| From the Mountains to the Sea: Our 300 km journey by foot, raft, bike, and canoe |
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| Of course we began in the rain as a group of 5 people. Strangely there were 3 Canadians and 2 Kiwis (NZers). After a day and a morning of hiking/camping, the girl on the left took a tumble over the bars of her mountain bike, and then there were four. Don't worry, she went off in the ambulance but was found to have no major injuries. |
| After the tumble, the trip entailed 2 biking days, one in the mountains, the other on paved roads. As a side note, the van you see was our road support for the first 5 days. Thanks Leanne! |
| And on to the rivers, where we had 3 separate rafting segments. We learned a couple things. First, rafts should not be flipped in rapids on level 3 rivers. Second, wetsuits are amazing inventions! |
| And on to canoeing, or "Canadian canoeing" as they say in New Zealand. More learning. First, going with the river current is great fun. Second, trying to paddle against a strong wind and the incoming tide is hard work! |
| What better way to relax after a days paddling? We even made smores, or a version of them anyway (kiwis have "interesting" marshmallows. They are like half circles, colored pink and white and covered in a floury substance of some kind) |
| Day 8. We canoed to the mouth of the river and were greeted by---the ocean! As a conclusion to the trip we pulled the canoes up, changed and ran into the ocean for a swim. |
| After the swim. Kendra, Kent, Tim and Dave. Our 8 day journey was officially over. It is definately a highlight of our "Odyssey" so far. Thanks for the fantastic time guys! |
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