Went Black Water Rafting

Dec 31, 2006 at 3:58 PM

OMG I did it everyone!! I did it!!!

I went black water rafting!!! in an inner tube soooo cool!

A couple of years ago hubby asked me if I wanted to do it and I said NO very fast as there was NO WAY IN HELL I wanted to go into a dark cave and go down on a tyre he he he he but on the 30th December 2006 I did it..

Can you tell that I am excited because I feel so exhilerated and happy that I conquered another thing in 2006.

Hubby said I just wanted to make it 8 things I achieved in 2006 and so it was an even number cheeky bugger.

We got up early (only because all night I couldn't sleep dreading the black water rafting) and met at hubby's mums house to get everyone packed in our car. There were 7 of us in all ranging from 60 years old down to 35 years old he he he and we met hubby's brother and sister in law at the Waitomo Caves Caveworld and went through the museum first looking at all the rock formations and weta's (ewww) and the history of the caves etc it was really interesting.
Photos will be coming as we asked for our photos to be put on disk and paid money for it and when we got home the lady had put the wrong peoples photos on our disk grrrr so we phoned and she is sending another one out.

I have got these photos of beforehand and after but not of the trip and the ones of us in the wetsuits are sooo funny. My mother in law holding up her 60th Birthday present from the family of a number plate. Next to her is Annabelle being stupid so I thought I would show you the photo. Plus me with a smile on my face and my favourite drink after the Black Water Rafting... there wil be more later. I haven't laughed so much as I have doing the rafting. We went down to this place in the picture below and got our wetsuits given to us and we got into the them.

The women in one room and the men in the other and it was soooo funny putting them on. I did mine with ease as I used plastic bags on my feet to get them in as they slip much better but no one else wanted to try and had a hard time getting them on. Annabelle and I were helping my MIL to get hers on and we laughed so much that the people outside we laughing at us laughing... I had sore sides for the wet suit being tight on me and from laughing... it was a hoot.

We got a photo taken of us outside the changing rooms before taking off and I REALLY felt like a Beach Whale as all the rolls were showing he he he. I couldn't stop laughing (I think it was a nervous thing). The first guide had a wonderful smile and warm heart he was great. We got in the van and headed towards the caves and up and around on a gravel road scaring the living daylights out of me and when we hopped out there was a huge man (I mean he was really big and bigger than me) and he greeted us and he was the other guide... OMG I was sooo happy you wouldn't believe to see him as I didn't feel so bad after all after that and he stayed with hubby and I and hubby's mum the whole time and made us feel so good as he had a way about him that reassured.

I am scared of heights so the steps and then rocks that we had to climb to get down were scaring me as I had boots on that were twice the size of my feet and couldn't get a good grip but the big guide had hold of my wet suit so I wouldn't fall. We got in to the mud and water and saw glow worms and it was sooo peaceful.

We went into like a cathedral where we turned off the lights on our helmets and sat on the edges and all just looked up in awe at the glow worms and how peaceful it was and then the big guide asked if there were any questions and one of us asked how in the olden days they managed to see and he said "well I will show you" and then in the pitch black we heard a bang (I SWEAR that if we had heart problems we would have been dead) as the big guy had taken the inner tube and slammed it on the water and it sounded like the roof was coming down it was the scariest thing I have encountered but then I laughed my head off when I realised it was only him and then we all looked up and the room had lit up with glow worms that had been lit before... apparently it is like a defence mechanisim wow it was glorious.

Then we head down and went to the water fall where we had to turn our backs on the water fall and have the inner tubes on our backsides and fall backwards down to the bottom OMG did they not realise that I was a wuss??? how was I going to cope with this but then this lady freaked out!!! I MEAN FREAKED OUT and then I realised I could do this and it wasn't that big of a deal and I had to just do it and so I spoke to her and said I am scared too but we can do this and the big guy was sooo calming and held her and said to her "look at me you can do this and keep looking at my face" and he calmed her down.

Wow falling backwards was scary and my tummy was churning but I did it and couldn't believe that I could do it.

After that we were all hooked up like trains where we were in our inner tubes and our feet out front with the person in front holding our feet and had to turn off our head lamps and were guided through like a snake like river and we looked up and watched the beautiful glow worms as we travelled down the river.

When we got through that there was the part that I was dreading and it was the slide it was just big enough to fit my backside and it was about as long as a two storey house and straight down and I was shaking so much and so scared to let go because as you know I am scared of heights... but I did it!! It took me a while to let go at the top but when I did and got to the bottome the big guide gave me a hug down the bottom and said see you could do it and now it is all over with you should be proud. That was nice and the experience was a great one because of the guides as they made us feel like we had every right to feel the way we were feeling but they were going to help us get over the fear.

To get out there was 105 steps OMG with a wet wetsuit and water in our gum boots it was hard as but it was beautiful.

This is a photo of the Water slide and then the steps going out and then in the cave.

So as I said before I will upload the photos of us when we get them this week.

Celtic Girl thanks for the comment but I don't think there is a fear that I will be doing any bungy jumping as that is something THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN he he he

Anyway everyone have a Happy New Year and I can't wait for us all to lose more weight in the New Year and for us all to keep blogging and making our friendships stronger.
Love ya all
CM

Comments

Hippygal wrote:
Dec 31, 2006 at 6:45 PM
[this is good]Am so pleased for you - glad you enjoyed it, I am so jealous........ Have a great New Year :)

Celtic Girl wrote:
Dec 31, 2006 at 7:28 PM
WOW, it looks so amazing. I don't blame you, that slide looks scary, well done though. I can't wait to see the other
photos.

Kateypie wrote:
Jan 1, 2007 at 8:39 AM
Wow!!!! I'm so proud of you, and so glad you did it!! Dare I say, it sounds like fun. Scary fun, but fun. Well done!!(hehe, and I thought I was adventurous jumping into the pool, haha!)

pink-elephants wrote:
Jan 4, 2007 at 10:02 PM
FANTASTIC GIRL