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Published: December 20th 2010
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Diamond Lake
No, I don't know why it's called diamond lake either - I've never seen a diamond that shape Day dawned cloudy but not as bad as predicted so optimism levels quite good. Breakfast on the front, stop at shop for more muesli bars (well, oaty slices, but close enough - forgot to tell you that one of the farmers I met on the Dart leg of the Cascade Saddle produces something like 85% of New Zealand oats, so now I quite like the idea that I probably know where the oats come from whenever I eat muesli / oat bars). And then I drive down to the road end. The road is fun - lots of dirt track and lots of fords as well as the odd bull to coax out of the way.
Unfortunately, the cloud is also building. Rain comes and goes, some quite heavy which I don't mind really but the cloud is low. As I turn the last bend in the valley, where Mt Aspiring should be sits a stubborn looking, low cloud. I drive in to the car park at the road end and spend a bit of time wandering about in the rain trying to decide whether to go or not.
I decide the main reason to go is to get
the views of Aspiring, so I'll give it one more day. Unless it's a complete cloud-out tomorrow, I'll go. So, what to do today? I wend my way back down the road and take a side track to the Motatapu valley - there's a hut about 4 hrs walk up there I could head for. But the valley doesn't look all that exciting and it would mean a 3hr walk out tomorrow morning before I could head down the valley. I decide on a day walk instead so I tootle back up the road to the Diamond Lake road end and scamper up to Diamond lake, then march on beyond and to the windy summit of Rocky Mountain. There is the odd spot of rain on the way up but, by the time I reach the summit, I can see most of Aspiring and the cloud is lifting. Bit annoyed but I ignore it and run down the mountain again, scaring American tourists who are uncertainly scaling the steps to the lookout above the lake.
He's about ten yards beyond the sign when he asks "Is this the right track for the lookout"? "Yup - only another four zigs
Lake Wanaka
From Rocky Mountain summit and you're there" (there are at least eight zags in between those zigs, but he doesn't need to know that)
She's looking for an excuse to wait longer when she asks: "How many times do you run this mountain?" "First time - enjoy." "You look far too jovial." "Oh good - you look awful" (no, I didn't say that last bit, I just laughed)
The next one's pausing to take a photo with a camera that weighs more than her. "Ooh - don't run us over young man!" "Don't tempt me old lady" (no, I didn't say that last bit - honest)
So back to Wanaka for the night only to discover I seem to have lost my Mt Aspiring map which is most annoying. Some papers did blow away at Diamond Lake when I was getting my bag out the car but I thought I'd collected them all. Guess I'll have to buy another one now.
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Rob
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i don't know about 'H'elen's wonky track. Looks like yours has gone wonky as well. A waft of perfume perhaps? or just raw persperation:-)