Mid-winter boating!!!

I first received the latest 'Duemstuff' Drysuit when I was at the Futalefu in Chile. It arrived at a perfect time as the weather was horrible and cold. On return to NZ it was summertime so I was pretty much in skins or with a light dry top most days. Now however, it is a bit colder here in New Zealand! Although I have to admit it is not as bad as I thought it would be. 
2 and a half months ago I broke my arm mountain biking, on Saturday I got back on the river! I decided there was no better way to get back in the boat then to do a full river run of the Kaituna incl. the lower gorges! This run takes about 4hours and is continuos class 3-4. It has some of the most epic sections of gorges with high walls and remoteness. On the Sunday I did another 3laps with 2 walk backs of the upper Kaituna which was sweet! Its at a perfect level right now of 500, my favorite level. The following weekend I got in another full Kaituna River run down the Gorges with just me and Ryan at 500s, a really sweet level! And such a good day!

I have been wearing the drysuit every time I paddle now and it is awesome! It has good gaskets and the material is light but durable. At first I was not sure how long it would last as it seemed too light and not strong. Its lightness does not seem to matter though. It is strong and has been keeping me really dry. I love it because it is really comfortable and easy to paddle in. Stoked! And even more stoked to be able to paddle in the middle of winter here in New Zealand. 

I have been coaching slalom to some of NZ's junior rippers! But with the ski season now underway I am going to be spending most days up the mountain! 

Wanaka

 MAC- Walking to Mt Aspiring College to educate the youth of NZ!

 Ryan came to visit:)

Life here in Wanaka is awesome! The days have been getting colder with a lot of snow now resting on the mountains but most afternoons the sun comes out:) I have been seeing a physio for my arm as it is still not 100% meaning I cannot really paddle yet. It is quite frustrating but with the cold I will be looking to go skiing rather then kayaking anyway. I am treating this as my first proper rest from paddling in about 6years! It makes you realise how obsessed you are with the sport you love, well for me anyway! I am happy to rest but starting to get very fired up for getting back in the boat!

Anyway, here are some pictures of the hikes up Mt Roy and Mt Istla that I have been doing. Soon I will be hitting the snow, followed by a NZ Southern Season of Spring boating! Stoked to be here in NZ

South Island, NZ

 Waiting to catch the ferry across the Cook Straight...North-South!

 Driving past CHCH- epic views of the Southern Alps

 WHITEWATER!!!Stoked to Graduate for my Bachelor Degree from Massey University- they have supported me in the last few years in my studies and with my sport. 

 Stoked to see Dolphins on the ferry crossing!

So stoked to be supported by Watershed Drybags! These are by far the best Drybags on the market. They keep gear super dry and are soo awesome to carrying a camera and multi-day trips. 

I have now moved to one of New Zealand's top adventure sport destinations- Wanaka! I have a teaching placement here and have started doing a bunch of coaching for some of the Kayak Slalom athletes in the area. It is getting pretty cold here now so I am busy preparing for the ski season which will kick off in just under a month!!! I am pumped for winter but already started making plans for my next kayaking destination and adventure!

Mountain Biking

 Ryan shredding on the bike

 So my latest sport of interest is Mountain Biking!!!Rotorua is the perfect place for this with the Redwoods forest right there- one of the worlds best!
Unfortunately on the weekend I had a bit of an epic crash!!I was carried out of the forest by the ambulance and taken straight to ED. The result was just a broken arm in the end. I am hoping to heal up well in the next month. Pretty gutted as there is a lot of rain at the moment and lots of good creeks have been flowing! All good though, getting some study done:)
My injury has got me thinking. In all extreme sports there is an element of risk, be it of breaking an arm, getting concussion or loosing your life from drowning or other. I have decided for me that sports are such a major part of what makes me happy. They are my passion, my drive and my life. I love the places my sport has taken me, the people I have met, the life lessons I have learnt and what it has opened me up to. I would not be happy without my adventures and the thrill that I get out of pursuing extreme sports. I dream up adventures constantly and hope I can keep living them for as long as I continue enjoying. I will of course try to reduce my risk by making smart choices and being safe. I want to live a long time and plan to do so. But sometimes things happen quickly and situations can be out of our control. It is just good to be aware of this.  All I can say is at least I have lived, and lived dreams.

Unsponsored Article

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NZ Extreme Race Series!

So the NZ Extreme Race series finished after the BullerFestival in Murchison. Kenny Mutton took the overall in the Mens with Shaun Curtis winning the Junior Boys. Louise Urwin took out the Womans in the end with me in a close 2nd and Brenna Kelly in 3rd. 

