Go jump off a bridge. . . ok!!

disclaimer: if you are especially terrified of heights, or especially if you are my mom, please sit down before you read this post (dfinitely before you check out the pictures/video)

When you see a bridge over a river, what do you think? "I bet I could jump into the river from there!?" Me too! Now, what if the bridge/cliff is 130 feet up? "I bet I could jump off this bridge if I just attached a few hundred rubber bands to my legs first." Me too!!!

For those who haven't already guessed (or skipped ahead to the pictures), last Wednesday I went bungy jumping at AJ Hacket Bungy, the first commercial bungy jump site. After signing up, I was forced to sit on top of the bridge and ponder my fate for 15 minutes while I waited for the bungy operators to repair a tear in the bungy. (haha, I'm only kidding mom, they were just on break). Finally when my time came, I was hooked up, moved to the ledge, and away I jumped! It all happened so fast (and I think I was practically in shock), so I barely remember anything, but luckily I do have pictures (and a movie!) to help me remember. Definitely well worth it - I would highly recommend it.

First off, the video of ymy jump (it has sound, so you might want headphones)

And now, time for some pictures:

before the jump they had us wave to the crowd. I was more concerned with not tripping off the platform rather than waving, but somehow I managed

my takeoff - I was trying to do a swan dive, but the extreme height distracted me, so my form was a little off. . . I was seriously tempted to do second jump just to get it right

oh, did I mention that I got to dunk in the river during my bungy? I got water up my nose, but it was awesome

the view from the platform

Racing around (well, in) New Zealand

A few days ago, I was at a hostel in Franz Josef (where I did the awesome glacier hike) I blogged about last week. Someone in my hostel who recognized me when we passed each other while going for a run told me about a half marathon that would be happening that upcoming weekend, about an hour from where I'd be. I promptly told her that I was on vacation and had no interest in running a race while on vacation.

Hah! Of course I am lying. I immediately carved out space in my schedule to fit it in. And so, on Saturday morning at 9:00 AM I found myself on a road 13.1 miles away from Wanaka with several other crazy runner-types, about to run the Southern Lakes Half Marathon.

Although I hadn't trained for a half marathon, I had been running regularly, so I was in reasonable shape. my plan was to start off slowly and then speed up if I felt good, but I accidentally started off fast and that felt good, so I kept it up. Anyone who has run with me won't be surprised to hear that I immediately made a running buddy to chat with during the run: at the 3km mark I struck up a conversation with the runner next to me, and ended up chatting with her for the next 15k. Defintiely helped the time pass more quickly. I left Sarah (my new running buddy) with 3k to go, and sped up. I also did the classic "Hartline" finish, sprinting the last 200 meters. (look at me - I'm getting all accustomed to life in New Zealand and am using the metric system).

I ended up running the half in 1:43:22 (a 7:53 mile pace), which was a personal best for me. To be fair, if I'd run it in 5 hours it would have been a personal best since this was my first half marathon ever, but hey. I'm actually really psyched with my time, because my goal pace had been to go somewhere between an 8:00 and 9:00 mile, so I beat my most optimistic goal! Definitely really enjoyed my first race in a different country, and hope that it is the first of many.

I am so dedicated to this blog that I ran with a camera so I could get some goood pictures. Enjoy!

About to start the half marathon. This race is definitely not as big as the ones I'm used to in the States

even while running I still managed to find some time to clown around for the camera. Priorities

racing along. Note that, unlike in the States, we didn't have a closed course. We simply ran along the shoulder of the road. I guess that's a lot easier when you only have about 300 racers and are in a small town. . .

me with my newly-discovered running buddy Sarah

At the finish line (with running buddy). Sorry for the blurry photo - looks like I had sweated on the lens. Grossss!

Chillin' on the Franz Josef Glacier (hah! Pun!)

On Friday, I hiked up the Franz Josef Glacier (well, not the whole thing - it's 12km long and rather unstable at the top - I still wanted to do it but the guide said it's a 17+hr hike). We went on a guided tour because hiking the glacier on your own is incredibly dangerous. Plus, they supply you with boots, crampons, jackets/pants, and ICE AXES! Awesome! Don't think I would have done so well if I tried to go on my own in my running shoes. The guided tours were also very nice becaouse our guides would chop out footholes for us using a giant pick axe.

Apparently basically all the guides hit themselves with the axe at some point (when they use the axe they basically swing as hard as they can at the ice right below their feet, so it''s easy to see how they could miss and spike themselves). Our guide told us managed to spike himself in the shin a couple weeks ago, right to the bone. However, the guides have a toughness code (if he'd been medivac'd out he never would have heard the end of it), so he cleaned out the wound with a fork (the non-sharp end), and hobbled the entire way down. Crazy!

