White water an adrenalin rush

Staring at raging water, I am told that if we are to no longer be nestled safely in the boat and are about to go solo down "the waterfall", the best thing to do is to roll into a small ball.

Natural instinct is already kicking in and reminding me that if I do come unseated, that will be the last position I will be taking. Flailing, swim, and frantic, are possibly better ways to describe how I want to react.

My first challenge of the trip down the grade five Wairoa River with Rafting New Zealand, was to paddle in the correct direction. Right, left, over, and DOWN are very confusing words when facing white water. I did manage to stop playing paddle wars with the guy behind me, my strokes just weren't quite as manly. I like to think I am a co-ordinated person, paddling the raft made me second-guess that. I don't know if the guy behind me just paddled in a much more relaxed fashion or if mine was super- charged. But the sound of clashing plastic paddles as we fell out of time made my poor little heart beat just a fraction faster. I did however manage to figure out which was left and which was right 80 per cent of the time. We didn't tip, so I'm going to say I did alright.

Provided with wetsuit, fleece shirt, splash jacket, life jacket, helmet and neoprene booties, I gave myself a pat on the back, opting for the fleece under wetsuit option when the first lot of cold water hit me, taking on "Mother's Nightmare". This wasn't actually as bad as it sounds, a good way to get into the adrenalin-filled day.

My raft contained a variety of ages and nationalities; myself, two Dutch tourists, two German tourists and their Kiwi work friend, who looked like she was probably regretting the decision when she looked down the river. Nothing could beat her smile at the end though; it wasn't quite as daunting as first expected!

Being at the front has never been my choice of position. The middle just strikes me as the safest position when in a group of people; those at the front bear the brunt of whatever untoward things may await, those at the back are also going to be the first to disappear. Looking at the photos, I realised that I was in fact submerged in water a considerable amount of time. But, I could not deny the sense of achievement as we tackled the last rapid. It was like a natural water park! Don't let names such as "Roller Coaster", "Devil's Elbow", "Mother's Nightmare" put you off. The river is dam controlled and only releases 26 Sundays a year, making it a full-on adventure. Starting at Mclaren Falls Reserve, it is only an hour's drive from Hamilton and around half an hour from Tauranga.

Working as a team, tackling the weight of the water, remaining in the boat, are all the sort of accomplishments that make white water rafting one must-have on the bucket list.

It's refreshing, and it's just the right amount of adrenaline pumping through your veins.

If you want to give it a go, visit www.raftingnewzealand.com