White water rafting

Second update in two days for you guys! How lucky is that?!?
Just wanted to let you know about our white water rafting expedition yesterday.
We were driven up a dirt track called Skippers Canyon yesterday afternoon. The road is so precarious that rental vehicles are not allowed up it and the drop is so steep on one side that passing was almost impossible. Anyway, we arrived at the Start of the Shotover river and were assigned to our own rafts with a local guide to steer us. Pol and I were lumped with a bunch of Irish guys who were well funny but couldnt row in time! it got so bad that the guide moved the Polmeister to the front where she bellowed out "1","2" over and over again!
The first part of the course was a nice easy flat with very few rapids and we soon were practising all the moves that we would need to get us through the worse part of the river (a 700 metre long rapid - the name of which i cannot remember) well after a couple of smaller grade 2 rapids (they grade them 1-7 in New Zealand, 1 being a walk in the park, 7 being something that only experienced rafters should try) we approached the grade 5 one! (yep, brown trousers time) As we went down the first of around ten big dips everything went to sh1t. The boat infront of us got into trouble and came a bit too close and the next rapid proved fatal. We had to slow up too much as we would have hit the other boat and of course ali decided he wanted to go for a swim! (at a completely inopportune moment!) Queue much calamity and stress as two big Irish guys tried to pull him in.. well one try to pull him in, the other just waved his paddle in his face and shouted "grab on" and of course, Ali, had one hand on his paddle and the other on the OS line (OS by the way, means Oh Shit!) and was far to concerned about keeping his legs away from the jagged rocks to worry about anyone elses paddle! They got me in by the way and we managed to traverse the rest of the rapids without further mishap. The course ended with a nice fast trip through a 140 metre long tunnel which had been built in the 1870 by a family looking to drain the river and pann for gold. They built the tunnel 4 metres too high and therefore it only drained part of the year! Enough digression, we emerged at the other end and promptly went down a massive jump! THE END! Great fun and we are both so pleased that we went through with it... feel a tad tender today though!
Off on our way again today after pol does some Horsey riding so we wont be updating for a few days.
Take care all.

Love Pollyali

xx