Day 10: Adventuring Again

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It is hard to believe we only have one more sleep until we return to Australia! Where have the last 10 days gone? When our itinerary for today was announced, we had to clarify that a 'down day' is not a relaxing day, but rather a day down from The Mountain; there seemed to be some confusion about this. Our first activity was the high ropes course at Adrenaline Forest. Here there were six different levels of obstacle courses set amongst the tree tops, each increasing in difficulty. The first challenges started at 1.5 meters off the ground, increasing to up to 20 meters in the higher courses. After a quick safety demonstration the kids were let loose in the forest. Some opted to start small and work their way from Level 1 up. Our adventure junkies skipped the lower levels, and started on Levels 4 and 5.  For two hours the students could be heard laughing, encouraging each other and occasionally shrieking if they lost their footing. Roong is not a fan of heights, and on the Level 2 course was heard exclaiming "I'm up so high! I'm so proud of myself!" with a big beaming smile on her face. It wasn't long before others had found their rhythm and before we knew it Cohen, Ben, Zac, Kyle and Cooper were attacking Level 6. The heights of the courses didn't seem to phase the kids, but the trees swaying in the breeze proved challenging for some.

With all climbers back on the bus and accounted for, it was off for a drive through Christchurch. Robin, our driver, provided some commentary along the way, providing an insight into the experiences of the locals during the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes that shook the city. He highlighted areas of land that had once been residential, but had since been deemed Red Zones, meaning they were no longer suitable for man made structures. Though these were sad and difficult times for Christchurch residents, Robin also explained that the city has undergone a great amount of redevelopment as a result of the damage suffered during the quakes, and that the population and economy have now returned to levels experienced before the disasters. 

Our last stop for the day was a trip to the top of Mount Cavendish in the Gondola. These cable cars traveled up the mountain to a scenic lookout point from which we experienced views of the Canterbury Plains from a new perspective, and were able to take in views of Christchurch's cityscape. On the other side of the lookout, Pegasus Bay and Lyttleton Harbour made a wonderful backdrop for some group photos.

As if today wasn't already pretty special, we ended with an amazing cake for our birthday girl, Niki who was celebrating her 18th birthday with us.




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