Castle Hill (old) {Cath}

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Having been doing a whole bunch of settling in and house things, it was finally time to get out of the house for a bit and enjoy some of New Zealand's scenery with friends! We decided that a day trip to Arthor's Pass would do just the trick. So, Dave, Eriko, Darrell, Damien, and myself piled into Dave's Silver Beeper and off we went. it was roadtrip time!!

Even if we were doing just the drive, it would be worth it. Watching as the landscape rolls from placid farmlands, into long flat open space, lifting gently into rolling hills and finally winding into rocky mountains with steep valleys and long rivers is the most beautiful and peaceful thing. We stopped of in Springfield (about an hour west of Christchurch) for some of their famous pies but were disappointed when the woman at the counter rudely told us that they can't make pies all day. (What do you think this is, a pie shop or something?? :) ) So we went next door where they seemed to be keeping up with demand just fine :) The pies were delicious, they had the most amazing range of fillings. The town, apparently, was also gifted a giant pink donut in celebration of the Simpsons Movie. So, after the obligatory photos (with Eriko and I nearly falling through the hole!) we were on the road again to the National Park.

Although the drive was fantastic, the weather turned rather miserable and rainy by the time we reached the park. So, after a brief stop in the information and peruse around the curio shop we were back in the car again and on the way to Castle Hill for some bouldering instead. (Bouldering is just like rock climbing, only you don't use ropes and you're trying to climb up some large boulders.) Strangely enough the weather at Castle Hill was great!

The large, smooth, limestone boulders all scattered over the mountain looked a little bit like a huge dinosaur graveyard, with fossils scattered everywhere. I was great fun trying to manouver over the structures. Dave and Darrell were really good, and Damian was like a monkey crossed with a mountain goat the way he seemingly effortlessly skipped up and over some of the giant rocks. Even Eriko and I tried a few of them. I think we did jolly well!

As evening approached and our arms and legs became too tired to pull us up any more vertical surfaces, we pulled out our frisbee and American football and played some catch. It was such relaxed, Saturday afternoon thing to do. As the the sun slowly neared the horizon, and the light was too dim to play any more, we headed back to the car for an evening at home playing poker.

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