White water rafting (Rangitata Rafts)

I decided to go rafting, first because everyone recommended me as a must do in activity in NZ , but also because after exploring Christchurch from morning till evening I felt like I needed something else.

I got picked up at the hostel at about 9: 15 in the morning to a destination about 2 hours away from the Christchurch.

The destination turned out to be a charming lodge surrounded by greenery and mountains. When I left Christchurch it was raining pretty hard but once we got there it was sunny and warm, basically a gift of a day to go rafting.

Getting into that wet suit is a right bitch, let me tell you. I mean I had to wear a size too big because my giant shins wouldn't go through the small sized suit.
There is a lot of gear involved - two shirts, a wet suit, helmet, a splash jacket and a life jacket.

We dragged the raft into the water and got into it. The river started wide, so as we floated gently we got instruction on what to do - basically how to follow orders. The grade 3 current was like a bumpy ride. The guide kept explaining what to do if we are thrown off the raft or what to do if someone else does. At the end those 5 grade currents weren't too bad. I mean they are like a washing machine but they are pretty short.

The challenge I found was when you go down into that swirling flushing toilet all you want to do is hold on but the guide keeps telling you to row forward so you can get through that.
I regret not having a waterproof, shockproof camera because the location was definitely one of the prettiest places you can raft. The water was turquoise and surrounded by cliffs and mountains it was just magical.

The highlight for me was when the current became gentle, the guide stopped the boat and we climbed up a cliff to jump into the narrow river.
It's quite scary because you are standing on an edge and the entire passage looks too narrow and the water too far away. It was shocking freezing upon impact, but I warmed up quickly once I was in the water for a few seconds. Floating for a bit into a widening of the river, I had to climb that shore - which was just a bunch of slippery rocks.

Down the river where it's wider there are two more cliffs. The qualifying jump which is high. And the high cliff(from which you do "The leap of faith") which is damn high. It's about 10 meters or so by my estimation, but it looks so much higher when you are looking at the water down below.
I think I enjoyed it more than the rafting.

There is an aspect I didn't like - they advertise over two hours raft time but I swear we were waiting more than rafting - for the photographer... For the other rafts... I would've really liked it moreif it was continuous plus the stop for the cliff jumping.

The afternoon after was such a feel good time - a warm shower, bbq, barefoot on the grass under the warm afternoon sun and all that greenery around you.
The photos were 40$ so I opted not to buy them.