before walking another 400m to the campsite. This crazy landing experience would be the start of a trend for the remaining nights. This campsite happened to have horses roaming around the site which were not too impressed with us. If it wasn't the first night, we might have ventured next door for some cafe food and a $4 shower. Instead we made the food we brought with to lessen our load. Which Peter and Rachel needed to do a fair bit as they brought a lot of fresh produce to eat.

Leaving Whakahoro was probably more difficult than unloading as we had a little bit of rain overnight and the landing seemed even muddier. We ended up paddling 47km which was the longest section we would be doing this trip. Raf had to bandage his hand as he had gotten a blister on his thumb. It ended up ripping open so Laura would do medical each night. A few others had sore hands, but I don't think anyone else had as much issues as Raf. The landing at Mangawaiiti was pretty gnarly. It was pretty packed when we showed up and it was a slick, muddy mess with a 5 minute walk up to the top of the cliff. We ended up bringing each canoe into a small section that allowed for the easiest place to unload which was still difficult. Then we moved them out of the way. While we were doing this, we were told by another camper that the water in the tanks was very low and that we should use only what was necessary. We set up our tents where there was available space, which meant we were spread out as the camp seemed pretty full. While eating dinner, the rain started to bucket down and a bunch of people showed up. There was a group of 4 Irish guys and a group of 10 from Auckland. Some of which thought they could wait out the rain before setting up their tents, but that wasn't to be. It rained late into the evening.

We left Mangawaiiti early to beat the crowds at the Bridge To Nowhere, which surprisingly also had a crappy landing. We had very little room to try to tie up and it was very muddy. For being a tourist destination with lots of jet boats the landing was very rustic. We walked the 2.7 km to the Bridge To Nowhere, where Rachel was stung in the leg. We took in the view and read about the history of the bridge before turning around and starting to see a bunch of people being dropped off by jet boat and a dozen of canoes showing up. We left the cluster that was the loading area and went down to Tīeke Kāinga to eat lunch. There is a marae here that we chose not to visit. Instead we rather get to our camp site at Ngaporo earlier and try to get some stuff dried out. While we were leaving, the jet boat operators played the game 'Can I knock the paddlers off their boat?', but they didn't win. On our way to Ngaporo we saw a bunch of bikers being picked up from the end of the Bridge To Nowhere. The part we walked didn't seem to be a great trail as it was wet clay and a steep drop off on the side.

Arriving at Ngaporo appeared significantly different from the previous other landings. In the place of the mud and steep terrain there was a loose jumble of various sized loose rocks. The comments about it were how many twisted ankles we were going to sustain. I told everyone who said that to shut up. Beth forbid me from walking on the rocks more than necessary. So I was in charge of setting up the tent and making food. The camp site was the best of the bunch. We had a spectacular view and there were very few other people there. Rachel, Paula, Mike, and Peter went for a dip in the brown river, it was up a meter with all the rain we had received the week before. We had a relaxing night and a lazy morning as we only had 9km to Pipiriki, where our pickup was scheduled at 13:30. On the way down, we encountered several jet boats. They were banking on someone going over during the rapid sections, but we didn't give them the pleasure. Instead of waving back, they would raise their tablet in front of their face and either take photos or video. We (Mike and Paula) fell over out of sight from everyone except for our group. They lost only 1 water shoe in the ordeal. So the 50/50 rapid only claimed 1 out of 5, but Peter and Rachel took on a lot of water as well. Mike and Paula modeled the latest in low profile canoes until we were able to get them to the nearest beach and get rid of all the water they took on board.

Arriving at Pipiriki we were surrounded by some of the 92 other people that Taumarunui Canoe Hire sent out over Easter weekend as well as all the other outfitters. Trucks pulling trailers started to come down the boat ramp and load up gear, but they were slow to pull out and we our loading didn't start until about 2. We didn't leave until 3ish and we had 2 hrs back to Taumarunu, but we got to watch the movie 2012 while eating banana muffins with chocolate icing and chips while drinking orange juice or water. Once we got back to Taumarunui it was a mad rush to find our gear and boats and get them loaded. After that we met up with the Ninjas for a bite to eat at the same take away place. We then played host to Peter, Paula, and Mike for the evening as they took a detour on their drive back to Auckland. Rachel, Raf, and Laura headed straight back as Rachel had to work like me on Tuesday morning.

Now we are planning our next adventure: The Nugget. This is a multi-sport race that we participated in last year. While on the trip we hashed out who would be doing which event.

There will be some pictures and possibly a video posted so we can remember and share this trip soon.

