
J and Z on Buller Canyon Swing – whereas I had been left paralyzed with vertigo on the other side of the longest swing bridge in NZ

Tied to a chair – canyon swing drop

Summit Track

Summit Track

Shotover Jet

Gondola above Queenstown

Luging above Queenstown

J and Z on Hooker Glacier Walk

Zara near Mt. Cook

Before the fall
“One of them just fell!“ shouted Jonathan and in the second it took for my heart to drop, Jonathan and Steffan were already shooting the 100-meters across the boulder-strewn landscape towards Zara and Ana-Marie.
Just minutes before we’d been watching Z and her new 6-year old German friend scamper up the boulders scattered along the shores of Lake Hooker and the banks of the rumbling clay-colored river that the lake fed, overlooked by the majestic Mt. Cook and the Hooker Glacier. As their confidence grew, the size of the boulders they tackled increased. We had JUST expressed some minor reservations about their safety as we noticed them dancing upon the top of their largest boulder yet, but agreed that they were “cautious girls” and the day felt too perfect for worry. It was a rare cloudless day for the region and the hot weather offered a picture perfect hike to the glacier view. We even were fortunate enough to witness two minor avalanches in the distance, alerted to their presence by cracking booms echoing across the valley. I felt that the hike’s reputation as one of the world’s best was well-justified, even in a land where grandiose beauty seems a common commodity.
And yet now, in the mere seconds of unknowing even knowing which of the pink-clad girls had fallen, my mind went into full panic mode. There was a raging river to their left. The ground was littered by sharp rocks and edges. We were a three miles walk from the trailhead and miles more from any real medical help. And for a few seconds, no sound was heard from either girl (which those of you who know Zara recognize is cause alone for worry)! Then Zara shouted out and I realized it was Ana-Marie who had fallen and yet, by very good fortune, she had landed upright, and just narrowly missed a fierce-looking prickly plant and any major rocks. She had a couple of minor scrapes on her leg but the tears came primarily from shock. All the grown-ups breathed a sigh of relief knowing how much worse it could have been and within half an hour, both girls were happily singing and skipping their way back along the trail. Ahh, the thrill of parenting.
Of course, we’ve also had our share of manufactured adrenaline rushes in recent weeks. Queenstown is world-reknowned as the adrenaline capital of NZ, where bungy-jumping was born. I guess being enclosed in a small camper van for several weeks with me and Z had pushed Jonathan over the edge, as he chose to celebrate Valentine’s Day by throwing himself off of a cliff 109 meters high (twice!) at Shotover Canyon. His first jump he elected a forward dive so that he could have an unobstructed view of the fall (exactly the opposite of what I would have done if forced to dive off a cliff) and for his second “jump” he was strapped to a chair and pushed backwards over the ledge. Given my recent bouts of vertigo and height-induced panic attacks, I chose to abstain from the “fun”. Jonathan has a fabulous time, although Zara was bummed that the minimum age was 10.
Afterwards, in need of a mini-adrenaline fix of me and Z, we headed over to the Skyline Gondola luge above Queenstown. The views overlooking Queenstown arguably surpass any other and we were again blessed with California-like skies, nary a cloud in a sight. Zara was tall enough to ride the scenic luge route and after a couple runs as front passenger, she took control of a solo luge. I rode as lead luge, with Zara as the middle of our luge caravan, so that, one of us could grab her if she got out of control. Nice theory, but poor execution. Two-thirds of the way down the track, as her confidence (and thus, speed) built, she careened out of control on a sharp bend. Fortunately, she stayed astride the luge and was uninjured (except for her pride). To her credit, she decided to do another run and although it took her twice as long this time (so much so that Jonathan who was waiting at the bottom asked if there had been an accident on the tracks), she finished with her pride and confidence intact.
Still not satisfied that we’d exhausted Queenstown’s thrills, the following day we took the Shotover Canyon Jet Boat. Despite having read the company’s literature attesting to safely carrying over 3 million customers to date, this ride was the where I seriously questioned my fitness as a parent. The specially-designed boat jets down the Shotover River flying within inches of the canyon walls while performing multiple 360 degree spins. After the fist pass,most of us were cowering towards the middle of the boat, the signs cautioning us to keep hands and fingers inside seeming woefully inadequate. As we sat in the last row of the boat without any safety harness or helmets, I had to repeatedly banish thoughts of Z flying over the handrail and slamming against the canyon’s walls. (No, I’m not neurotic at all, really.) Meanwhile, as we entered another 360 degree spin that sprayed us with river water, Z broke into a boisterous rendition of Sponge Bob’s “Round and round the record plays all day” at the top of her lungs, which seemed to break the tension and steady the nerves of the retirees in the row in front of us who cracked a smile. After 20 minutes, I was relieved to be alive, so I guess you can call that exhilarated. Only after getting off the boat did our pilot share that his nickname was “Newbie”, as in the least experienced pilot in the company. Hmmm. Verdict–the experience was pricey, but the rush was priceless.
(Stay tuned for pics)