Okay, this blog thing is going to be difficult to keep up . ..I can feel it now. I am already behind. So, yesterday (day 2) we woke up to cold rain showers and rain and thought we might have to bag our plans for a hike. Instead we put on our boots and jumped into that snazzy red car. We began in Riccarton Bush which is a park within the city limits that has the only remaining original bush flora and fauna in the entire city. It was amazing. Then we drove along the harbor and stopped along the beach and continued onto the trailhead for a hike called Taylor's Mistake. Named for one Capt. Taylor who thought he was going into the deep harbor of Lytelton, but instead entered the shallow harbor of can't remember the name--anyway, you can guess what happened to that ship. The trail takes off from a beautiful beach and climbs and climbs up the cliffs and through private land. The view from the top is stunning--however, it climbs and climbs and you really feel those hamstrings burning. On the way back the tide had rolled out and we were able to make it down to the far end of the harbor where we climbed over rocks to get to the beach before the tide rolled back in (that was within a couple of minutes!) We picked up more groceries--which is really like going to the library for me because everything has a different name/label and I find it fascinating learning this new grocery language. (Gumdrops are jubes!) We bought fish and chips and sat on a bench in the sun. It was about 5 by then so we decided to get one more thing in (and, man, am I glad we did): we went to the botanical gardens.
I have never in my life seen trees and huge and beautiful and majestic and magical as the trees in this special place. The day had long turned sunny and it seemed to linger longer among these trees, shrubs, flowers and water settings. Needless to say (the insane gardener that I am), I took way too many pictures that others will find boring, but I know my friends Pam and Boyd will be thrilled to view just one more picture of a European Beech or a Red Chestnut in full bloom. I was in heaven.
New words: judder bars (speed bumps) so much more fun than our term!
Day 3: More sleep, but big plans in the offing. Packed some food and gear and headed out. Destination: Sign of the Packhorse Hut on the top of the Port Hills to the South of Christchurch. We drove up this very long, very curvy, very narrow summit road for miles. Incredible views of the Canterbury Plains. More Scotch brome than I have ever seen in my life. And then down, down to where it intersected Gebbes Road. Parked. If you have ever hiked in NZ (you know this, Micah) trails are not marked well. At least the start of many trails. So, you hunt and hunt for some entry point and hope that you are not trespassing and that a dog won't eat you alive. Well, we finally found a stile (a term for a wooden step nailed to a fence post--this is often the only indication that there is in fact a trail) where we stepped over the barbed wire and onto a gravel road. Went a ways before seeing a stile in the far distance. Okay--now we're on the right track. The trail followed a fence line with pines on the one side and rolling hills of green full of sheep. Once we jumped the stile we were in the forest where we hiked for miles--then through grazing land--then back in forest. Up, up, up--relentless. When we finally cleared the forest we entered the high country of tussock grasses and rock, looking down over endless green fields and hills and the most amazing view of Lytelton Harbor. The path was about six inches in some places and right on the edge of the mountain side. If you wanted to take in the view, you really had to stop so that you didn't fall. I forgot to say that after we got out of the forest and we were able to see that first expansive view--I burst out in tears. It felt like my heart was going to break under such intense beauty. I felt so lucky to be alive in that very moment. Onward we climbed and finally reached the summit. There was an old stone hut for shelter--in fact we had encountered some new friends who had camped the night before. They had hauled in their own coal and burned through it because it was freezing last night. We sat among the sheep and the dung and ate our lunch before the wind picked up. It came quickly, fiercely--and was cold. We decided we had better start the two hour return hike. When you see the pictures of where we started and where we ended and where we returned--you will understand why I was dog tired when we hiked that last mile. Boots were feeling really tight and my feet wanted out of them. We, however, had more miles to cover. We had met some really great folks on that trail who had invited us over to their place after we finished our hike.
There was a young couple from New Brunswick Canada who were doing a work exchange on this farm. There was Bill, a 66 year old principal/teacher from Cambridge in the North Island and then there was David Hughes. He happens to be the Director of Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand. He breeds rare goats, sheep, rabbits, pigs, chickens, turkeys, ponies, and donkeys. He, along with a woman named Betty Rowe, is responsible for saving the rare Tutukinoa Arapawas goats of NZ. They originally dwelled on Arapawa Island in the Marlborough Sounds of NZ. He now has 25% of the world's population of these goats. We had to drive down to Lytelton and find his place. It turned out to be up the very steep hills overlooking the harbor. What a view! We thought it was going to be a quick look around, but it turned into a couple of hours of hiking up the hills and meeting a whole lot of goats, sheep, etc. (that I mentioned above). It was fascinating learning about all these animals. He then invited us in for tea to meet his wife and hang with the other blokes that we had met. Lively conversations (they especially love to hear about American politics and are extremely well informed about America--much more then most Americans). Bill went on to recite all the American states in alphabetical order--I am not sure I could do that. Hugs all around and promises of further communication. Claude and Lisa invited us up to New Brunswick. Bill and I talked about possibly hiking the Camino in Spain. David is a former mountaineer and avid tramper and yachtsman and we might take him up on offers to lead us on some trails. We may return to their place in a few weeks. It was a very full day. Very tired. Tomorrow we leave for the Banks Peninsula to the working Onuku Farm. We will be there for three days, I think. Then on to the Old Bones Hostel south of Oamaru. I am quite sure that the farm does not have internet access so I wanted to get this in. I hope you are all feeling as good as I am right now and are having heaps of fun. I send you much love, Linny
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