Shooting the rapids
Monday, 1 March 1999
 

• Bungy Jumping
• Whitewater
  Rafting

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First timers, Yvonne and I (centre couple) were all ready for the ride of our lives.

Even though the river was relatively calm, you could sense its impending approach. The water started to get choppy and the seemingly bulky raft we were on, began to pick up speed, as if drawn by some powerful magnetic force. And the sound from a distance – a low rumbling, roared like the growl of a huge, hungry beast.

Then we caught sight of it and I involuntarily sucked in my breath – a cascade of jagged terrain amidst tonnes of swirling, torrential water and white, breaking waves where water smashed into rocks. The sound now had risen to the deafening crescendo of a thousand thunders and the force was of an earthshaking magnitude, the kind only nature could conjure – raw, unbridled power.

As we plunge headlong into disaster, I could afford a wry smile on my lips . . . after all, this is what we came for – shooting the rapids.

Earlier in the morning, Yvonne and I had taken a 30-minute ride from where we were staying at Rydges Hotel to the Queenstown Rafting centre, a scenic natural retreat where white water rafting is part of the attraction. Here, we donned the necessary adventure gear of wetsuit, rubber boots, life jacket and safety helmet before proceeding to board the bus again for another 10 minutes to the starting point of our journey down the Kawarau river. A couple of guides conducted a briefing on safety and guidelines before we were herded aboard an inflatable rubber raft for the real thing.

Our raft sat a crew of seven – six thrill-seeking tourists including Yvonne and myself, helmed by a guide who is a jovial and sexy, hard-bodied male of Maori descend. The journey began smoothly enough – a cruise down crystal-clear, calm waters before the shock of encountering the first rapid.

Sucked into this whirlpool of raging current, we paddled furiously to clear the rocks which we were being hurled toward. Thrown and tossed about, we could do little but dig our feet deep into the side of the raft to keep from being thrown overboard. It was like a roller coaster ride, only without the safety belts and in the water.

Within minutes, it was over. We have managed to clear the first rapid and it was such a relief to recollect our bearings. As we approached the second rapid, we were more confident and by the time we got to the third, we were bona fied rafters! To our credit, a few other rafts which were ahead of us overturned while we made it intact. Much of the credit of course belongs to our guide who was actually the skilled hand guiding and manoeuvring the raft.

After the hour-long adventure, my hands were numb and cold from the icy waters – we would have surely suffered a bout of hypothermia had it not been for the wetsuit. The warm bath, sauna, muffin and hot coffee which await us were all so welcoming.

Price: NZ99.00 per person
Photograph: NZ10.00 percopy, 5R size (day light robbery)

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Contact Yvonne & Adrian at acek@pc.jaring.my
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