Big holiday - post 7

Hello ma, OG, Smaje and whoever else is looking at this thing.

I've been at it again, this time with a spot of white water rafting. I'm every outdoor activity operator's dream as I have once again signed up to the thing and then bought the pictures CD afterwards. Was a good one this, though it could have done with being a smidgen more hair raising - though I am very comfortable in water generally. Did some good stuff though:

- Flew off the highest commercially used waterfall in the world (7 meters high) in a dingy.

- Got thrown off the dingy backwards by the tour bloke and then had to swim through a few sets of rapids before being able to climb back on the boat. That really was fun actually.

I bought the pics so I'm damned if I'm not going to use them.

Me and the rabble looking fetching.

Heading off down the stream. The scenery was beautiful.

It was in a deep ravine with all sorts of stuff growing up the walls.

Me with the usual thumbs up pose. I'm getting

bored of it though. I need a new pose.

Going down some rapids.

Us at the top of that 7m waterfall. This bit was good
fun actually. You'd know about it if you got this
wrong. The other boat did and very nearly overturned.

I'm in Rotorua (i.e. still NZ) by the way. A few hours drive from Waitomo Caves. I got bussed over last night and plonked in a six person backpackers dorm, which I wasn't thrilled about. Luckily I was the only person who slept in there so it was alright in the end. This place is very scenic, though the very beautiful lake Roturua is quite polluted in places. This place smells funny anyway due to the sulfur from the underground springs but in some places you can't tell if the funny smell is that or the polluted water.

OG is not appearing until later on this afternoon so I got the guy to drop me off a mile or so outside of time so I could play some pitch and putt. A very respectable 7 over par for the nine holes as well. I then walked around the lake and found a very impressive stretch where there was loads of white cinder like sand. The sulfur smell around there was overpowering though. There used to be a man made pool heated around there heated by the springs but the strength of the sulphur kept overcoming people and people kept drowning so they bulldozed it. Have a stack of new scenic pictures though. The scenery in this country really is incredible.

Right I'm off, maybe for a dip in the new thermal spring heated pools. Wish me luck.