Wednesday 8th December

Today was magic! Thanks to Mick and our literary projects we went funyaking on the Dart river. I have done this twice before. Once with Ms Reid who reminded me of our hysterical adventure some 15 yrs plus ago. Once with Trudi and Mika when he was four. This is one of my favourite excursions in the Queenstown area.
Firstly we were up early to drive up to Glenorchy to start the day. Glenorchy feels connected to me or I to it. My parents eloped to Glenorchy on the Earnslaw when my mum was seventeen. They got cold feet and went home an unmarried pair but they returned for their honeymoon four years later. I think that gives me a little claim of historical belonging.
Anyway we got to Glenorchy early due to my intense discomfort with being late. So early that the Glenorchy cafe was not yet open. We had many reccomendations for this cafe and had hoped to get our pre-event coffee and do a little work in the process. As it happened I just about scared Lubbi (sp) out of her skin by banging on the kitchen window to have a chat. We agreed to catch up post event and the adventure began.
Checked in with Dart River Safaris and having had our wetsuit donning lessons we awayed to do just that. Not a forgiving attire the wetsuit. It manages to accentuate the negative and obliterate and sign of positive. Add jacket and lifejacket to the mix and all present, large or small, managed to look like giant marshmallows...some larger than others.
It was a chilly morning and although we felt cooked on our way to the jetboat, we were pleased to be so well wrapped once we were on the river. The landscape in this area is always breathtaking and moreso when veiwing it was interspersed with 360's in the boat. The kids were soaked and giggling much of the time in the jetboat. The only bad moment in the whole day was when Ruby's hat went flying off her head, never to be seen again.
After just the right amount of time with a cold wind in my face we swapped into the fun yaks. Thank goodness for the longdrop as the whole day would have been too much to handle without them being discretely tucked around the odd corner.
Ruby went with Corrin (sp) one of the guides who taught her not great paddling skills but honed her splashing skills until she was the best wetter on the river. We had the boys with their respective parents and the Grennell/Craggs team had much natural talent that seemed lacking in the flying Hawkes. The river is not of the white water variety and we were well able to handle ourselves as our skill increased with time on the water.
After a beautiful canyon paddle Mika went for yet another swim in yet more very cold water. The guides provided a great lunch and there was much joy in bare feet on soft mossy ground to be had by all. Cleaned up and it was back to it. The wind had picked up and so the fun yaks were clipped together in order to avoid tipping out. We had our family and a father and daughter from Canada together with Corrin to keep us on track. Our boys had the left side and the Canadians the right, Corrin was in control and for a time Matthew and I just lay back and watched the beautiful world go by.
Mika and Ethan took great pleasure in changing the direction they were facing to confuse Corrin as he was giving orders. Ruby was fixated on splashing the Canadian daughter and I think we were pushed along by the giggling wind more than the paddles.
After much fun and a full on water fight the day on the river came to an end.
By the time we got back to Glenorchy the cafe was closed to the public. As promised the girls had waited to talk to us and they gave us a very nice piece of Rocky road to keep us going til our return home.
Fish 'n' Chips on the beach in Queenstown and then back home before I was out again to spend some time with Mick. This was a big day!!