At first the snow we were on was dirty, but after an hour or so we got to some gorgeous ice formations. It was pretty awesome to hike through narrow crevasses, crawl through caves, etc. Oh, and they gave us ice axes! Awesome. I think I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves, so without further ado, here they are:

Rainbow! I wanted to skip the hike and dig for Leprechaun gold, but I got overruled.

hikers traversing the glacier

one of the many gorgeous ice formations on the glacier

hanging out in an ice crevasse

one of the things that makes the Franz Josef glacier rare is that it's right next to a rain forest. Makes a really beautiful contrast

ok, that's enough hiking on ice - time for some hardcore double-axe ice climbing!

this glacier is very photogenic

hanging out in the ice cave. I keep on wanting to say "chilling", but I already used up that pun

ice chunks along the river. Apparently a huge chunk of the glacier fell off the night before and blocked up the river. And then the pressure built up until it broke through and spread ice all along the river bank - look how high it was compared to where the water is now - wish I'd seen that!

A day of modeling in Abel Tasman National Park

Last Monday we made the transition from the North Island to the South Island. After a 3 hour ferry where I managed to catch up on my photos, and watch Up and Inkheart (althugh the ferry stopped 10 min before the ending - argh!), we made it to the south, and proceeded to Abel Tasman National Park. It was here that I stayed at Old MacDonald's farm and kicked a hedgehog. Abel Tasman is a gorgeous park with tons of incredible beaches, and a nice trek which basically hugs the beach the entire time - several members of our Bus tour ended up staying behind to hike this trek (goodbye Coca and Annika - I'll miss you!).

We then had a full day to explore Abel Tasman, and I spent it. . . modeling! The day before Abel Tasman Sailing Adventures had told us that they wanted to take some photos for their new brochure, so if we wanted to sail, we could go for half price (about $35 US for a full day of sailing), and we'd get free food and beer. Sold!!

We spent the day sailing along, and then occasionally hanging around a bit while the photographer worked out a specific shot of one of the boats. I was happy to enjoy the scenery and/or lie around the sun. I found that the "trampoline" (mesh netting between the catamarans) is an ideal place for a nap - very peaceful as you lie there and listen to the waves passing below you. Just gotta be on the lookout for waves splshing through the netting!

I ended up having a great day - really enjoyed the sailing, the price was great, and now I might be famous. Check the Abel Tasman Sailing Adventures website in a few months and you might see me there!

Our boat sails ahead for a photo op - (well, the same boat as the one we were on - they had three out that day).

our photographer lines up a shot

cannoball!!

look! A penguin!

me with my new penguin friend

lunch aboard the boat. The good news is that because we were doing a photo shoot it was free. The bad news is that we were starving but had to wait like 20 minutes while hey took lunch photos. . .

cool split rock off the coast

A very soggy Tongariro crossing

Last Saturday we had the chance to do the Tongariro Crossing, probably New Zealand's most famous one-day hike. It took us past Mount Doom (rather, what they filmed as Mount Doom for Lord of the Rings), and the famous Emerald lakes. Or at least I was told that we walked by these things - unfortunately I couldn't see it so well because for much of the time we were stuck in a cloud!

The hike started off easily enough: it was a nice gradual hike, and the temperature was cool, but pleasant once we started walking. However, once we started climbing up, we entered a cloud, and things got wetter and windier. The clouds would occasionally clear up enough so we could get some idea of the views around us, but for the most part we just plodded along, trying not to get blown off the trail (at one point we hit a super-windy stretch and the two girls I was hiking with had to actually crouch down for 5 minutes to avoid being blown over - crazy!).

Finally we started to descend again and broke back out of the clouds. We made it to a hut where everyone in our group crowded around the stove, trying to warm their hands, feet, posteriors, etc. After that the last hour and a half was quite pleasant. No more clouds, and our clothes more or less dried off as we hiked.

Once we got to our hostel there was a mad rush for the hot showers, and then we pretty much lazed around, recuperating. It was definitely an early night for all us exhausted hikers - I was the last person in my dorm room to turn out the light, and it was just past 10:00.

And of course, the next day when we got up to catch the bus to Wellington the weather was perfect - not a cloud to be seen over the crossing! Oh well, at least we have good stories from our adventure. Pictures below:

At the start of the crossing. Apparently I didn't get the memo that this was a serious moment

At the soda springs - one of the nicer photo opportunities before we disappeared into the clouds

it's windy at the top!

at the emerald lakes - you can't really see the color through the clouds, but it's gorgeous on a clear day. This will have to do...

hiking the moonscape

all the soggy hikers crowd around the hut stove

time for a star jump!

We made it! Fellow Stray-ers gather at the end of the hike, waiting for our shuttle back

Getting close (too close!) to nature

For the last two nights our group has been staying at Old McDonald's Farm. The name is no lie - it's basically a working farm, and in one area there are a bunch of huge tents we've been staying in. It's very rustic, and puts us quite close to nature.

Two nights ago I discovered exactly how close we were. I was walking back to my tent when I kicked something sharp (I was wearing flip-flops). I was about to turn to my friend and ask her
   1) why did you leave something sharp right outside our tent where it could easily be kicked? That's just mean!!
   2) what the heck did you bring with you on the trip that's sharp?!?

But then I looked down and saw a big ball of quills - I had just kicked a hedgehog!