I have now started my teaching placement at a highschool here in Rotorua. In the weekend I went on a coastal hike with my sister, some amazing scenery. I also did an overnight trip in a seakayak on Lake Tarawera, this Lake is beautiful and we camped out at Hot Water beach under the stars!  Summer boating continues here in Okere Falls, stoked to make the most of the last days of summer! I have been trying to keep my fitness up as I have a month of boating in the Pacific North West of America coming up towards the end of April! I will be meeting up with some radical chickas to get on some missions and in some good boating before braving a cold winter in NZ! This will be my first winter in ages...next year I am definately looking to charge back on the International Extreme Race Circuit!

Citroen Extreme Race, Kawerau River!

 After two weeks of solid study at Uni in Palmy I was pretty stoked to escape down to Queenstown! I arrived just in time for the Citroen Extreme Race, probably the best venue being used for extreme racing in New Zealand at the moment. This rapid is a few hundred metres long and really sweet! I had a primo day of racing and ended up placing 2nd in the final after South Islander- Sophia Moulder. The mens was taken out by Chilean Lorenzo. The sun was out and it was a really well run event, I am always stoked to be here for it.
On the Sunday 18 of us (including 2 of us ladies) charged  down Nevis Bluff in a mass start form in memory of our good friend and legend- Simon Davidson! It was a skins day as it was super hot, everyone was stoked as. I then continued to do another lap of Nevis Bluff followed by a run down Citroen, Retrospect and the Roaring Meg. The next day we repeated the run- so epic! These are all really big water rapids and retrospect has a massive hole- probably one of the biggest I have been through. Stoked to stay in Wanaka this week playing on the new wave here and enjoying some sessions on the water with NZ Junior ripper Jess Bailey!

 Above- Soph and I in the final. Below- Moonlight session on the new wave with Roy Bailey, Pete Simpson and Ray.

 Below- Following John in the runnout of Nevis.

 Below- NZ Junior Ripper Shaun charging into Retrospect!

 Below- Me hitting the middle of Retrospect

 Below- Looking back upstream...Nevis Bluff

 Below- On water view of Retrospect!

PAU HANA- SUP!

Great for relaxing too;)

The Coromandel is a beautiful part of New Zealand's coast. On the weekend I went up there to celebrate my Mum's 60th Birthday with all of my family. This was a great opportunity to take the SUP out for some exploring. SUP's give a great perspective on the ocean with a high viewpoint making any adventure more interesting. If is also a great cross-training tool as it targets balance and core stability. For a challenge my sister and I had a go with two people on it:)
Thanks Pau-Hana for your support, it is great being able to see the ocean from another perspective.

NZ Extreme Race Series- Kaituna/Wairoa!

The New Zealand 2013 Extreme Race Series has had a cracking start with the first of the two races here in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. The Kaituna time-trial involves 2 combined timed runs down the Kaituna river. On the Saturday the fields were small but strong and with a Kaituna flow of 200's there was more flatwater sections then the previous year. In the Men's race the competition was taken out by Czech Republics Vavra Hradilek, just ahead of Kenny Mutton and Jamie Sutton. In the Women's racing it was Luuka Jones who took the win, just ahead of myself and Louise Urwin in 3rd. On the Sunday we had the Wairoa Extreme Race and this involved a timed race run from the put in to just above first waterfall. In the Mens I think it was Kenny Mutton who won ahead of Jamie (Not totally sure)... 

The Women's was taken out by myself, less than a second ahead of Luuka and Toni George in 3rd. In the Head to Head race it was Kenny Mutton that came out on top ahead of Tyler Fox and Jamie Sutton.  Louise Urwin took the trophy home for the Women's with Toni George in 2nd and Luuka Jones in 3rd!

Some really fun and good racing! I was really stoked to have some clean as lines in some of my runs. Not so stoked on my head to head run where I ended up in the toaster..but all ended well:)

So stoked for Lou Urwin taking out the win and having so many wicked chicks out at the race! It was rad having everyone out there! 

Big thanks to Tyler Fox, Louise Urwin and Brendan Bayley for organising! You guys rock and it wouldn't happen without you. Also thanks to all the sponsors of the event- Bliss-Stick, Andi Uhl (Paddle Power), Waikato Exclusive, Frig etc..

All photo's are credit of 'Dscribe Journalism'

The Creation of Tits Deep- 1st Edition!

If you are wondering what 'Tits Deep' is...this is it! Its about women pushing themselves in extreme sports...being stoked to be a chick and living your dreams:) This edit was from our trip in the United States of America! Mainly in the South East but also around West Virginia and Washington DC. Sooo much winning!

Okere Dreaming

 Life here in NZ is pretty dreamy. Last week a sweet crew of Okere ladies (and Sam) went mountain biking in to Waihaha hut which is out towards Tihoi. It was a really nice day and I was stoked to get back out on my bike. I have been enjoying heaps of surfing lately as I picked up my new board:)
I have also been working on the yacht that charters out on Lake Rotoiti, been loving being back on the boat!
This week I start studying to be a teacher...this will be occupying a lot of my time for the next 10months!Ahh!