1. Sledge - kind of like river rafting but on a kickboard. Looks like a lot of fun and they say once you barrel roll a few times, you don't think much about it. I think it would be a great way to get me into the water. I ultimately want to learn how to surf in NZ, so this would be good to get me dunked in the water and remove drowning fears.
2. Zorbing - a true NZ adventure. Roll down a hill in a plastic ball that you get zipped into. Funny. Probably overpriced for the amount of time you actually spend rolling down the hill in this ball.
3. Luge - I've always wanted to luge. It's more like luge meets go kart, but it's as close as a non-professional like myself will get.
4. Blackwater Rafting - basically tubing in dark caves lit by glow worms. Beautiful. Might not be something I get to do, but would be neat.
5. Skydiving - since I've done this before, I might not want to fork over a few hundred to do it again knowing that I'll be living on a tight budget. But if I were to fall upon some money, I definitely would do this again...especially in NZ!!
6. Bodyflying - it's like skydiving on the ground. You hover over a modified airplane prop and the way your body is positioned affects if you are being thrown into the padded surroundings or if you 'air surf'. I would do it at some point in life, just not really in NZ.
7. Swoop - it's basically like that ride at Wonderland. Bungee jumping meets hangliding. It's fun, but I've done it so many times now. :)
8. Agrojet - It's a super fast shallow water boat that can spin on a dime. Probably a rush to be in it - but that doesn't make me want to jump in for the money. But for speed junkies - probably a favorite.
Anyway - looks like Rotorua might be a hiccup for us. I might want to play for a bit. However, being in the north island, we will only be at the beginning of our journey, so I'll be more hesitant to spend money on gimmick-y activities. I don't know how much our trip will cost us yet, and probably won't have a good idea until at least a few months into it. We'll see. Also - there are a few activities I'd like to do - like the sledge and the luge. However, there is an injury risk highlighted in the activity outlines - and to suffer a leg injury at the beginning of our trip could be disasterous. Maybe we'll swing by on our way back up to Auckland. :)
I met up with my friend Daniel last night and he showed me pictures from all his mountain hikes in the Alps last summer. The pics have been posted online for quite some time, but I wanted to hear the stories that went with them. The pictures are incredible and really re-ignited my excitement to wake up in the mountains every day. His love for the great outdoors is what I feel - so it was really great to share his experiences with him. It would be great if he could fly out to NZ to meet up with Brent and myself. He's one of those people who would appreciate this trip and also someone who would be ready to hike our proposed distances every day! :)
Orthotics order is in. Have you ever had your feet tested for orthotics before? I gotta tell you - I probably should have been born into orthotics. I have a pretty messed up history with the lower half of my body. Actually, it's pretty odd and interesting I think. I have to re-visit it with every physiotherapist and knee and leg specialist. Orthotics fitters need an overall view of what you go through day to day and what makes your joints the way they are...so there is a lot to cover....for my ankles, knees and hips of BOTH legs. Ugh. Anyway - there is this one test 'static / dynamic' that uses this computerized pad. I gotta tell you - when you stand on this pad with bare feet - you are uber aware of what parts of your feet are not connecting with the floor and which ones are bearing a very uneven amount of weight. It's a strange feeling. Then you walk across the computer pad twice (or more if you miss), once with each foot and it makes an imprint of your step. It animates how your weight is distributed from start to finish and where the 'hot spots' are. There is some really interesting technology at work there. I won't go into too much detail - I just thought it was great. And scary - realizing that my step is really off-balance. How much damage is that doing to my knees?
My knees. She took a look at my knee braces and they passed the test. However - she also diagnosed me with another knee problem. My knee caps are rotated improperly and may be causing more wear and tear. I'm guessing it's from birth - but who knows. She mentioned that in this situation specialists sometimes teach their patients how to tape their knees into the proper "rotation location" - but I haven't had that demonstration yet. And on top of that and every other diagnosis my knees have been through - my right knee cap sits higher and in an odd way when compared to my left knee cap. She is going to consult with my knee specialist - because this might have occured from my wicked fall in September she mentioned. She couldn't find any notation of this in my file previously.
That would suck. BUT - that would also help me with the claim. I am basically a permanent slave to physiotherapy, and this would allow me to receive the proper treatment necessary for helping in the recovery. You know, I could have hit anything else on that day in September - why did it have to be my right knee...out of both knees even, the worst one got it!
So that's my recap. My orthotics will be here in about 2 weeks. Then I have to wear them in over the next 2-3 weeks, during which time I've been promised multiple joint pains as my body adjusts to the idea of walking with the proper steps. These things aren't cheap - let's hope they work.
93 days to go.
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