Important disclaimer for my sister: yes, I know that your hedgehog and I don't get along so well on account of him thinking that I am a delicious snack, but still I harbor no ill intentions to hedgehogs - I promise that this was definitely an accident!!

Don't worry, the story worked out well for everyone: my foot stopped hurting after a bit and I ended up with a great story about the time I kicked a hedgehog. And by the time I got back to the tent for the night the hedgehog had left - no doubt he was regaling his other hedgehog friends with the tale of how he was attacked by a giant land-ape but escaped by balling up until it lost interest. We all came out winners!

Lesson learned: now I'm very careful to shine my light wherever I'm walking.

Adrian's Rafting Adventure

As you probably know, New Zealand is rather famous for its extreme sports opportunities. So, clearly my trip wouldn't be complete without taking part. On thursday we went whitewater rafting, although that isn't quite accurate. Really we went waterfall rafting, including one which was about 20 feet high! It was a ton of fun, and I managed to go the entire time without falling off! (Note to members of RAFT 2007: even though the waterfalls here were intense, all we had to do was assume the crash position, so overall it was pretty easy - the RAFT 2007 trip was definitely more hard-core)

Annoyingly enough, I did get a small injury though - at one point we jumped out of the boat to swim the rapids. Then when the trainee guide pulled me back into the boat he didn't look behind him and pulled me right into the handle of a paddle! I now have a very hot-looking black eye. It makes for a good story though - I just tell everyone it's because I was teasing the girl sitting nextt to me on the bus and she slugged me.

Alrighty, picture time! We got a great series of photos of our raft (Team Awesome: New Zealand chapter) going down the waterfall - enjoy! I'm in the front right of the raft (front left as you look at the picture).

waterfall approaching: assume the crash position!

aaaand, here we go!

you can just see me in the front of the boat as a wave crashes over me

fully vertical

almost fully consumed by the waterfall

where'd we go?!?

aaaaaannndddd. . .

. . . we're back!!

our raft pops back up without losing anyone

we made it! Time to celebrate!!

Stray-ing around the North Islands

Well, I've now been Stray-ing for almost a week and am a bit behind on blog posts. I guess that's a good thing - too busy adventuring around to actually sit down and write posts. However, thanks to my inability to sleep in, I have a few hours before everyone else wakes up and the bus takes off, so time to play catch-up with my blog entries.

The bus tour started off in Auckland, and we've been slowly moving South towards Wellington (and then we will cross to the South island and continue there). On our way there has been plenty of time for adventures. Rather than give a long post about what we've been up to, I'll just let the photos speak for themselves. (ok, and then I'll write a long caption explaining each, so I guess we'll have a little bit of both.)

Swingin' high in Hahei: the first place we stayed was Hahei. We walked to this one beach (pictured to the left) where we tried our luck at body surfing the 6-8 foot waves. I found that all that Surfing School last year in Costa Rica paid off, and helped me understand how to time the waves. I still got tossed around on a couple of the bigger waves, but luckily I'm good at holding my breath. On the way we found a rope swing on the beach, and of course I had to give it a shot (below).

Chili con carne feast: all that traveling builds up a big appetite! One night I made up a huge Chili con carne feast with Coca and Annika, two girls from the Stray bus. (they're the ones in the picture to the left as we sit down to enjoy our feast). There was a bit of a debacle with the kidney beans because the dried ones I suggested we got didn't 100% hydrated in time(which Annika is quick to remind me is my fault because she suggested some canned ones and I vetoed), but it turned out well nonetheless. We did end up hauling several tupperwares of chili con carne and kidney beans for days. And this is the amazing part - the girls were willing to eat the chili even after I stopped because I thought it was too old (and had warmed on the bus) - I'd never found someone less worried about food spoilage than I am (except my dad) until that moment.

Spelunking the glow-worm caves! On Wednesday we went to the Waitomo glow worm caves. Basically, you go into the cave and there are a bunch of glowing dots on the wall / ceiling - kind of like fireflies that never blink. I went on the adventure version where we rappelled down several cliff faces (once was right through a waterfall), and crawled throughout the cave. In the picture to the right I'm poking through one of the tighter fits we had to crawl through.

Culture night! The Maori were the original inhabitants of New Zealand, and on Wednesday we were treated to "Maori Culture night". We had a feast, and learned (well, attempted to learn) the Maori Hakka, a dance meant to intimidate one's enemies. Pictured: the whole Stray group shows off their Maori intimidation faces: guys bulge out their eyes and stick out their tongues, and girls bulge out their eyes. It really is intimidating when done right.

Thermal fun: Since New Zealand is on an active fault line, there is a lot of geothermal activity. At one place we stopped to check out the boiling mud (left), and at another we were actually able to go swimming in the pool(see below). there was a cold stream running in one direction, and the hot water came from another, so you could pick your temperature based on how close to the hot stream you went. Very cool. (well, hot).

Well, that's all for now - check back soon for info on my rafting adventure, and my hike of Tongariro crossing.