Memoir

Memoir

It first started at Punakaiki Beach, 2017. The sky was cloudy, miserable and on the bridge of raining, the crisp breeze brushing against my skin making me shiver. I was out with my friend (Osharn) and her family (Alissa, Sarah, Karea, Nova and Chris).

Me and Osharn put our swimming bags on a large rock that was sticking out from the ground. I looked around and spotted Nova out in the distance and was yelling out at us to come over. We sprinted over the rocks with our boogie boards, trying not to slip over and fall on our faces. Eventually we reached Nova and we started to run over to the water.

There was another river of ice cold water. ‘I definitely don’t want to go swimming in that, the water's freezing!’ I thought to myself. The water lead into a cave, but you had to swim through the water to reach it. “Why don’t you guys swim to the cave!” Alissa yelled to us. “The water's freezing!” Nova replied looking down at the river. “Theres a waterfall at the other end!” Alissa said trying to convince us to get into the water. We all moaned knowing that we would have to get into the water sometime or later. I strapped The wrist band that was on the boogie board onto my wrist and we jumped in.

As soon as I hopped in the water the water turned me into a ice block, freezing my whole body. “I can’t feel my feet, I’m going to get frostbite!” I screamed with a tint of amusement in my voice. I got no reply from Nova or Osharn. Nova was complaining how cold the water was and Osharn was trying to comfort her. The water far too deep, it was dark so we couldn’t put our feet on the ground and had to rely on our boogie boards. “Ok… why are we all wearing bikinis?!” I pointed out, Nova let out a chuckle. “ wait, isn’t there eels in here?!” Osharn asked worriedly, freaking out Nova and herself out. “No there are no eels, it's too cold for eels.” I was trying to reassure them.

We were about the reach the cave then patter patter, it started raining. ‘Ok really, that's just great’ I thought to myself. Sandflies then started attacking me, sucking my blood like little tiny vampires. We eventually reach a rock that was at the end of the cave. I climbed up the rock which had wet moss all over it. “It’s quite slippery, so be careful” I told them causally. Once we were all up we looked around, It was beautiful and fascinating. There was a waterfall next to us echoing all around the cave when it it the rock. We knew we would have to go back now.

I started walking down the rock, Osharn was in front of me. Suddenly... Slip! “Ow…” Oshan had lost her footing and slipped over. “You ok?” I asked trying not to slip over myself. “Ok be careful- Wo!” Oof! I slipped over myself and landed on my butt, Sliding down next to Osharn. “Ok don’t listen to me...”. Osharn and Nova were laughing there heads off, not caring I fall over. “Osharn you cut yourself!” Nova pointed out, Osharn curiously looked at her elbow which was in fact bleeding a tiny bit. “You guys go on without me! Eels like blood” Osharn said making everything dramatic, “there are no eels!” I told Osharn who was freaking out. “We’ll go back and get Alissa and give her one of our boogies boards and she can come and get Osharn!” Nova said thinking she made a brilliant idea. ‘That's one of the worst ideas I’ve ever heard’ I thought to myself. “Look just go on without me” Osharn repeated. “Well I’m not staying here I’m going back” I finally had enough and hopped back in the freezing water with my boogie board and swam back.

I learned going to Punakaiki beach (a.k.a Antarctica) and swimming in the water was something was something I did not want to repeat. I’m not keen on getting frost bite. Also there actually was a eel stalking us in the water, which Nova saw. Glad I didn't get bitten.

By Jessica