Day 11 (Mar 16 2013): Jet Boat in Buller Gorge; Drive to Abel Tasman National Park

The Quick Facts:

* Took Jet Boat on the Buller River in the Buller Gorge – walked over swingbridge to get there; boat reached speeds of up to 85km/h and did wild 360 degree turns
* Drove to Marahau, which is at the gateway to Abel Tasman National Park
* Stayed at Kanuka Ridge Backpackers: great facilities, friendly people, excellent Wi-Fi

The Good:

* The Jet Boat is a real thrill – I would definitely recommend doing this: the Buller River is pretty and my sense is it’s a better deal/experience than the jet boats in Queenstown

The Bad:

* I’ll be honest, it’s the most efficient means of travel in New Zealand, but if I never drive over another mountain again that will be just fine with me….especially if it’s in a 2 cylinder rent-a-wreck that can’t do more than 40km/h on hills

First off, Georgetown lost in the BET semi-finals to those traitors the Syracuse Orange, but all that is at stake is a #1 seed in the tourney.  All in all these are great problems to have and I am more than proud of the boys in blue and grey.  Hoya Saxa!

Secondly, the sandfly onslaught continues.  Nasty little beings.  I have been bitten so much, I really only have one bug bite: my entire body.  I just want to dip myself in a vat of calamine lotion.  This could be a business I start here.  I’d make millions.

But I digress.  Today’s main event was a jet boat ride on the Buller River, which is known for its gold deposits (that still exist today, but more on that later).  To get to the boat, you need to walk over this swingbridge which was built by goldminers and is 110m across.  As long as you don’t have an acute aversion to death, walking over it isn’t too bad…

 

 

Then we get on the jet boat, which takes you on speeds up to 85km/h through the Buller River to see some magnificent rocks and waterfalls.  The river flows for 170km from the north part of the island and into the Tasman Sea at a town called Westport, which is in the central part of the island.  When you’re on the river, the rate at which the water moves commands respect, and serves as a reminder that water alone is such a powerful force in nature.  Anyway, here is our boat:

 

And here is Carrie, enjoying (?? hmmm, perhaps I better use that term loosely!) the ride.  Behind her is Mark, our driver.  A native New Zealander, Mark is probably a few sheep short of a flock, but exactly the person you want driving you around in a jet boat.  He is very knowledgeable about the river, which is good since he guides the boat at top speeds to about 6 inches from the ~30 foot rock walls.  Then, with a twirl of his finger, he will turn the boat one way and then jerk it in the opposite direction to initiate a 360 degree turn, sending me crashing into Carrie or the side of the boat depending on which way the turn went.  Great fun actually, had a smile on my face the whole time  When his day job is done, Mark scuba dives into certain parts of the river mining the gold that lies in the river bed.

 

Here are some shots of the pink rocks that line the river – they are pink because potassium deposited into them when they were formed.  Also, there is a lot of gold in those rocks (that are over 450 million years old), just nobody can get to it….

 

Here is a good shot of the depleted water levels.  As we speak, New Zealand hasn’t had rain in 6 weeks, and the country is in a draught situation. You can see the normal water level markings on the rock here, and obviously where the water is now.

 

Here are some other shots from the trip, including one where I freak out and start paddling for shore (OK, maybe it didn't happen exactly that way).  In the background is a wonderful New Zealand family from Nelson who were kind enough to play along with my antics.

 

 

And that’s basically our day – the rest was driving to Abel Tasman National Park, where we spend the day tomorrow.