The most hectic 48 hours of my life to date...

Taranaki Trip

8:15 am, I left my flat to get in a red rent-a-car with Armelle and Maggie, two Americans from Landcross. We were headed to Taranaki to do a small hike over two days. On the way we discussed Kiwi-American differences. We stopped by a berry stand where I picked up some feijoas, an amazing fruit that’s just in season. I took only six and the woman told me just to take them, no charge. I thanked her and he continued onward. We arrived at an info site where we asked about weather and got the news that there was sever weather forecasted for Monday early afternoon. We pressed onward and drove all the way to the trailhead, where we stopped in the DOC to discuss our hiking plans. A kind woman told us that it was expected until early afternoon which might give us enough time to get down before all of the dry river breads that the trail crosses become roaring white water. She gave us her map and we set off for the trail.

We joked the whole time and crossed some very deep dry riverbeds on the big slopes. A little nerve-racking with the realization that it was going to rain at some point. Eventually it was dark and between the three of us we had three small flashlights. I lost a piece of my glorious head torch while hitching on the south island and have yet to find a new one. We lost the trail, as it entered a riverbed, but found it on the other side eventually. Then we arrived at the hut, $15 per person paid in advance. We had the whole place ourselves and tried to get a fire going. Out of the 45 waterproof matches I was carrying, only 5 or so lit. We found a lighter that was difficult to use, but I accidentally broke it. With no fire, we would have no way to dry out wet clothes should we get stuck and extra day in the hut due to heavy rain. Not a good situation. As it was cold, we decided to go to bed around 8:00 pm. I used my fort skills to insulate us and we slept close to trap body heat after doing out jumping jacks to heat our bags. We all woke up around 11:00pm and talked a bit as the rain and wind had started…very early! This happened again around 3:00am or so, but eventually it was morning and it was very very very very wet. We left the hut around 8:45 or so after a discussed how we would just need to remain calm to navigate rivers and such.

Less than two minutes down the trail we were confronted with a foot and a half of rushing water crossing the trail. I walked through it a bit and decided it was safe so we linked arms and crossed. Easy. Three minutes later we arrived at the dry riverbed where we lost the trail the night before, it was now two and half feet deep and moving swiftly! Armelle and Maggie had the bright idea to use a stick to test depth and we crossed holding hands safely. We had decided to go down a different way than we had come up as the map showed that the new way did not cross any rivers, where was the way we came had crossed several.

We arrived at the fork and took the new trail. It was an easy descent with a couple slips here and there. Eventually we were gazing at a huge river to our right that was down a cliff. We would cross it eventually via swing bridge according to the map. All of the rivers joined to make one large strong current of white water. We descend down to the banks and crossed part of it on a log and then we saw it.

Up ahead the trail disappeared into the river. The next trail marker was 25-30 feet down the left bank of the river. The trail went into the river! The woman had mentioned something about one of the trails having fallen into the river, but this was ridiculous. Roaring water surged against the left bank, which was a shear drop into ravaging water. I took a bathroom break and then decided that I’d try to cross the water. I stepped into the water and it was three feet deep right away and cold, much colder than the other rivers. I clung to the cliff with my hands and tried to take small steps while holding on. The water kept getting deeper as I kept walking. Eventually it was up to my waist and I’m rather tall! The current was strong and pulled at my body trying to dislodge me from the cliff. I started panicking as the water kept grabbing me and forcing me further down the river inch by inch. I turned to look at Armelle and Maggie and gave them the worst expression my face has ever worn: fear/defeat. The cold water made my leg muscles tired and the current grabbed a hold of me. I was taken down the river a couple off feet and I bashed both kneecaps into a rock. It was here where the water tried to take me away from the cliff/bank. I yelled at the top of my lungs something along the lines of, “I’m not giving up, not yet!” And with that thought and the confidence I got from saying it aloud I managed to pull my body out of the water and scrambled on rock and water to the bank by the trailhead. My eyes watered as relief swept through my body, that and shivers.

