The next morning, I awoke to hot coffee and great music!! I can't say enough times how much I love the music here! Then I walked round the corner to Bay Carvings, where I met Roland and Claudia (originally from Germany) who helped me make a spiral bone carving, Maori symbol of rebirth and new beginnings, which I feel like this trip has been for me. Using a Dremel and some creatively cut sandpaper, I shaped and sanded the bone for 3 hours before I held my beautiful product in my hand. I'll try to upload a photo.
I also saw on Facebook that my dive team had a raucous last night, with all the talk about headaches and aching livers. While I "gutted" that I couldn't be with them to celebrate, I was glad to contribute a couple of rounds of drinks via dive instructor Emily.
Then I was packed and off to my next adventure through the Karangahake (kar ANG a HACK ee) Gorge, where the Ohinemuri (oh HEE nee MUR ee) River flowed with great force. The way was reopened after flooding just minutes before I entered the gorge, and I must say that the river which is normally a gently flowing class III was a raging class IV-V that rivalled the New at 10 feet or any section of the Lower G. I had to be careful to watch the road as much as I watched the river just a couple of feet away (horizontally and vertically)!
I arrive in Te Aroha (tay arrow HA) just before dark and met hosts Helen and Danny and Roger (NZ but originally from England). I drove to the market for fajita fixings and cooked dinner for the first time in weeks. Unfortunately, the market didn't have beef or chicken (just weird mystery meat mixes of chicken, pork, and lamb), so instead I substituted salami and mushrooms and some homemade guacamole. I will intentionally make fajitas this way after returning to the States. It was good! Even for breakfast! The night was cold, with a bit more rain but not nearly as much wind as previous nights, even though some areas of the island were forecasting 160km per hour wind.
I slept very well under a few layers of blankets, and I'm preparing to drive back to Auckland for the All-Blacks "test" tonight. If you've ever seen how excited Mexican fans get over national team soccer, you'll have an idea of the Kiwi experience I have ahead of me tonight. And today is Emily's 23rd birthday (also a Kiwi), so I'm hoping that the All-Blacks will be able to pull out a victory despite injury and shifting lines.
My decision to not raft while I was in Australia and New Zealand was confirmed since the rivers have all flooded their banks. This morning I found out that a woman drowned on the St. Russell River near Cannes, Australia. A sad day whenever anyone is lost to paddling. I hope it was not a hostel friend.
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