Jet Boating, Kiwis and a Kea encounter

I went jet boating in Queenstown! Joining such illustrious company as Robet Patrick (and family), George Lucas, Ian Botham and Peter Jackson. In the literature, the Shotover River Jet promises the most thrilling jet boat ride in the world, where you will receive a cocktail of oxygen, adrenaline, sugar and cortisol in response to the exciting 360 spins, which makes you feel alive. I can't say it had that effect on me. I was really nervous about getting on the boat, you had to jump down onto the seat, but I managed it. I have realised that I have this ridiculous idea of myself. I must think I am so tiny I can slip down through the narrowest gaps - like between boats and in the gaps between stairs. Anyway, I was really proud that I could fit into the life jacket without a struggle and that I got onto the boat. Of course, once on the boat I kept on thinking about having to get out again! Our driver was Mike, a friendly guy who, like many Kiwis, was growing a moustache for November to bring awareness to Men's Health issues. I think the unshaven look suited him better (after reviewing the before and after photos). We got photos taken before we got on the boat and then another two when the ride started. There was a camera on the front of the boat, but it wasn't working today. There weren't many in the boat; the monster and me, two guys from Oz who had done all the extreme adventure things in Queenstown and a few from Holland (or Germany, can't remember). We were a quiet bunch and didn't scream during the spins and when Mike drove the boat so near the rocks it looked like we were going to crash. Another boat passed us at one time and everyone was screaming on it. I imagine they are the more fun boats to drive. Anyway, Mike took us down a canyon on the shotover river, which was very scenic, and subjected us to many 360 spins, which showered us with water and made me crash into the Monster like a 3 tonne elephant. That wasn't so pleasant, especially for the Monster (she was sitting at the side of the boat, so it was only a matter of time for I pushed her in). Luckily I learned to stabilize my position by sticking my knees into the seat in front of me. Apparently there is a lot of gold in the shotover river. Only a few years ago a snorkeler found a $30,000 gold nugget in the river. I was tempted to go looking, but the water looked cold. After about 20 minutes the ride was over and I managed to climb back out of the boat. Mike hit the side of the boat against the jetty, and the satisfying thunk of fiberglass meeting metal reassured me that I wouldn't slip through the gap and go gold hunting in the water.

After the jet boating, the Monster and I parted ways for a while. She went on to go white water rafting (I will leave that to her to describe) and I got the bus back into Queenstown. I went back up to the Gondola. I was going to do the luge, a gravity assisted race track, but it was closed because of the weather (it was windy on the mountain. It is always windy in Queenstown) so I went to the Kiwi and Wildlife park instead (I had a discount voucher for it as well). I had seen Kiwi before in captivity (in Christchurch and Willowbank) but third time is the charm, as they saw. The bird park is a small family run affair, with native animals and plants, sighted on an old land fill/rubbish dump. An audio guide and map were included in the admission price and they run conservation shows a couple of times a day. The kiwis are fed at1.30 and I arrived at 2, so they were still really active and I got a great view of one of the kiwis drinking. They are amazing birds. Their body temp is around 38 degrees, 2 degrees lower than other birds, they have nostrils on the end of their beak, their feathers are more like hair, their bones are filled with marrow and they have both ovaries functioning in the female (unlike most birds that only have one functioning). They had a collection of Tuatara as well, and I saw a largish one basking in the sun. I learned lots about them as well. They can live for 200 - 300 years (the oldest recorded is still going strong at 120 years), slow their heart beat to 10 bpm, only reach reproductive age in their 20's and produce a clutch of eggs every 4/5 years. There were plenty of other birds in the park - Moreporks (a type of owl), NZ Falcon (apparently a wild pair are nesting by the gondola, no wonder the captive guy looked a little nervous, they are very aggressive birds), Black Stilts, Scaup, Blue Duck, Yellow Crowned Parakeet, Tui, Weike, NZ Wood pigeon, and loads of others including some of the rarest birds in the world. My favourite were the Kea though. They had three Kea in an enclosure and you could go in and sit with them. They were hopping from rock to rock like little mountain goats, eating their dinner of fruit, and mumbling softly to each other. They didn't pay any attention to me until I looked away and then one hopped up on the fence that separated me from the eating area and starting peeling a stick while he examined me. He obviously didn't think much of me, because he went back to eating the fruit. My heart was racing at the prospect of a Kea encounter. I searched my belongings, but I didn't have anything to give him. He liked sticks though, so I left the enclosure and collected a stick and some pine cones. I came back in and held the stick out. Immediately the kea hopped over to me and held out his beak for the stick. I gave it to him and he started to tear it to pieces. That gave me a adrenaline rush I can tell you! Because I stayed so long with the Kea I had to race through the rest of the park to be in time for the conservation show. They a little yellow crested parakeet called Terrence through the crowd and got it to pick up litter, showed a 7 year old Tuatara called Bruce to the audience and flew a NZ wood pigeon called Bex. They also had rats scuttling along a branch into little huts behind the man giving the talk. It was really good. After the talk they had a maori show, and they did the haka and some songs. They were good performers and they had a tough crowd.