Indian Adventure

Beth, Shiv, Sarah, and David

Back in December, we were invited to our friend Shiv's wedding. Well at first he told me he got engaged while he was recently back in India. Only after checking our calendar and saying we could make it up to Auckland for the event, we were informed it was going to be held in India. So there was only one option for us. That left us a few things to do: apply for visas, buy tickets, and sit on a plane for a long time. Our travel time from Auckland to Delhi was 18 hours including a couple hour layover in Sydney, otherwise it was about 15 hours on a plane. We were greeted by the hotel driver who navigated the streets of Delhi for us and dropped us off at The Met.

Wedding outfit

Driving in India was an experience by itself. First the painted lane lines are ignored. When you see 3 lanes along the pavement, there is somehow 7 lanes of cars, carts, bikes, trucks, tuk tuks, and animals executing the most intricate dance performance ever. All the while you have people playing the most intense game of Frogger. Where if you fail, you will most likely be going to the hospital. Second, you hear what I would expect to be the national anthem, the disjointed chorus of competing car horns. You may hear a single beep, a double tap, a long beep, or a melodic tune (novelty horns) to alert of you or others that there is a vehicle wanting to come past. At night this is replaced with flashing the high-beams from point blank as the following distance is more like cuddling than the recommend safe distance. However, we only saw 2 accidents while we were there.  We were glad that we did not have to attempt to drive here as we had a driver, Jassi, to deliver us safely to each of our destinations. I could probably write more about just the driving behavior, but I'll leave you with this. On our first night, we saw a driver not on 1 but 2 phones while navigating what they call Office Hour, aka Rush Hour, Traffic. I'm a firm believer of wearing my seat belt regardless of the law.

Entrance into the house

Shiv booked us the driver and the hotels for the duration of the wedding. We stayed in a lot of places and all of them were concerned with security. We had to pass through gates, but prior to being allowed to pass we were examined by security. This included a mirror to examine the undercarriage of the car, opening the hood to examine the engine, and some times opening the trunk. Once past the gate, we would have to have our bags x-rays while we went through a metal detector, just like the airport. Then we were allowed to enter the hotel. The first hotel was the Met in Delhi. The 2nd hotel was the Noor Mahal in Karnal. The 3rd hotel was the Regent in Chandigarh. The 4th hotel was the Taj in Chandigarh. Then we stayed at his family's house. After that, we stayed in the hotels that Beth booked for our trip to Agra, Jaipur, and Delhi before heading back to New Zealand.

The wedding was amazing. It was quite the experience. It was several ceremonies over several days in 2 different cities. We started our journey in Delhi along with Dave and Sarah, another Kiwi connection. We were driven to Karnal by Jassi. Karnal is where Shiv's family lives. We were shown around the house and school, which his family runs. All the while there were lots of people running around. Some from the school, some from government, and some setting up for the festivities. Shiv's sister, Taran, and sister-in-law, Bani, took Beth and Sarah out shopping for wedding outfits. They came back with 5 outfits and Beth was even offered to get her ears pierced while on the shopping excursion. I ended up getting a pair of dress shoes during this time at a different shopping area.

Wedding Reception and Wedding

The first ceremony that we attended was the Bride's family and friends came down from Chandigarh to mingle with the Groom's close friends and family. They also brought down gifts. During this period of time there was food and drinks being paraded around by servers. All of it was tasty and they were only to happy to come by us. There was live music during this time as well. This went on for hours, before we adjourned to the food tent through the gate. We were now treated to a large buffet of salads, breads, curries,  drinks, and desserts. We weren't even hungry, but we had to try it.

Henna party

The next ceremony that we attended was just for the Groom's close friends and family. It was a dance party that went from 7pm until 3am. We retired at midnight as we were still dealing with the time difference. The live music from earlier was back for the start of the evening and was replaced by a DJ later on. There was a series of formal dances that the musicians called for. I could only equate this to a mom's dance, a siblings' dance, a friends' dance, and then an open dance. It was during this time, that someone got her faced licked by someone's mother and it wasn't me. All the while, we are being served food and drinks while being blasted by the large amplifiers sitting close by.

Waiting for hands to dry

The 3rd ceremony was for the ladies. The guys got to lounge around, eat, and drink wearing comfortable clothes. While the ladies got dressed up and had henna applied to their hands and some got it applied to their feet and back. It was a hot morning and while Beth waited for her hands to dry I got to carry her new bangles. She got gold and silver bangles from the Bangle Man. Once again the musicians were playing while food was being served. Lunch was served shortly after all the girls had their henna applied.

