Highlights of our time at Blue Lagoon included: a whale sighting boat trip on which not a whale was seen (yet every time we went out in any other boat it seemed we were surrounded by whales), a boat trip to town to pick up a freshly slaughtered ('while you wait') pig for dinner, and a trip to an underwater cave (Mariner's Cave).

	Mt. Hutt Courtesy of Burton

We were told about this cave, but once we got close we had to find the exact spot for ourselves and just go for it. It just doesn't come naturally to swim underwater into a black hole in the rocks just because someone told you there is a cave when you surface 30 feet (10 meters) later. I was first there with a New Zealander and after staring at each other for a couple of minutes I just went for it. After swimming under the rock for what seemed like a while (even though it was only 10 seconds) I saw that the surface above looked like a mirror, but it was still totally black. I decided to surface and sure enough I popped up in the middle of a cave. It was one of the coolest moments of my life to be in there all alone. There was enough light to see that the cave itself was pretty big, about the size of a small Vermont barn. But the most unique thing about it was that when a ground swell would push through the underwater opening the air pressure inside the cave would rise significantly, (to the point where your ears would start to hurt) and the air would mist up. Then when the swell backed off it would make this sizzling noise while the mist disappeared and the pressure returned to normal. I brought Donna and the kids back the next day and it was funny how even with me alongside, it took a lot of convincing to make them believe that if they swam towards that black hole it would lead them to a cave.

The three sons of the family who own the island are as unique as the place itself. Half German and half Tongan, they are full-on jungle boys. We never saw them wearing shoes and I'm not sure if any of them had ever had a haircut (Uli, the ten year old has hair down to his ass). When we first got there, we were sure they were three girls. Henry (age 8) could climb any tree on the island and would take on anyone in a good-natured wrestling match. He and Taylor had some epic bouts despite the fact that Taylor is double his weight. The kids also played some sick tackle Rugby games together on the beach which would last until someone landed on a piece of coral in the sand. Otto (6) would just hang with us all the time, and when he got hungry he would climb a tree for some fruit or pick up snails off the beach and suck the raw snail right out of the shell. When we left Tonga it was tough to say goodbye. The kids were all in tears as we had become so close.

We got back to New Zealand for a couple of more weeks of snowboarding, surfing and skating. I went on a surf trip with a friend (Stephen Mahoney) to check out the northern island. We spent the first night at Raglan (a world renowned break), but it was blowing on shore and was predicted to do so for the next few days. We had heard it was dumping in the mountains off the south island so we headed down there to ride some powder ("it's New Zealand mate. It's always going off somewhere"). We joined Guy and the Burton New Zealand posse for their annual heli day at Mt. Cook, another day of epic heli boarding with Trevor. Yeah, I'm getting spoiled (fourth heli day of the trip) and I know it. We all had a great day, but Stephen, who seldom rides anywhere but Stowe, seemed to enjoy it the most. Guy had sprayed me good on one of the runs, and at the end of the last run when I realized I was not going to get a chance to return the favor, I got him with a flying rugby tackle just as we were riding up to the chopper. It was a fitting end to an incredible day.

After a few days at the 'ski fields' with Tony Coccia (Burton New Zealand testing co-coordinator), we headed back to Christchurch. Upon our arrival, the surf picked up substantially. We surfed 4-5 hours a day in overhead surf for the next couple of days until Stephen went home. We only had a few more days in New Zealand ourselves until it was time to go to Australia. That night, a freak storm came through and dropped 70 cms (over two feet) on Mt. Hutt. We all went up there to catch our last NZ snowboarding session of the trip. It was a perfect day - not a cloud in the sky and plenty of fresh snow. It had to be one of our best days of the trip. On the way back to Sumner, we went for a river Jet boat ride, which was another experience I'll never forget. Before we got in our boat we noticed our driver reeked of booze; no big deal until your are going 50 mph (90 kph) four inches (10 cms) away from a rock wall. On one of his 360s, he accidentally flooded the front of the boat only to announce, "We better get going. By the time we get back to the dock my bloody balls are going to be frozen". What a character he was.

After a last day in Sumner, a farewell thank-you party for all Guy and Cheryl had done for us, and one last surf session it was time to 'cross the ditch' over to Oz (Australia). I have always loved New Zealand and after spending close to six weeks there, I love it more than ever. The countryside, the mountains, the snow, the surf and most of all the people are what make it so cool. But probably the best thing about it is if you don't like what's going on, just get in your car and drive because you know "It's New Zealand mate, and so it's going off somewhere."

— Jake Burton, Burton Snowboards