Paihia - The Excitor

The Excitor, BOI

Saturday 29th Oct 10.30

All systems are GO!

Sensible clothes? Check.
Sensible shoes? Check.
Warm fleece? Check.
Money? Check.
Camera? Check.
Tena Lady? Check.

And we’re off…..to ride the EXCITOR!!!!!
One and a half hours upon the 54 knot powerboat racer.
Woohooooooo
Waterproofs are on – bright red and very fetching for my figure.
Life jackets are given out and safety video watched.
Life jackets operation explained – “Please DO NOT touch the yellow plastic tag, it is very SENSITIVE”.
Twenty-eight pairs of hands immediately move to the vicinity of the yellow tag.
Hurry up….. I can’t bear it. Oh the anticipation….
“Sit at the front if you want more fun” we’re told.
I do.
The front seats are like sitting on a horse.
I do my belt up real tight and assume the position.
Ready….
And we’re off…very slowly across the bay to Russell (like the slowest slow thing you’ve ever had the misfortune to go slowly on) – we need to pick up further passengers. DOH!!!!!
Anticipation builds.
We’re out to sea! The swells are up to 2 metres or more today.
Rain splashing me. Sea splashing me. Sea water everywhere. Totally soaked. WICKEEEEEED!!!!!
Over the humped back bridge at top speed – over and over and over again. And again. YEEEEEHAAAA!
We’re airborne! CRASH! We’re not!
At the hole in the rock, the engine calms down to a mere mutter as we float towards the hole on very choppy water.
Woah! A FIN! It’s a shark! A bloody great shark feeding off the fish shoal. As are millions of sea birds.
Through the hole and into the Cathedral Cave. Yodelling briefly crosses my mind.
And we’re out the other side!
There’s a woman’s face in the rock staring forlornly out to sea.
Aaaaand, we’re off again.
It’s bloody freezing, the rain is a thousand pinpricks on my face – but I DON’T CARE!
This is sssooooo coooool.
One word to describe this?
Bloomin marvellous!
Kev’s word?
Thrills!
On board songs played for our delight include:
Raindrops keep falling on my head.
Eye of the tiger
We will rock you
What a wonderful world
Mrs Robinson (eh?!)
I’m looking forward to coming back soon. I want to swim with the dolphins next.
Tarah!
X from Sue.