Christ Church

We had a day off from ceremonies and we took a ride up into the hills to Kasauli. The road was under construction as the government is widening the road from 2 lanes to 4 lanes. This made for some very tight areas to weasel vehicles through. We went to the local market where we witnessed a monkey attack after being there for about 10 seconds. Beth picked up a few scarves to accompany her outfits. We also saw Christ Church and tried to see Monkey Point but it was closed. Upon returning to Chandigarh we went to the Rose Festival, which was across the street from our hotel. 

Monkey, my nemesis

The next day was the actual wedding ceremony, which we attended the after party. Shiv was escorted in by his family while he held up a sword to keep aloft a square of fabric. The newly weds sat in swanky chairs on a stage while photographers snapped photos of the couple. It was during this time that friends and family could sit next to the couple or stand behind them for a photo that will go into their wedding album. We were also treated to another large lavish lunch. We got to say a few words to Shiv and Ravneet. People commented a lot that they make a good match. I have to agree.

Another temporary structure

The next night was the wedding reception and the final ceremony. We walked through a series of rug covered hallways, past dressers with flowers, chandeliers hanging from the "ceiling", and a band welcoming the guests. The main reception area was a lavish arena separated into a few different areas. There was dinner tables set up, the stage for the couple, a DJ booth and dance floor, a bar area, a buffet, and several couches for lounging. All the wedding structures were temporary. They were metal scaffolding with colorful fabrics wrapped and draped over it. Then rugs were laid down, lighting ran, and even windows hung so the feeling of a permanent structure could be perceived. The night ended with only a partial first dance by the newly weds. I guess Shiv was wore out from the dancing a couple nights earlier.

Courtyard at our hotel

Wheel of Death

The next day we traveled back to Karnal where we stayed at Shiv's house. Prior to leaving we hit up Rock Garden. The guy who started this had way too much time on his hands. There were tons of sculptures, buildings, and waterfalls created all with rocks. We must have spent a couple hours wandering around it. We then drove back to Karnal where we were put up in the guest quarters on the first floor. That evening we had a lovely meal with his family where we ate a variety of treats inspired by local street foods. Shiv's mom kept placing bowls of these dumplings in front of me. It was a hollow hard shell of bread that was cracked with a spoon then filled with a mixture containing lime and other things that escape my memory. Then there was a pancake type thing with yogurt and a green sauce. I must have ate for an hour. It was so tasty and hearing the stories of the family it was easy to just keep snacking away. After we finished, we went into the lounge and started talking. Randomly we were asked if we had ever seen a car drive perpendicular to the ground. We said no. Ravi, Shiv's brother, said he was going to find his keys and take us. Beth stayed back as she was really tired and was going to bed early. So Dave, Sarah, and I got in the car with Shiv's brothers. Ravi drives like a race car driver. I am in the habit of buckling my seat belt as soon as I get in a car, but Sarah and Dave hadn't been wearing theirs in India. But after about a minute, they both clicked in. We raced through the streets of Karnal to a temporary carnival/market. We walk in and Ravi is quickly greeted by a policeman. We are then escorted to what I call the Wheel of Death. Basically a hampster wheel set perpendicular to the ground. While we listened to the guys rev the motorcycle engine we witnessed a car on the Ferris Wheel break. We had a little chuckle as there were people about 5 cars away. In walks a guy wearing jeans and a blue flannel shirt and hops on a motorcycle. He starts it up and starts to rev the engine. After about a minute, he takes off riding around the circumference of the Wheel of Death. He then gets off the bike and leans what looks like a pallet across the door. He gets back on the bike and within 2 rotations he is at the top of the contraption. He is joined by another guy where they both ride no handed, hold hands, force the bike to wobble, and chase after each other. The guy in the blue shirt loses his muffler while descending to the bottom. He puts the bike away and gets in a small car. He guns it and starts to ascend to the top again. He opens the door and holds it open. After a couple rotations the door closes and he pops out the window. He must be driving with his knee as he is waving while sitting on the door. The motorcycle creeps up and he holds on  to the opposite window. We can't believe what we have just seen. No safety equipment like a helmet and it was performed on a rickety structure that we questioned its ability to hold 2 of us at a time. Afterwards, it was another break neck race through the streets of Karnal. Once we got back, we were asked if we wanted dinner now. Dave bowed out as his belly wasn't feeling that good. Sarah and I took one for the team and went upstairs to eat with some of the family. We had buttered rotti, a slow roasted mutton curry, and a vegetable dish.

