18DEC2019 – DAY 5: THE FIRST ACTIVITY

A full-day excursion out to Glenorchy for Funyaks, my first activity of the trip, began promptly at 8:00AM at the meeting area in Queenstown. There, I was joined by 3 other members of our group who were also going on this full-day excursion. Leaving Queenstown, we headed out by bus to Glenorchy, following the edge of Lake Wakatipu as we were given a brief explanation of the surrounding area and the local myths and legends that went with it. The sights and scenery on the ride out to Glenorchy were spectacular and second only to the vast beauty of the breathtaking landscapes that would be seen on the next day of the trip. Arriving into Glenorchy, a small town of about 300 people, it could be seen how relatively untouched this area was in the modern era of extreme commercialization. Once in town, we suited up into the provided (extremely tight) wetsuits and made our way to the jet boat dock on the Dart River. We climbed into the boat, were given a brief explanation of the hazards, and were off on our way. During the jet boat ride, we were experienced the high speed rush of the boat maneuvering around obstacles and tight corners as well as being spun around several times to get drenched. A few stops were made as our guide explained a little about the history and significance of the river we were traveling on. Deep in the heart of Mount Aspiring National Park, we hopped out of the jet boat and were introduced to our new guide for the remainder of the day trip. The Funyaks that we were about to use were not kayaks as the name would seem to imply, but instead inflatable canoes. After being told the dos and don’ts of paddling a canoe through running water, we set out to begin the 12km trip heading downstream. It took a little bit to get used to paddling on moving water since the majority of my boating experience came from solo kayaking in stagnant water. As we traveled, we had to paddle against the currents and away from eddies, jagged rocks, and the shoreline to ensure we went down the correct channels in the river. After a little while, we ended up beaching our boats and headed into a small clearing in the forest alongside the river for a quick lunch break. Returning to the canoes, we then took a detour into a small hidden cove. The water there was crystal clear turquoise blue and the serenity of this peaceful hidden area made you forget about everything, if even for just a moment. Back on the main river, we finished making our way downstream as we concluded our journey at an area called Paradise. This is where the scene for the flooding of Isengard was filmed. After helping deflate and pack up the Funyaks, we made our way back to Glenorchy through a large forest of beech trees. It was in this forest that valiant Boromir met his end. The bus driver provided some commentary on our return and mentioned that the sheep outnumber the New Zealand population 7 to 1, though it used to be 11 to 1 not too long ago. Because of this , one of New Zealand’s main exports is wool. The bus driver also noted the large number of cattle which he referred to as “future Fergburgers”. We changed out of the wetsuits and back into our regular clothes and hopped on the bus back to Queenstown where we met back up with the rest of our group. I spent the evening trading stories of this day’s adventures with several other group members who each had their own activities to talk about. It was a relatively early turn-in for me this night as I readied myself for another all-day trip the next day.