An Unforgettable Swim | New Zealand Road Trip

Our final day in New Zealand will always be memorable to us. The whole trip was a collage of unforgettable moments, incredible sights, so much laughter and delight. But there is something about a near death experience that sticks in the mind…

We left our campsite after a hearty breakfast and headed to Spencer Beach for a swim to start the day. When we got down there, the flags were out, but there was also a sign that mentioned ‘training in progress.’ The beach was filling up with small children in hi-vis and wetsuits. I checked with one of the lifeguards on duty if we were still allowed to swim, and he said of course. So Esme and I left Eve chilling on the sand and waded into the water. It was perfectly warm after our icy lake swims, and we were quickly quite far out, but we could still reach the sand with our feet. We enjoyed diving under and bobbing over waves. The children on the beach began pouring into the sea with their accompanying adults. There was a lifeguard boat out on the right of us, which we assumed was there because of the training.

Overhead was a parachuter, kept airborne by a propeller! I hadn’t seen anything like it before and was quite impressed. The waves were getting bigger, so I tried not to get distracted by the parachute, diving beneath to escape being swept away. 

Oddly, the lifeboat came into the swimming zone, quite close to us. Esme and I exchanged a look – that felt a bit dangerous. Then we saw that they had begun chucking the children into the boat. 

“Do you think that’s that part of the training?” Esme asked me.

“Surely,” I reassured her, jumping a wave. “They’re learning what it’s like to be saved?” 

The boat came over to us, and a lifeguard shouted: 

“Are you guys okay?”

We smiled back, thumbs up. We were having a lovely time. 

The boat careened back to shore. We noticed the flags were being moved down the beach a little. I started to swim parallel to the shore, trying to get between the flags again. 

Then the boat was back again, and a lifeguard was calling out to us:

“We’re getting you in the boat now.”

His hands reached out to me so I raised mine out of the water. He grabbed my forearms and in one swift movement, lifted me out of the water and into the boat. He shouted to Esme:

“We’ll be back for you in a minute.” 

She raised a thumbs up.

I started to laugh – this was so bizarre! And clearly not that concerning, if we were leaving Esme here.We started towards the beach, but then the lifeguard changed his mind. 

“No, we’re getting her now.”

So then I started to worry. My laughter froze in my throat. I wriggled in the boat, trying to spot Esme in the waves. 

The moments it took to reach her were extended by fear. But, really, we were with her quickly, and I watched as she was thrown into the boat beside me. I grabbed her, and we held onto each other as we were propelled towards the shore. 

When the boat reached the bottom of the beach, and the lifeguard said:

“Okay, you can get out now.” 

The one who hadn’t spoken yet chimed in:

“There you are, free boat ride.”

I laughed uncertainly as I climbed out of the boat into the calf deep water. “Thanks,” I said, endeavouring to be polite. “But why?” 

The lifeguard pointed out towards where we’d been swimming. “Where you were,” he said. “That was a rip current.”

Oh.

We careened up the beach, adrenaline and exhilaration and confusion and gratitude racing through us. We ran towards Eve, who was looking down at her phone. We called out to her, laughing. She didn’t hear us until we were almost on top of her, and when she looked up she had a slight confusion on her face as she pulled out one earphone. 

We told her what had just happened, embellishing with small details the other hadn’t noticed, emphasising the lovely swim we’d been having until we were yanked out of the water. Obviously, we were incredibly grateful to have been taken care of by the lifeguards, but we’d thought we were fine! We’d only come to any harm when poor Esme had slammed into the side of the boat and gotten winded – a huge bruise was blooming on her upper chest. We had to laugh.

A different lifeguard came up to check on us, asking if we’d taken any water on. 

“Nope,” we reassured him. “We were fine!”

He explained how the rip wasn’t visible from the shore in the manner they usually are, hence why the flags had been confidently put there. Since we had gotten back to Eve, they’d been taken down entirely. They’d only known there was an issue because there were lifeguards out there on the water. I tried not to think too much about what may have happened if there wasn’t anyone else out there with us. Instead, I was grateful for the way things had gone.

As the day wore on and we prepared the van to return it – washed it, dropped our belongings off at the hostel we’d spend the night at, added petrol – we had flashbacks sweep over us in waves, laughing with the ridiculousness of it all. What a way to start our final day. 

After we returned the van that afternoon, we headed into Christchurch city to explore. 

We wandered the Riverside Market, full of food and drink stalls, and the small lanes nearby. It was a Sunday afternoon and things were winding down, but we explored a couple of cute shops. We walked through the city and along the river awhile, trying to get a feel for the city. We understood that it was still rebuilding since the earthquakes over ten years ago. From what we could see, there were some arts initiatives and the city seemed colourful, if quiet. 

We found a converted church that is now a pub and sat in for a drink. The organ over the bar was particularly effective. The staff there were super friendly and the atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant.

We made our way to Little High Eatery for 7pm to meet my friend Rosie, who I knew from Adelaide and has been travelling and working in New Zealand. It was amazing to reunite after so many months, and we all caught up over pizza. Like Riverside Market, Little High Eatery was a collection of independent vendors. Esme and I shared two pizzas and the evening was full of laughter and warmth. It was a relaxing way to end the day after a very hectic morning, and it was fun for us to practise our new story on a fresh audience. We knew we would be repeating it many times to come, and that, eventually, I’d be writing about it!