We then went back to Delhi before venturing to Agra and Jaipur. Dave and Sarah took us to the underground market. If you feel like being hassled and yelled at to come into a store this place is for you. You can even get a tattoo in a sketchy stall. I was hit with a scam while leaving. Someone flung crap on the top of my shoe and a shoe cleaner appeared out of nowhere. I was in the process of trying to wipe if off in what little grass I could find when a stand appeared and a guy was already  starting to clean it. He ended up asking for $15. We gave him $4 and walked off. I was already tossing the shoes at the end of the trip as I had a new pair arriving with Angi a couple days after we returned. We then ventured over to Old Delhi and took a bicycle tour through the area. We got to see Spice Alley and a variety of other things. After that we drove to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. Then we went to Jaipur and happened to stumble across the local Sunday market. It stretched on and on. You could buy produce, clothes, cooked food, and even some electronics.

Rock Garden

 Prior to leaving, we stayed in hotel close to the airport. We just so happened to drive past the Ameriprise, my former employer, Indian Headquarters. It is located maybe 40 minutes from the airport and we just happened across it. I wonder if I have interacted with another of the people on the street as we drove past. It was almost exactly 4 years ago that I quite and moved to New Zealand.

Summertime blues

So my ankle still hasn't come around. I've had a 2nd set of x-rays done and nothing new was found. They saw swelling, possible soft tissue damage, and all the old stuff  I've racked up. So I've been scheduled for an ultrasound right before we go to India next month. I hope it starts feeling better soon, but I'm not very optimistic. I really don't feel like having more surgeries. I've still got a very painful  spot to touch, it gets painful after walking for a short time, and my physio exercises definitely aggravates it. However, I'm doing my exercises until I'm told otherwise. So what does that mean? Well I'm not biking as the range of motion and going up any incline hurts. I'm not running as walking bothers it. I've been belaying Beth at the climbing wall and I've done 2 routes, but that killed my ankle. Ian says I should focus on the finger board and just get stronger. I may take him up on that. I was doing pull-ups last time we were in. Swimming is a pain and I've tried doing just pulling sets, but doing 800m or more of pulling is asking for my shoulders to hate me. I've been doing some kettle bell workouts, but lifting in the summer heat is not that fun. So we've taken the kayaks out for several jaunts on the lake. Here is some information on that.

Today, we drove over to Acacia Bay and dropped in our kayaks for a paddle out to Mine Bay and the Maori Rock Carvings that are out there. It was about a 10km round trip paddle. We saw a couple of large groups coming back from the carvings. One of which was the Bay of Plenty Paddling Club. The others we were guessing were paying customers. It was a fairly uneventful paddle out, except for when I deemed it necessary to produce ramming speed. Beth was not happy about that. If you watch the video of the paddle out you may see her do her best Tusken Raider impression. The carvings themselves were very cool. We didn't get out of the kayaks to inspect closer, but from what I could see from the water they were impressive.

Besides, my lack of activity we've hosted a couple Americans and  a French cycle tourer this past week. I've been a part of a website called Warm Showers for awhile now. I joined years ago when I was preparing to cycle back to the States. Instead of doing that we stayed in New Zealand. I still have the plan of doing the ride when its time to pack up from here. Anyway, I was contacted last weekend if we would be able to host. This is awfully tricky for us as we aren't always home. I've had to turn a lot of people away as we were out enjoying life. So my first ever guest was Sofiane. He came to the house just after 5pm. It had been a pretty miserable day with high winds and driving rain. I wasn't too envious of him to be riding in that weather. Knowing he was to arrive around 5pm, I timed it so I was pulling chocolate chip zucchini bread muffins from the oven shortly before he got here. I also made pesto with basil from my garden. I then roasted a chicken, steamed zucchini, and made some pasta for dinner. We talked about his previous tours and where he was heading next while cleaning his drive train. I told him about the Japanese Odyssey, which I would love to ride as well as the Great Divide. He did the Great Divide in 2014 and thinks he'll be back this summer to race it. Who knows we may see each other at one of these long events in the near future.

The next night we had Alexander and Katie from NC staying with us. The night that Sofiane stayed with us, they were at another Warm Shower host down the road. So they spent the day in Taupo. We agreed to meet in town and give them a ride back to the house, with a quick stop over at their previous host to pick up their gear. While in town, we took them to Pauly's Diner. Katie being a vegetarian, had their vegetarian option and gave it her seal of approval. That makes 2 vegetarians who gave it their approval. I'll stick with my beef burger or fried chicken though. Once we got back to the house, we let them settle in for a bit before talking about where they were heading next. They were heading to the Timber Trail, about 55km away, to tackle the 85km trail over a couple days while camping out. After that they were heading to Tongariro National Park to do the Northern Circuit Great Walk.

