Bucket List Adventures

(Navyn) Kaikoura, New Zealand is a small town centered around the amazing proximity of enormous pods of dusky dolphins and sperm whales. Just a kilometer from shore lies some of the deepest underwater canyons ranging from 1 -7 km deep. Here, hot and cold water converge creating upwelling, an oceanographic phenomenon which occurs when the warm water rises to the surface bringing along with it the necessary nutrients to the surface, closer to the sun. The nutrient-rich upwelled water stimulates the growth and reproduction of primary producers like phytoplankton and thus fishery production, which attracts these whales and dolphins in large numbers.

We set off by boat with a sea swell/seasickness level of moderate. No problem, I just crossed the Drake Passage, this will be a breeze. Within 20 minutes, the dusky dolphins were all around us and were in the mood to play. We were snorkeling in the middle of a pod of more than three hundred dusky dolphins. If I looked above the water they were jumping in synchronized groups as if performing at Sea World; somersaults, backflips, and acrobatic leaps out of the water in every direction. When I put my mask underwater, a curious dolphin and I meet face to face. So close he looked me right in the eye, circled around and came back to have another look at how ridiculous humans look with snorkel gear on. It was amazing to see these dolphins in their natural habitat put on a spectacular show. If I wasn’t once again on the verge of terrible seasickness I could have stayed there for hours. Unfortunately I am not blessed with that gene and had to spend the rest of the trip close to a pink bucket. Fortunately the girls got to play underwater for close to an hour with these magnificent mammals. Put it on your bucket list.

Off in the distance not more than a kilometer away were three sperm whales, the largest being a 40-year old male spanning 18 meters in length. He looked like a giant gray submarine gliding just below the surface of the water, taking some deep breaths before lifting his tail out of the water and diving into the depths of the canyons to feed on the nutrient rich underworld. An incredible sight to see.

Queenstown, New Zealand. Next stop, one week in Queenstown. Paul was here 26 years ago and couldn’t wait to come back to show the rest of us. Luging, whitewater rafting, jet boating, paragliding, parasailing, mountain biking, helicopter tours, the hydro attack, canyoning, river sledging, bungee jumping, what??? If you are afraid of heights or faint of heart don’t even bother coming to this extreme adventure town. I have noticed we have been wearing a lot of protective gear since we left the USA; life jackets, wetsuits, splashguards, 4-point seatbelts, harnesses, helmets… a lot of helmets. This means we are either having a lot of fun or being irresponsible parents.

Today’s helicopter flight had a pilot that bordered on insanity. He flew so close to the waterfalls we actually got wet. Half of me said this pilot is out of his mind, perhaps we should abort the mission and the other half says this is way too much fun, can we do this again tomorrow? The Australian Plate and the Pacific Plate meet in Queenstown and have pushed up the rocks to make steep, jagged cliff like mountain ranges over 10,000 feet high, creating dramatic peaks and valleys. We flew right AT the mountain ridges, zoomed over the top then suddenly the earth disappeared beneath you, and your stomach dropped as you looked down a few thousand meters into the Shotover River. Every time we turned a corner there was a new landscape. From beach, to green mountains, to tall pines to waterfalls dangling beneath glaciers to the snow capped peak of Aspiring Mountain tucked behind the clouds to crystal blue lakes. I felt like I was on a roller coaster as I squealed and grabbed Zara’s leg to hold onto as we soared precariously over the next precipice.

One of the first pit stops was picturesque Milford Sound, a place where it rains over 300 days per year – up to 10 meters of rain. Weather report today: sunny, clear skies and no wind. I’m so glad we brought Paul with us. Lucky again. Next stop, the top of a glacier. Jealous of those back home weathering three feet of snow from snowstorm Juno, we thought we would have a few snowball fights and make some snow angels in our t-shirts.

