Bungy jumping the Ledge Bungy overlooking Queenstown, New Zealand. Since the harness is on your chest instead of your feet, the Ledge is unique because it’s the only bungy where you can jump freestyle any way you like! I chose the Reverse/Gainer.
On Saturday, August 6th 2011 I attended my first All Blacks Rugby game vs the Australia Wallabies. In a warmup test to the 2011 Rugby World Cup, the All Blacks were competing in the annual Tri-Nations tournament. Tri-Nations includes New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. If not for the World Cup this year (played once every 4 years) Tri-Nations would be the biggest game of the year (similar to the Super Bowl). My Swedish roommate Ziggy and I headed down to Edan Park Stadium in Auckland around 5pm for a 7:30p start. We arrived at the massive outdoor stadium and found our seats about 3 rows from the field. The crowd was passionate and energetic as the All Blacks took an early lead and never gave the Aussies a chance to answer. The final score was 30-14 in favor of the All Blacks!
Brian Moseley Sailing Lesson
Each morning on my daily commute I cross the Auckland Harbor bridge which connects Auckland city to the North Shore where I work. While driving over the bridge, I look out over the Marina and see thousands of boats on the water. Something clicked inside me and impulsively I decided to spend my last month in New Zealand doing something I can’t do in St. Louis, learn how to sail. I went to the local Westhaven Marina and signed up for a 4 week sailing course which meets once a week on Sundays. Not knowing what to expect, I got to the Ponsonby Cruising Club at 9am Sunday morning and found only 1 other person in the beginner class with me. Her name was Noelle, a 27 year-old American with dark hair. Originally from San Diego her company moved her to Auckland in May so she had been there about the same amount of time as me. It was nice talking to another American for the day because I’m surrounded by Kiwis all the time. We got to the Marina and were both expecting to be in class all day. We got our log/training books, a tour of the cruising club, a small introduction and immediately went down to he water! Noelle and I (both having apparently missed the preparation email) were wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, tennis shoes and a jacket. We got paired up with an instructor named Mike, a shy, oily-faced 15 year old pre-pubescent teenager who just recently earned his drivers learner permit. We ready a 2man Sunburst boat and take off. Mike is silent and not doing as much ‘instructing’ as we expected. I’m manning the Jib and Noelle is on the main sheet. The winds were pretty rough that morning as we sailed around a small cove within the Auckland Harbor. About 10 minutes into the trip without warning the winds pick up violently and the boat begins to pitch toward the rushing sea water beside us. Our speed increased and Noelle, not knowing any better, held tight onto the main sheet (the rope controlling the main sail). In an instant, the side of the boat dipped into the ocean and the boat immediately filled with freezing cold water! Once the boat was full of water it was completely off balance and quickly capsized. Noelle and I were thrown from the boat and into the wintry Pacific Ocean. Mike managed to stay in the boat by holding onto the trim (rudder) and weighing about 70lbs (soaking wet) I realized he wasn’t going to be much help getting us back in the boat. I pulled myself up and remembered my white water raft training. I grabbed Noelle by her life vest with both hands and pulled her into the boat. Shocked, soaked and shivering we both look at Mike for an explanation. He quietly replied, “That’s never happened to me before!”. Unsatisfied with his response, Noelle and I can’t help but laugh. We make our way back to the dock, bail out the boat, and try and find some humor in the situation. Back on the dock I take off my jacket and hoddie which are completely soaked and lay them out to dry. The weather over the marina is cloudy and windy so I don’t hold much hope of driving home in dry clothes. We still have about an hour of sailing left to do so we get back into the boat. I take over the main sheet this time and we shove off for Round 2. Round 2 goes much smoother and would have been enjoyable if I was able to feel my toes! But my tennis shoes and socks were completely soaked through which made enjoying the rest of the day difficult. We sailed around for about an hour with little to no instruction from Mike before heading back to the dock to pack up for the day. I didn’t have a change of clothes so with soaking wet jeans (and only an hour left in the course) the head instructor recommended I call it quits for the day. Before I left he gave me some homework: a rope to practice tying knots with and a practice test. I got home, changed clothes and took a nice hot shower to warm up. I was lucky enough to wash my clothes at a nearby teammate’s apartment to get all the saltwater out of them. Since then, I’ve been practicing my knots every night and studying the handbook. I’m already looking forward to next week’s lesson!
Kiwis, lions, flamingos, penguins, seals, kangaroos and more!
A working sheep farm outside Queenstown, New Zealand on Lake Wakatipu. The only way to access the farm is via the TSS Earnslaw Steamship. I took this same trip when I was 12 and again when I was 26.
TSS Earnslaw 2011
TSS Earnslaw 1999