These 2 sets of guests setups couldn't have been more different. Sofiane's was a sleek, fast setup with just a handlebar bag and a large seat post bag. While Alexander and Katie's were fully laden beasts of the road. However, their purposes are also different. Sofiane has 8 weeks to blitz the islands, while the others are going to do things off the bike as well like tramping. I know that my setup that I was planning on using is in the middle. I've got a rear rack and was looking for a handlebar bag. Who knows, I may invest in a frame bag and start going places on my mountain bike like Old Ghost Road or the Heaphy Track.

Christmas Break Travels

Our break this year was from Dec 18 to Jan 8th. What did we get up to? I believe we maximized our time away from work with a trip to the South Island with Beth's parents, who came over for their 3rd visit, and a trip to Fiji with our friends Helen and James for scuba diving. Within this period we had a couple nights in Auckland where we met up with some friends.

South Island Adventure:

The plan was to fly into Queenstown and spend a couple days there prior to heading up to do the Routeburn Track. With my recent ankle injury, I had to pull out of the tramp, which was good as I could only walk for about 20 minutes on uneven flat ground before my ankle was in a lot of pain. So I dropped Beth and her parents off at the trail head and drove to Te Anau to spend Christmas in a hostel. I was in a room with a German couple for one night and then we added a French guy the 2nd evening. I spent most of my time reading books punctuated with short walks around town. I then drove up to the trail head to pick up Beth and her parents on the 27th, but thought I would try to meet them on the trail. So I left early, as I was to meet them around 2pm at the trail head. I was there shortly after 9 and I put on my ankle brace and proceeded to walk 1km in about 20 minutes before turning around. I could go up fine but coming down the tricky loose rock wasn't going to be fun. Especially as my ankle got sore and tired. I proceeded to sit in the car for a couple hours reading. They made it to the end at about noon. They were happy that I was early as they didn't feel sitting around for a couple hours for me to show up for the original meet up time. I then drove back to Manapouri, about 20 minutes from Te Anau, where Beth had secured a Bach for us. A Bach is a cabin or holiday home that people will often rent out. It was a quaint little place that had beds for 7 or so people.

We headed back into Te Anau for groceries and to eat out. We also watched a local film about the Milford Sounds at the 1 movie theater. I tried to see Star Wars again on Christmas night, but they had the 2 worst seats available. Either corner in the front row. I opted to finish yet another book. I finished 7 and I'm 84% through my current book. We did a boat tour out to Doubtful Sound where we were treated to some fine weather. They hadn't had rain in 6 days, so many of the waterfalls were not flowing. In this region, the rainfall is measured in meters. Typically it rains 2 out of 3 days, so they were experiencing a bit of a drought.

On New Year's Eve, we woke up early to drive to Queenstown to catch our flight back to Auckland via Christchurch. We were met/picked up by Peter, who was trying to get the most visits to an airport without being a taxi in the span of a week. I believe his tally was going to be 6. Of course that has to take into account that his parents were flying in a couple days later. Then spending a few days utilizing our place before heading down to the South Island. Even doing the same boat trip out to Doubtful Sounds as us.

Our plans for New Year's was to meet up with some friends for dinner, chin wagging, drinks, and possibly fireworks. This was changed when some of our friends decided to eat dinner with family. Then we said to another friend go ahead and hit the BBQ with your mates. We'll meet up later. Well later happened to be after 10 when we got the text. We were already snuggled in bed. We were boarding a plane to go to Fiji for 9 days.

Prior to leaving on our trip, we dropped Bill and Betsy off at the museum in the Domain. This would be their 2nd visit to the museum, but it was a good way to spend a very rainy day. The next day the were starting their return trip to WI with another short stop of in HI to see Mike, Sara (Beth's sister), and the grand kids. They packed a lot of travel in their short time here, but its not very often that they visit.

As we were loaning our car to Peter, while we away he dropped us off at the airport again. Little did we know that on the first day of this trip, the battery would die. He replaced it for us, but we'll be taking him out to dinner after his parents go back to the States as a form of repayment.