As if that was not enough of a thrill-seeking day, we realize it’s only 4:30, which leaves plenty of time for a ride up the gondola in town to the luge center. We get to the top of the mountain overlooking Queenstown and Halle, who is now reminiscing about skiing says, “Think there is a Waffle Cabin up here?” I would like to live in Halle World some day. It must be a unique place to hang out. Helmets on, a quick cart driving lesson and down the concrete track we fly, leaning into the curves as we round the corners, and try not to crash into the side rails or get hit by any other family members. Check out Maya’s training run video under the new VIDEO tab on the website. She only crashed three times, but greatly improved on round two.

The only problem with this place is there is no time for dinner or sleep. We can’t even make it to dinner without stopping for a street performer’s magic show, a bagpipe concert, or a slack line competition literally right outside our window. Every night the 20 somethings hang out on the green just beyond our doorstep in front of the lake with the Remarkables (very tall mountain range) as a backdrop and dozens of restaurants, ice cream and chocolate shops, along with giant burgers and plenty of retail stores along the waterfront. I hope it rains soon so we can take a nap.

January 30. Alert, alert! Everyone should quit their jobs, drop out of school and fly to New Zealand. This place is so much fun. The hardest thing to do is walk into an adventure store where there are eight video screens advertising all the possibilities and five hundred brochures. The girls brought stacks of them home and laid them out on the floor and voted to see what we should do today. Should I throw myself off a bridge or jump off a mountain or attach a parachute to my back and tie myself to a boat? This is the toughest decision making we have been confronted with so far. Zara though, has had it in her head that she is going bungee jumping, since we left Rhode Island. I thought there wasn’t a chance she would actually follow through once she saw what that entailed. Paul and I once peaked over a bridge in Zimbabwe fourteen years ago and both said, maybe next time. This time though, Zara could not possibly go alone so Paul had to go and why not drag Halle along for the ride.

On the car ride over the whole minivan was tense – hands shaking, butterflies flying, nerves rattled. I wasn’t even planning to go and felt sick just thinking about half my family jumping to their death, responsible parent that I am. The endless wait on the bridge watching others hold their breath, close their eyes and make the leap was utterly painful. I couldn’t even hold my hands still to take a video of them. Paul led the charge and went first, no problem, he lived. Next up, little Zara who made the weight cutoff by one kilogram, phew! She confidently shuffled her feet right out to the tippy edge of the platform, peered over the edge, counted to three and dove head first, arms spread wide, with a big smile into the abyss. Then Halle followed, hesitated slightly at the edge and then went for it. My stomach dropped each time one of them jumped. But suddenly as soon as they were done, my nerves vanished and I decided I didn’t want to miss out on the fun so I ran to the counter bought a ticket and took a jump for myself. Looking back the hardest part was making the decision to go for it. Once you were up there, you realized there is no turning back, so you jump! Freefalling towards the river until getting snapped back up by the rope just above the water, doing a few spins and bouncing along until a boat catches you and brings you in – the definition of adrenaline rush and now I can check it off the bucket list. Done. Can we take that nap now?

February 1. Well it is a bit cloudy out today so they cancelled our planned activities for the day. So over a leisurely breakfast, I ask, “Anyone want to go jump off a mountain?” Next thing you know all six Salem’s are hiking back up to the gondola to find some paragliding pilots to guide us. At the top of the mountain, the pilots unravelled the parachutes, got the lines straightened out and harnessed up Jolie first. Then her guide buckled her in and without even a second to digest what she is about to do he said run! Her little feet started running towards the edge of the mountainside then realized she was running in the air and off she went. Not even time to say goodbye or good luck and there she goes! The rest of us followed, gliding over Queenstown, drinking in the birds-eye view from above and enjoying a cool breeze from the thermal winds. We took a few spins and dives, tried not to lose our breakfast and then came in for a landing at the local primary school playing field. My iMovie skills are slowly improving so check out my video.

Now it is time to prepare for our first Super Bowl Monday as we are 18 hours ahead of you Americans. All adventures have been cancelled so we can focus on more important things like drinking beer and wondering how much air is in that football? Will Tom Brady’s new number be 12.5? Go Patriots!!!!