I looked back to Armelle and Maggie. They looked frightened and were looking for a way around. I shouted that there was no good way on this side. They would have to go through the water as well. I shouted to them that it is scary but possible! They trusted me and Maggie and Armelle both entered the water. Maggie was able to get her body close to the cliff and keep most of her body out of the water. Armelle followed suit but her handhold fell off the cliff. She was taken by the current, around Maggie, towards me where her foot was lodged underwater. I was in the water packless ready to do whatever was necessary to keep both girls from going downstream—and perhaps to their death. Yes, this was serious. Maggie saw what happened with Armelle and let go of the cliff in hopes of coming the same direction, she did. However she pinballed off of Armelle and was pinned against a rock more towards the middle of the river. I yelled to her that she would have to stay there. She yelled back that she was stuck. Good, I though. I went for Armelle’s hand with my right hand and got it. Maggie was not stuck permanently as it was only the water’s pressure keeping here lodged against a rock. With Armelle’s foot free I yelled for Armelle to grab Maggie’s hand. I was fighting the current myself just to stand where I was. I told Maggie she needed to try to come towards us, fully knowing the current would aid her and perhaps take her too far. I had my left hand out, ready for whatever came next. Armelle pulled Maggie the same moment the current finally found a way to push her downstream. Maggie rushed towards us but was going to pass us. I caught her backpack with my left hand and yanked harder than I ever had in my life. Someone, probably with the added adrenaline, I had the strength with my left arm to pull her bag and body across the water towards me and out of harm’s way. I was so excited that we’d survived I started talking to them, forgetting we were still in the water. We climbed out onto the bank and all of us were just stunned, shocked, and happy. Maggie turned to me and thanked me for saving her life. This shocked me more as I was so calm in the situation that I hadn’t really felt the fear that we could have actually been taken by that river to our deaths.

The trail went away from the river and we eventually crossed it via swing bridge. After two more hours since the river situation, we arrived back at the DOC. The woman from the day before was so happy to see us alive and said the storm was awful. She said she had already contemplated calling search and rescue for us. The other woman who worked the café, where I purchased rocky road brownie to celebrate…well…life, said that it was a good thing we got down when we did as the storm was supposed to get worse. We had been the only three on the mountain. The friendly DOC woman offered us her dryer downstairs. We headed out a bit drier towards Wellington.

On the way home we stopped for KFC, more celebration for life. After glimpsing at death, we decided money was not all that important, hence the KFC. In a light-hearted mood we kept driving. An hour later or so, it was dark and rainy. We were going the speed limit when all of a sudden we hit a construction site. I was riding passenger and hadn’t seen any indication of such a site. The road became gravel and we started to hydroplane if you will on the wet loose gravel. Armelle kept the car in control for as long as possible, but eventually we skidded off the road into a ditch. The car was on both sides of the ditch with a little stream flowing underneath us. Armelle was upset and Maggie and I tried to comfort but were fighting back laughter as we cheated death again and no one was hurt. We turned off the engine and eventually some cars stopped. We called for a tow truck, the tow truck called the cops and eventually two cops, cars, and ambulance, and a tow truck were on the scene.

The cops didn’t give us a ticket for speeding as the damage to the car was enough they thought. The rental car was towed to a garage, where it would be dealt with and taken back to the rental place in Wellington. We were all fine, just shaken from too much dangerous stuff in one day! We sat in a 24-hour BP while trying to figure out how we could get home. Our friends back in Welly were trying everything they could think of. One of the BP workers offered to drive us to a train station where we could catch a train. We liked that option. I asked his managed when he was outside what appropriate compensation would be and she suggested not much. She was dealing with a customer when I asked. The customer must have asked what happened as the next thing we new, the manager told us that he was going to Wellington and offered us a ride. We ran outside to tell the other guy we had a ride and then asked the Maori man where his car was. He pointed to a large Semi with two trailers. We climbed four rungs of a ladder to get into the cab. WOW!!! I was so excited and thanked Armelle for crashing the car as I was finally in my first ever semi-ride! She accepted it as a joke…laugh or cry, right? The cab had a tv in the back of it with two beds, a fridge, and other cool gadgets. We talked about Maori rights and Barack Obama. We dropped us of close to the city and called us a cab. We finally got all the way back to Kelburn, our neighborhood. We thanked all of our friends who had helped us and I eventually made it back to my own flat where I ate some food and passed out, exhausted.

Today, school was difficult to keep focus as the calmness I felt the whole time yesterday was replaced with the reality of how lucky I was. It was hard to concentrate on work, but I think tomorrow will be much closer to normal. What a crazy trip, but I’m quite glad it all happened considering we’re all okay! You can’t always pick your experiences, you have to be ready for whatever life throws at you. Well, I feel like New Zealand has really helped me prepare my body and mind for these things. I don’t think I could’ve been so calm during both incidents had they happened pre my study abroad. And now back to the question of how to get my new violin and guitar home!!! But if I can ford raging rivers and survive car crashes, I’m pretty sure I can figure this out too.

Glad to be alive, aye?