Adventure Update

After a few days of relaxing in Nelson as a reward for successfully completing the road trip of last week’s post, I decided it was getting to be time for another adventure.
To be precise, canyoning in Abel Tasman national park. For those that don't know what canyoning is, essentially you hike out to the top of a canyon, and then make your way back down through the canyon doing awesome things like rappelling and zip lining and cliff jumping. It's a full on day of adventure and by the end you'll probably be pretty exhausted.
It's rad.
I went into this day knowing that there would be things that scared me. Parts that would be hard for me to do. But I was mentally prepared for them and to be honest I'm pretty proud of myself for this day.

I learned I can easily toss myself off a cliff, knowing that I'm securely attached to a zip line. Even if I have to fall a little bit first.
Taking a running leap off a cliff with nothing to catch me but the water below, that's a lot scarier. The last time I went cliff jumping, I was sixteen and wouldn't jump unless my older brother jumped with me holding my hand. It was a much smaller cliff than I jumped off this time around.
Six metres folks. Approximately 20 feet of freefall before hitting the water. Honestly, I didn't enjoy it, it was uncomfortable and scary and I got a lot of water in my sinuses and my ears both popped. But I did it! And it was only the second scariest thing I did that day. (The most was getting lowered through a waterfall. Probably a shorter distance, and more controlled, but the water all around is overwhelming and disorienting and I couldn't see. There's more time to feel scared and get anxious in that situation than in jumping off a cliff)

I learned that I like rappelling. I like being in control of my movements. To control my own descent down a cliff face is to feel powerful and strong--I am by no means an expert at it, and sometimes I slip, but if I could learn to carry that confidence into all aspects of my life I wouldn't hold myself back nearly so much.
I have slid down waterfalls and conquered my fears. I wish I could be as brave in my everyday as I was in that canyon.
I think I'm getting there though. The day after canyoning, I hitchhiked on my own for the very first time. The thought of hitchhiking does still make me apprehensive sometimes, but I didn't really think about it. I just needed a way to get back to town after my sea kayaking was done, and I didn't want to wait four hours for the daily bus. My only other option was to thumb it, so I just did. No hesitation, no fear of asking random strangers for help. It was easy. I wasn't even a little nervous to do it.

Of course I'm sure not every hitchhiking adventure will be so breezy. I think I stood for maybe ten minutes before a couple of german girls picked me up. But it's something I know I can be brave about.

My week in Nelson has been a very good one! I've been adventurous, faced some fears, and continued to learn about myself and look inward and think deeply about the way I experience the world. But now it's time to move on to new places. I'm heading back north to hopefully do a workaway on a farm in Wairarapa and then carry on moving up the east side of the north island. Plans are indistinct and malleable.

As always, making it up as I go. Send out good vibes, and good vibes will come to you.