Fiji Bound:
We met up with Helen and James in the check-in line. I had to look around to see if our cameraman Karl was anywhere around. Why do you ask? It was very similar to the dive trip that Beth won the previous year, where we had Karl documenting the entire thing. We flew into Nadi, with the worst child in the history of the world in front of Beth. I think the only person more furious than us was the person sitting in front of the little Beelzebub. This thing was probably 2-3 years old. It only knew how to use high pitch squeal, violent kicks, taunting/movie pausing finger jabs, and waiving a tea cup around as what could be constituted as communication. The parents put cotton in their ears and watched movies while ignoring the beast as it went nuts. It stood on the seat, reached around the headrest and frequently paused Beth's movie. The hands would then proceed to linger there until Beth shooed them away. All the while the squeal would be emanating from its maw. When its butt could find the seat, it was unleashing Chun Li's Lightening Kick to the seat back in front. Otherwise, that passenger had the sweaty hands of death itself draped over his headrest with the shrill sound 'eeeeee' in his ear. We were treated with the look of utter dismay, but the flight attendant when the child presented its cup for hot tea all the while doing what looked to be the pee-pee dance. The father tried to hold the cup still and nodded his head for the drink to be poured. I guess he has hoping to be severely burned by the hot beverage so he could spend some time away from the ball of destruction he created.

Upon arrival in Nadi, Beth went to get our rental car while I got accosted several times by cabbies looking to take me somewhere. Helen and James were slow to meet us as they had to get all their gear. We were finally united and walked out to our rental, a Nissan Note. What was noteworthy about the vehicle? The fact that it survived the week. We all felt that the car was less than roadworthy, but then again the road conditions were pretty island like as well. While driving to Pacific Harbor, every little village we drove through had a series of high speed bumps that I can only assume took huge chunks out of the bottom of the car.

We got to the resort about 9pm just in time for the kitchen to be closing. We had a quick meal before heading up to our lodgings for the week. We were on the 3rd floor with a 2 bedroom apartment with a pretty nice view. The sunrise above is from the deck. The resort is next door to a very fancy resort, the Pearl, that we were able to utilize as well as ours. We had lunch over there a couple times throughout the week after diving as we were too spent to make lunch.

Everyone, but Beth, did 3 days of diving while she did 2. The dive shop is located in a decrepit resort on the back of a golf course, but their shop is in good order. The first day we did an organized shark dive, but it was in jeopardy because of Cyclone Ula. We wouldn't know until the morning of if the dive was happening. We showed up to the dive shop and were giving the thumbs up. We walked out back and grabbed our rental gear from the shed. I was given a 5.5mm suit, which was very warm. The water temp ended up being 27C. The following dives, I was able to get a 3mm suit which was still too warm.

The 2 dives that took place at the Shark Reserve consisted of taking a 15-20 minute boat ride from the Pearl, but 30 minutes from the shop as we had to go down a river at 5km/h. The shark dives consisted of a very structured dive experience. We descended to 30m for the viewings of the Bull Sharks. Here they hand feed the sharks and as well as dangled a wheelie bin full of fish heads that would drop occasionally. Here the sharks would get within a meter of you and the only protection you had was a guy standing behind you with a metal pole. As I knelled on the ground filming, I would see the pole appear over my shoulder right as a shark was getting close. From there we ascended to about 15-18m and saw a few more species of sharks. Here we were gathered on a rope while the feeder dug food out of a wheelie bin. We also go to see a Moray Eel.

We had about an hour long surface interval where we had a very sugary and milky tea and cookies. Our dive plan for the 2nd dive was taking us to about 20m where we would be laying on the floor while the sharks were feed above us. This is where I felt the most scared. I remember seeing their eyes darting back and forth looking for food and then with a quick flick of the tail snatch it out of the water right in front of me. I was trying to turtle my head back into my BCD to get away from the edge. Not that a few inches would have mattered if they wanted a larger meal.

The morning of the 2nd dive, we drove into Suva to get some groceries as the local market wasn't all that big. The drive was about an hour through small villages. We stopped on the side of the road so Helen could get her coconut. She also proceeded to tell us about her dream of Beth and I get her bags back from a thief not once but twice. As we pulled into Suva, we were looking for a parking spot. We were driving around aimlessly when we spotted a parking sign. Then we noticed some free spots in front of the police station. As we were about to park, a guy comes running out of the station. Beth not knowing exactly what to do just stops in the middle of the road as the guy flashes a smile as he runs past. He is followed by 2 out of shape and out of breath officers. They were already probably 20m behind the guy and losing ground fast. We parked the car in front of the police station and were amazed by our first impression of the city. The officers had by now jumped into trucks and were canvassing the neighborhood. We think they got their man as they were pulling up as we about to leave. 

