Day #16, living like the locals

Exactly what do the locals of NZ do on the weekends? I was about to find out! We awoke on Saturday rather early to be ready for our morning. Chris was anxious to get to the good surf spots while the tide was low at 9:30 a.m. and we had a bit of a drive to get there. Sunscreen is a necessity, even if you have olive skin tones and tan easily like I do. The sun is super hot and powerful due to the very thin ozone over the country, and so even I have to apply 30 spf every hour or so. I don't normally use any up here!

Surfboards, wetsuits and sunscreen in tow, we hopped into their white Delica van (check out the dashboard features: an altimeter and some nifty thingamabob that indicates the vehicle's degrees off from parallel to the ground, so you know when to stop so you don't flip the whole thing over!).

A 30-minute drive down the Surf Hwy, past plenty of dairy cows and pastures, led to Ahu beach. The locals keep abreast of changes on the beaches and how those changes impact surfing. Perhaps 30% of conversation revolves around surfing, and yet it's always interesting because it's always something new. Anyway, Ahu beach was a great little surf spot known mostly by locals.

Chris parked the Delica and the waves looked fairly decent. Now, I am a beginner surfer. As in, I've only been on a surfboard five times. In New Hampshire. I stood up on the board twice, each time for about two seconds before getting tossed off. NZ has world-class surfing. HUGE waves. But maybe I'll luck out and have small waves that I can manage...they didn't look too bad until I actually saw a person surfing against the wave to put it into perspective--they were shoulder-to-head high. Um. No. Not a good idea for me to surf there! Amie and Chris hopped in and I decided to walk along the beach for a good long while. What a gorgeous morning for that!

Barefoot in the sand...ahhhh...

Amie and Chris were getting out of the water just as I finished my walk. Apparently the surf wasn't very good at Ahu today. Just as well because it was time to head back, grab some grub and go to our next adventure...

"Amie and I waited until your visit so all three of us can go dam dropping!" Chris (aka "Extreme") said eagerly on the first day of my arrival. "What is dam dropping?" I asked him cautiously. "It's where you lay on a sled on the river and go over a dam!" he enthused. Huh. I hadn't done any typical NZ crazy activity like bungee jumping or zorbing...well, why not? So off we drove to push ourselves over a 33' dam.

We met up with our guide for the day, a native Maori also named Chris. First things first: put on wetsuits, booties, helmets, life vets, and grab buoyant sleds with handles.

Chris the guide went on to explain the significance of the river to his people. It originally separated two tribes that often clashed with one another, and one day, a brave Maori leader had a peaceful protest to stop the violence. This was noted as the first of its kind, occurring even before Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. led their people. Amazing! Then Chris said a prayer of sorts to the spirit protecting the river, a dragon-type of spirit that you must ask permission before you enter the water, requesting safe passage for the people who are not native Maori.

Now we were ready to throw ourselves off of a dam! We took a look at the dam from the side--wow...it was a lot steeper of a drop than I thought it would be!! I was nervous but determined to go over. We had eight options, starting from "easy" and going up to "extreme!" for how to go over the dam. The first level was on your belly, head-first. Amie went first and landed in the pool below with a thumbs-up!!! I edged up to the dam lip and our guide Chris held the sled for me. I shimmied awkwardly like a plump walrus up into the correct position on the sled, staring at the almost vertical pane of water cascading down the dam. The pool 33' below seemed calm and ready for me. After a brief feeling of panic, I said I was ready and Chris gave me a push. !!!! I felt like I was in free-fall!!! Flying down the water and I gave a fear-strangled scream halfway down. I landed in the pool and was a bit shaky. I wasn't sure if I liked it or not...so I tried it again! I really liked it the second time and so after we all went over, we climbed back up and tried level #2, on our backs, head-first. The whole way down I could see only clouds, no sights of the water or the drop itself, just the feeling where your stomach drops funny on a rollercoaster. Way cool!!! What a rush!! To see a video of me, go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/42726451@N08/4375316032/

And so the levels progressed, #3 was on your butt, feet-first, which was actually quite intimidating because it was so easy to flip off partway down the dam and scrape your hands on the concrete. That was as far as I was willing to push myself. Amie and Chris kept going with the increasing levels. Amie stood on the lip of the dam, the guide holding on to her life vest. She stood straight as a board with the sled held in front of her. After two times of losing her nerve, she finally was ready. She fell forward, still stiff and straight, swan diving and the sled landed and down she flew the rest of the way!!! Then it was her fiancee Chris' turn, aka "Extreme." Chris climbed up on the side of the dam, about 7-10' above the lip of water. He stood stiff and fell forward, airborne for a couple of very long-seeming seconds before hitting the water!!!! WOW!! Check out Chris at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42726451@N08/4375309372/

We laughed and laughed the whole way home about how cool of an experience that was. Definitely worth the pricey cost!

After quick showers, we left the house once again for a potluck dinner party. Amie's surfer friend Caitie from Scotland was having people over at her boyfriend Robin's house up on the mountain. His digs were up a crazy curvy road, so steep, probably the steepest road I've ever driven up. Once up there, it was a sweeping view of the ocean and the rest of the mountain behind the house. It wasn't anything fancy but it was a cute little place, unfinished and with an outhouse building for the "necessary room."

We had amazing vegetarian food selections and yummy beer, then headed up the hill for a campfire and some jazz music thanks to those who brought their instruments. We watched the night sky fill completely full of stars, even more than I had seen in Northland (including Orion, who was upside down!). I chatted with some sweet lassies from Scotland and enjoyed myself thoroughly. What an amazing day! And so great to experience the local scene for the insider's view of NZ life.