Adv 223 Yumpu

Not to be outdone by Mike, Marion goes backwards down the slide
as Alex and Althea watch on
Top: Ferdinand abseils down to the pool above the jump
Bottom: Jumping into the pool
Gasping for breath it was only a quick
swim to the rocks beyond where we
lay in the sunshine, smiles wide as we
rewarmed our bodies and watched the
next person sliding into the pool, now very
thankful for our layers or rubber!
Alex and Mike were an epic team, tying
and untying safety lines and abseiling
ropes, leaving as little a footprint as
possible on the pristine environment. One
abseil in particular, Mike helped us abseil
down into a turbulent pool known as the
cauldron. When we reached the pool we
had to release from the abseil line and
plunge into the water below and swim to
the edge of the waterfall where Alex was
waiting, firstly to stop you being washed
over the waterfall then to belay you down
into the next pool. We dropped one by
one, in a great display of teamwork and
met at the warming rocks at the bottom.
One of the highlights was the jumping
pool, where even though the water was
super cold, we slid down the waterfall into
the deep pool and then climbed back up
to jump back in time and time again. Mike
set the bar with his impressive back flip,
but I think Marion and Althea may have
taken the prize with their slides down the
waterfall headfirst! It was hard to wipe the
smiles off their faces.
As the canyon began to widen, sadly, it
was a signal our trip was coming to an
end. We clambered over a few more rocks
and back under the forest canopy to walk
the final few kilometres back to the car
park.
When we got back to the van there was
a flurry of wetsuits stripping and then we
lay in the afternoon sun eating a welldeserved
lunch, retelling tales of our
adventure. By the time we got back to
Queenstown it was past 5pm. We had
been on the go since 9am that morning
and I it was hard believe that 8 hours had
passed so quickly.
"One of the highlights
was the jumping pool,
where even though
the water was super
cold, we slid down the
waterfall into the deep
pool and then climbed
back up to jump back in
time and time again."
Mike, our guide set the bar high, backflipping into the jump pool
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