We spent some time wandering around Suva, but not too much as my ankle can only take so much walking. We went to the waterfront and a couple parks as well as walking past their government building. We then proceeded to drive through town to the grocery store, where we picked up our supplies for the week. Its interesting to see what people eat for breakfast. I was doing eggs and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Beth did nutella on bread, and Helen and James often did beans on toast. We ended up making most of our meals, which was nice as there wasn't too many places to eat nearby. I also did a lot of eating out on the South Island when a kitchen wasn't always available.

For the 2nd dive day, we went exploring the coral around the same reserve. This was an afternoon dive, that left very late as we had to wait on 2 Russians who dove in the morning then left on a long lunch. We were told 5 minutes, but it was like the 5 minute conversation in Snatch. It turned out to be about an hour. We went to the same dive site, as a German guy lost his GoPro there that morning. Why don't people tether their expensive camera to their BCD? I have a carabiner that I use, but I'll be switching to a locking carabiner in the future. These 2 dives were very organized as well with no venturing off as we were still around sharks. I had about 20 seconds of panic as I felt very lite all of the sudden and felt like I was ascending rapidly. I was breathing heavy, until Beth signaled to let air out of the BCD. I thought it was empty, but evidently there was enough so I was ascending. I dumped the air and descended back down. This caused me to hit the air limit while on the dive so I ended up swimming next to our guide and used his secondary regulator for the next few minutes. On the 2nd dive, Beth and I were supposed to stay near the other dive guide in case I used my tank up again, but with Beth's recognition skills and trying to communicate underwater this didn't work out too well. The air wasn't a problem the 2nd dive as I sorted the equipment out during that first dive. Got to see 2 sea turtles during this dive. What shocked me, was that there was a Swiss girl doing her Open Water certification there and she is doing these drills with sharks around her.

Beth was in a fair amount of pain after diving and decided not to do a 3rd day of it. The 3 of us however were keen as they were going to take us out further into a big reef. The diagram during the dive briefing showed a lot of coral reefs that could be explored as well as a wreck. We ended up diving with a brother/sister or married couple from Australia again. I just called them the Lannisters. They were on the shark dive with us earlier in the week. They weren't very talkative, but the guy had left his GoPro handle at the resort as the dive charter handed them out the first day. They hadn't brought any this time. I thought I was being nice and gave him mine, but said just don't lose it. I figured I would just get photos and videos from Helen and James. The first dive of the morning was down to 30m to swim around and above it. During this dive, I ended up seeing a lot of cool things as I wasn't preoccupied about holding my camera. I just enjoyed looking at marine life and diving. We all grouped up for our safety stop before heading back to the boat. On the boat, the guy noticed he lost his camera and my handle. He is apologetic and visibly distract. He jumps back in with his mask and snorkel to see if he can see it. The Swiss girl during our surface interval had to do her 10 minute tread water and her 200-300m swim. The guy ends up putting a $50 (Fijian) bounty on his camera. We descend again to about 20m and work our way around some different reefs. I see a couple sharks, as well as a couple giant clams. There were a couple scorpion fish, aka camo-rock fish. There were 2 massive cray fish hiding under a ledge. You could tell the guides know the area really well as they knew where things were going to be. I'm first back on the boat and the captain has a big smile as he is dunking a camera in the freshwater. I recognize the carabiner on the handle. I asked where it was found. Jonny, the dive instructor for the Swiss girl's cert, said he found it right by the mooring line on the bottom of the ocean. The guy was super ecstatic to get it back. It had all his vacation videos and pictures on it and its also expensive. It was the newer model with an LCD screen and extended battery pack. I wonder how many cameras have been lost. I'm thinking of making a tether to the case just in case it comes off the handle. Which happened to a girl we dove with at Goat Island.

The remainder of the trip we, ended up renting kayaks as the jet ski place didn't actually take our reservations. We had booked a self-drive tour around the near island with a snorkel and lunch on the beach before returning. It was to be about a 60km ride over 4-5hrs. It looked like a lot of fun as we saw them shoot past the day before while heading back in after the morning dive. Instead we ended up doing 3km up river and then 3km against the incoming tide. We started in a downpour, which felt great because soon as it stopped rain it was like wearing a wet flannel blanket in 36c degree heat. Helen drew the short paddle, as she and James were in the tandem, but we had a paddle that was missing half of its blade. Our journey down the river took us past the local golf course and past some pretty flash houses. Our final night in Pacific Harbor, we made our way over to Uprising Resort to eat. I had the lovo, which is the traditional form of cooking, an underground bbq. While I believe the others had pizza and burgers. I got to sample fish, chicken, pork, as well as interesting salads and tubers, similar to cassava, but different. Thursday night, is not only lovo night, but they put on a traditional dance and fire show. It reminded me a lot of a luau, but it was still fun to experience.

