Getaway presenter Catriona Rowntree recalls ‘traumatic’ experience in Tahiti

Getaway presenter Catriona Rowntree has recalled the terrifying moment she went swimming with stingrays in Tahiti.

The 51-year-old told 9Now on Thursday that she went out for a day trip on a boat with a local chief and he summoned the stringrays.

‘He leant over the edge of the boat and started to hit the side of the boat,’ she said.

‘Little did I know that was sending a rumble underneath the waterway and before I knew it there were literally hundreds of stingrays surrounding our boat.’

‘And then he [the local chief] said, “Jump in”.’

Catriona described the experience as ‘traumatic’ but also ‘magical’.

It comes after the Getaway host revealed the onboard essentials she makes sure to always pack in her carry-on luggage.

She said she’s ‘learned the hard way’ what items are best to pack to make flying more comfortable.

The 51-year-old told 9Now on Thursday, she went out for a day trip on a boat with a local chief and he summoned the stringrays

Catriona recommended travellers bring a wool jumper, antibacterial wipes, lip balm, a nail file, paracetamol, face wipes, eye drops, moisturiser and a cross body bag to stay organised and hydrated while flying.

The TV presenter suggested making sure travellers have a ‘layer of wool’ on hand as ‘you WILL freeze/boil all within five minutes of each other’.

To sanitise surfaces and clean up any spills, Catriona always brings Wet Ones wipes and to ‘do everything in her power to avoid the plane loo sink’, she also packs face wipes.

‘He leant over the edge of the boat and started to hit the side of the boat. Little did I know that was sending a rumble underneath the waterway and before I knew it there were literally hundreds of stingrays surrounding our boat,’ she said

Fourth on her list of onboard essentials was a small crossbody bag to keep things like her passports, phone, pen and glasses safe.

‘You know you’ll lose everything in the exact moment you need them,’ she said in a post.

As plane cabin air can dehydrate passengers ‘like no body’s business’, Catriona packs Lanolips lip balm as well as a sachet of Panadol and eye drops.

She also brings an emery board joking: ‘eight hours with a scratchy nail is like Chinese Water Torture’.

Finally, Catriona has a tube of Clairns Beauty Flash balm in her bag saying she layers it on just before take off and landing.

Catriona described the experience as ‘traumatic’ but also ‘magical’