Kaituna: Lower
I drove back into Rotorua and the minutes raced by as the moments dragged. I felt like I had got away with something and that after this day, everything would be different. This dichotomy of tiredness yet awareness, accomplishment yet humility has for me followed a number of intense experiences - like the last vestiges of a flow state that refuses to accept normal life. The day had started at 5am with pizza and coffee in the car on the way to Maungarangi road. The early rise served its purpose and we slid down the put-in ramp at precisely 7am. So it began. The normal Okere Falls lap went smoothly for me, capped by a smooth dry face line on Tutea. It's hard to beat that feeling of muscle memory dialling in, the body focusing for the challenges ahead. As we floated down and unanimously voted to walk Trout we laughed about paddling well now being an 'omen'. In retrospect this was certainly another way to calm our nerves (or at least mine). We rolled down through the slalom gat...