As September arrives I find myself reflecting on the year thus far and the amazing adventures that have come my way. I love making the most of the unique outdoor playground we have here in New Zealand, and have learnt to be willing to grab an opportunity whenever it presents. More often than not I am able to share these adventures with Ash (my hubby), along with several other friends, creating lifelong memories. Mum has long since been able to see through my reassurances of ‘it’s nothing dangerous’ but she knows these adventures are what I love and thrive on!
Doing Godzone with Ash, Brent & Stu, was just the start to a great year and despite my own limited buildup I was reasonably happy with my performance and another podium finish for the team. I was just settling in to some good recovery time, when only 10 days later the chance came up to paddle from Picton to Wellington with a bunch of some of my best mates. It was an opportunity too good to refuse.
Above: Godzone 2016, the team and I
Cruising down the outer Marlborough Sounds towards Tory Channel beneath a starlit sky was magic. I soaked up the surroundings including a playful pod of dolphins, and hoped the weather and sea would stay steady enough to tackle the strait a few hours later. A 3am alarm was a rude awakening although almost 4 hours of sleep camped at Tory Heads was a luxury compared to Godzone! On the water by 4am we left the calm shores of the South Island and were soon lost in the beauty of the ensuing sunrise. The point of no return came and went and the 7 of us spread over a collection of 5 kayaks successfully conquered Cook Strait after several hours, many sugary snacks, 2 beach landings, and some gusty winds blasting the rocky bays of the North Island. Clambering aboard the ferry in Wellington to head home was incredibly satisfying after 100km of paddling.
Above: Crossing Cook Strait, Wellington here we come
Autumn in Nelson was surprisingly mild and I settled into a busy period at work whilst getting back into some technical mountain biking and a few weekend tramping trips. My adventurous side was keen for more challenges and a weekend introduction to caving and single rope technique (SRT), run by the Nelson Speleological Group proved to be a great way to learn some new skills. The chance to crawl, scramble, abseil, ascend and squeeze our way through some of Tasman’s best kept secrets was amazing. An evening of hilarity atop Takaka Hill sharing good food amongst good people was typical of why I love being in the outdoors with others – the friendships, experiences and memories created are lifelong. The ‘squeeze machine’ challenge and sleeping on the verandah under the stars were evening highlights.
A few weeks later with a short case of the Winter Blues behind me I was enjoying making the most of a good snow season with some day trips venturing into the local back-country ski touring spots. My impulse decision to ‘invest’ in a ski touring setup from the good folks at Torpedo7 a couple of years ago was proving to be a good one! I was loving the outdoors with a good work-life balance and although I had made some adjustments to future plans and priorities, I felt incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to yet again be out exploring with good friends.
Above left: Heading in to some backcountry skiing. Above right: All set to go caving
The most recent adventure Ash & I got to do has been one of the best yet. A through trip down Harwoods Hole had been vaguely talked about after the caving course but we’d heard nothing more until Ash happened to run into one of the caving gurus again. It turned out that he was planning to take a group of fellow newbie cavers down Harwoods Hole that weekend and yes there was room for us to join. On a glorious Saturday morning we drove to Cannan Downs hoping the conditions would be ok to make it down the 180m abseil then out through Starlight Cave. Some recent rain made it possible the cave would be too water-logged to go through meaning we’d either have to ascend up the rope again or abort the trip before even starting. With safety being the number one priority we left it in Ben’s capable hands to make the call. I was very excited to be sharing this adventure with another female Anne, after recently doing several races, tramping trips, bike rides and paddles as the only female amongst the guys. I don’t have too much of a problem with this but it is always nice to have some female company! Anne works at our local Torpedo7 in Nelson and it was great to finally do an outdoor trip with her after talking about it for a few weeks!
Above: A spectacular abseil down Harwoods Hole
Caving conditions were near perfect and as I abseiled down into the abyss I was able to enjoy the surroundings while also concentrating on my rope work…..a fall now would almost certainly be fatal. At the bottom it was bit sobering to see a memorial to one of the first explorers who didn’t make it out alive, and we paused to see this before making our way further down and into the caving system before us. Around 3 hours of caving later the 7 of us surfaced back into the sunshine a bit wet and cold but with huge smiles and feelings of achievement. A quick change into drier clothes and some food then it was off again on the walk back up the steep, rocky gully to the top to recover the ropes. We wandered out the track as darkness fell and were soon enjoying a cold beverage and warm meal in nearby Motueka. My plans of a lazy Saturday had certainly changed, but again I had no regrets and was buzzing.
With much more of the year still to come I have no doubt that more adventures await. Next stop the Torpedo7 Spring Challenge in Golden Bay wahoo!
