06.03.2005

Well yet again i have been possessed by aliens and have been doing more silly things.....................

Monday went on another kayaking session in the Marlborough Sounds and oh my lordy lord!! Was a tad different to the last time as this time we were out with the elements. Despite it having been a gorgeous day as soon as we got into our sexy outfits the rain came down and didnt stop! Also there was none of this nice still water business this time as we went properly out into the sea (next to the ferries!) was amazing fun but VERY scary, on the way back in we had the wind against us, VERY big waves that were splashing over the top of us and the kayak was bouncing around like nobodys business. The scariest thing about the whole situation however was that as i was battling with the elements trying to get back to shore with my arms burning so much as i tried to paddle ....i was smiling!! Think i may need to seek professional help on my return!

On tuesday we got the nice calm
(3 metre swirls!!!!!) ferry over to the north island and spent the afternoon in Wellington. In the evening we went to a 'posh' cinema that had armchairs and tables - sweetie, darling - the best bit however was that it was unlimited coke and popcorn and am sure this comes as a shock to you all but by the time i left i felt very seek and never wish to again attempt to consume my body weight in popcorn - it's not good!!

Then was on to Taupo for a few days and to something i was really looking forward to - SKYDIVE BABY!! Yes i threw myself out of a plane at 12 thousand feet and lived to tell the tale - yeah baby!!! Sitting on benches in a little plane wearing a nice red jumpsuit i have to admit i was feeling incredibly sick. First panic was what if my clips come undone and i lost the man with the parachute?! Well before i knew it the bloke behind me pulled me back and strapped himself (ohhhhh matron!) on to me so tightly that i realised there was no way in the world i would be falling off!! As i looked out of the window (and went very pale) i thought we must be nearly ready as the ground seemed along way away, only to then discover we were actually only at 1 and a half thousand feet ......holy c*ap!

Within 5 minutes the door was open and i was hanging off the edge of a plane strapped to some random young man - all in a days work love!! So then it was off, we were free falling- woohoo, 45 seconds we plummeted through the sky for before he pulled the parachute and it was AMAZING, an absolutely incredible sensation. Then the parachute kicked in (ow) and we began to float. When he asked me if i felt sick and i said no i didnt fully appreciate the consequences of my actions....he then decided to do spins for the next 5 minutes - yep, yep ok now i feel sick!!!

Was only one disappointment through the whole thing....................despite being right in the clouds i didn't see any care bears, don't know where they had all gone but i looked very hard and i couldn't find them!! Next panic came as we were coming into land and i remembered that tv programme when Carol Vorderman did a parachute jump and broke her leg when she landed!! Well thankfully that didn't happen and instead it felt like stepping out of bed. Was really amazing - if you ever get the opportunity to do it i would highly recommend it.

So time for a rest..............nah not GI CEEJ she is off on the Tongariro crossing. 17k hike to a volcano. Well i was thinking would be fine i mean what's 17 k? oh ok 17k uphill righty ho!!! First stage is called the Devils Staircase and personally i feel the name doesnt do it justice - lets just climb up a vertical rock for an hour that will be fun! Was well worth the pain though as the scenery was out of this world and almost made putting up with the nice sulphur smell bearable. 6 hours later we were back on the bus nursing our poorly feet and promising each other that we wont do anymore hikes for the rest of the holiday!

And to yesterday............Black water rafting (God does she ever stop!!!!!). Basically Caving with a hell of a lot of water. The scariest bit was putting on the wetsuit - kind of like trying to fit a pint of milk into an egg cup - face it love it aint never gonna happen! Well by some miracle of god it did and we entered the cave each with a nice big rubber ring for 'tubing'. Now despite throwing myself off bridges, over cliffs and out of planes i found this very scary.

At two underground waterfalls we had to jump backwards off a rock into the water below, oh woohoo what fun i hear you cry......not when its pitch black and you have already seen an eel swimming past you!!! Anyway, lived to tell the tale and was good fun even if i did keep seeing an episode of casualty or 999 forming before my eyes. Spent an hour in total in the darkness of a cave and as punishment i now have very sore hands from scraping them on rocks but i do feel that my character has been built upon!!! The main problem i had was breathing! It would appear that when i get scared i hold my breath....never to good if you are scared for an hour!!

So a week remains in Kiwi land and you'll be pleased to hear i think i have exhausted all crazy activities (not to mention the credit card) so am planning on having a relaxing week. Am off to Rotorua today then to the Bay of Islands before finishing up in Auckland and off to sunny Sydney.

Really looking forward to seeing you all soon - very excited...................
Heaps of cuddles xxxxxxxxxx