This has been the best day of my holiday so far having been canyoning for the first time with Deep Canyoning near Wanaka.

Having spent a night in the Wanaka YHA I ended up having a late start with only needing to be picked up at 9:15 am as opposed to the usual Magic Bus early starts.  Waiting outside the YHA were three other people, a couple who had been in Australia for a few months and had moved onto New Zealand for a few weeks before having to go back to Australia for a Muse concert and Eliss a Belgium girl who had been Woofing and travelling in New Zealand.  Chatting away with them I told them how I was going round on the Magic Bus and kept bumping into a couple, Lisa and Calum driving a Bright Red Dragon Wagon.  Then the bus for the canyoning rolled up carrying Lisa and Calum.

All of us were very surprised to see each other again as I’d expected them to have already started to head north but they’d changed their plans to come south round the Southern Alps instead.

Canyoning itself was a great. A bit of a demanding trek 20 minute up the hill to begin with but the three hours we spent coming down the Niger Stream didn’t feel like that. The abseils, jumps, slides, drifting, climbing and death slide kept me wondering what was coming up next. I wished I tried this sooner. Once we got to the bottom the picnic lunch was much appreciated with all the energy I’d expended.[thumb:1485:l][thumb:1489:l][thumb:1493:l][thumb:1496:l][newline]

 Whilst Calum and Lisa were still there I took the opportunity to snap their Red Dragon Wagon. [thumb:1502:l][thumb:1499:l][newline]

In the evening I took another walk out under the stars trying to spot the Southern Cross.