Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller hopped into one of the rescue boats for a race in Papamoa.
Being a fairly sensible traveller I've not got myself into too much trouble while overseas, although there was one occasion in Thailand when I could have ended up on death row.
As everyone should know, Thailand is tough on drugs and anyone caught with them can bring about a meeting with a firing squad.
I had endured a lengthy flight from London to Bangkok and, rather exhausted, wended my way through customs and immigration there in a bit of a daze.
Which is just as well for the elderly lady I went up to and asked if I could help with her bag.
She looked dear and sweet and she was struggling with a heavy suitcase so I offered to take it for her.
It wasn't until later it dawned on me what a nice - but silly - thing I had done. For what if she had turned out to be a drug runner and was waiting for some polite and gullible young fellow to take her drug haul through security?
Hands up Mr Manners, it's off to the pokey with you where we'll feed you rubbish food (if you're lucky) and then put a bullet or two through your heart.
Which is the punishment facing two Australians and a British grandmother who have all been convicted of drug smuggling in Indonesia.
The Australians are the ringleaders of the so-called Bali Nine - a group that tried to smuggle $5 million of heroin from Indonesia to Australia.
It is very hard to have sympathy for hard-drug dealers who profit from ruining other people's lives but the Aussie pair Myuran Sukumaran, 33, and Andrew Chan, 31, have reformed in prison, finding religion and have been new, decent men for some time.
More than $3 million worth of cocaine was what landed Lindsay Sandiford, 58, on death row and she claimed she was forced into it with her grandkids being threatened by the drug lords.
Whether that's true or not doesn't matter to a new hardline Indonesian Government that last month shot a Dutchman and Brazilian for similar crimes.
Of course London and Canberra are trying to save the lives of their citizens but really the point is that they knowingly committed the crimes understanding they faced death if they were caught.
They were and now they are and I'm afraid it is what they chose for themselves.
HERE is a very special message to the woman who pulled out straight in front of me on Saturday afternoon.
You stupid, stupid, stupid person.
There I was tootling along Papamoa Beach Rd on my way home from picking up some barbecue meat after a long day photographing the Papamoa Surf Club's excellent IRB championships.
I was cruising along nicely when, all of a sudden, this car emerged out of a driveway and from behind a truck to turn across me into the Mount-bound lane.
All I can say to the driver is that she is still breathing - and possibly able to read this - only because of:
-I have superbly fast reactions
-My car is in top condition with excellent brakes
-I was travelling at the speed limit.
Hitting the anchors hard - and ignoring the resultant flying sausages and lamb chops - I watched as her horrified face got closer and closer and closer to my front bumper.
My 4WD is a big car - although her eyes were bigger by that stage - but it stopped a metre or so away from her door.
Had we hit at any speed she would have been pulped and pushed through to the passenger's side where, I should say, she should consider moving to permanently as her driving skills are woefully poor.
If there is an amusing side to the incident I discovered I could not only brake, but fire out a stream of Anglo-Saxon, hold the horn down and then give a fine salute all within the space of milliseconds.
And they say men can't multi-task!
SPEAKING of the Papamoa IRBs ... it was good to see our Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller turn up to the event and hop into one of the rescue boats for a race.
He looked a tad nervous.
Well, good on him for giving it a go I reckon and, besides, if there was ever a place to get into difficulty in the water it was with the top 44 IRB crews in the country nearby.
Anyway Todd did really well, sprinting to get the fuel bladder to attach to the motor, then hanging on for dear life as the IRB flew over some big waves.
Afterwards he said it was a really thrilling race and he got a real buzz out of it.
Well done, Todd, maybe you can champion more Government funding for lifesaving clubs.
-richard@richardmoore.com
Richard Moore is an award-winning Western Bay journalist and photographer.