Our last full day was spent driving back to Nadi, where we stayed in a pretty run down hostel. James and Helen had a private cottage, which in hindsight we probably should have slept in. They had AC, while we stayed in a private room with a shared bathroom. Our cottage only had a fan. We spent part of the afternoon walking through The Garden of The Sleeping Giant where we admired a ton of flowers and were bothered by mosquitoes. We then had dinner in Denarau, a gated community, which felt like we were sitting back in Auckland. We were surrounded by boats, tourists, and kids with braids. We were all glad that our entire trip wasn't spent there. I think just having dinner there was enough.

The next morning, our flight departed at 9. We were a little delayed leaving, but we were eager to get back home. We said bye to Helen and James at the airport, but said we would be in touch soon. Our car was waiting for us over in the domestic terminal as Peter, who was borrowing our car, had gone to the South Island with his parents the day before. We weren't able to go home just yet. We had originally booked our hotel room through a special, but then ended up going to Fiji, so we had another night in Auckland. We made the most of it and met up with Mike, who recently broke his hand and had surgery, Paula, and Irish Rachel over in Takapuna for dinner. Most of us ate at El Humero, which is Colombian BBQ. It is similar to El Sizzling Chorizo, which is Argentinean. While the vegetarian of the group had a VPN pizza from Dante's. After dinner, we wandered over and had an ice cream. The next morning we were up early and drove back to Kinloch.

Our lawn and garden was crazy. The cilantro had flowered, the spinach had dried up, the zucchinis were massive, and the peas were plentiful. I spent some time tidying up the garden and mowing the lawn. I'm glad it was really dry while we were gone or our weed lawn would have been even more ridiculous. Now we are getting settled back in with work and routine. My ankle is still bothering me and I may have an ultrasound scheduled if it hasn't come right in the next 2 weeks. This puts me in a little bind as we got things planned. I was supposed to be doing the 85km Timber Trail on the 16/01, but have already bailed on that. We are diving White Island at the end of the month, but that shouldn't prove problematic. The following we were doing a 4 day MTB trip to Hawke's Bay with the Auckland crew. At the moment, I don't know if I have the range of motion to ride. I'm going to test it out tomorrow with some flat pedals on the road. Then in February, we head to India for Shiv's wedding. Beth is also busy planning our next Great Walk adventure. We haven't even finished doing the Whanganui River yet, but we are already booked in for Abel Tasman at the end of April. I hope my ankle comes right soon as I've been feeling lazy with no biking or running.

Merry Christmas

Was supposed to be doing the Routeburn track but I ended up screwing up my ankle. So I dropped Beth and her parents off at the trail head and made my way to Te Anau.

Sock modeling to laid up

 

These are my S'more socks that I received from my Secret Santa during our friend's Christmas from earlier this month. Unfortunately, I'll not be wearing them any time soon. I've received what I think is the worse ankle sprain I've ever had. That is a pretty bold statement from a person who has had numerous sprains and a few brakes over the years.

 So what happened? I've been climbing a fair bit since moving to Taupo. So last weekend I was at the climbing wall doing some lead climbing when I slipped and fell between 3-4m crashing into the wall/hold. I knew instantly that something wasn't right. The pain was intense causing my leg to shake. I was lowered to the floor, where I raised my leg. Got ice and compression going within the first couple minutes. The swelling was already starting. Mike dropped me off at the Emergency Room and then went out to pick Beth up, as we only have one car and I had it. I was seen fairly quickly after filling in my paperwork. The initial diagnosis was a bad sprain. I had to come back for an x-ray the next morning. The x-ray only showed old injuries, but nothing new. I've started going to Physio to get back into action. It  is about a week since it happened and its still looking purple, but a gross green has started to appear. I still have a lot of lower leg swelling, but I have pain to the touch up the shin close to my knee. Below you can see where I pushed my fingers to my shin and the amount of swelling that is still there.

The swelling is down but not gone after a week. The shin just above the ankle is super tender and the bruising is below the calf. There is still tenderness along the shin up to almost the knee. I have to spend 30 minutes in the morning doing stretches and band work in order to walk normal. While doing these exercises I've had my ankle lock up and then pop. This doesn't feel pleasant at all. Oh and to run it in my face, the quick draws I ordered have been delivered. Won't be using them anytime soon.