Advertisement
Published: October 16th 2014
Edit Blog Post
October 2 - In the morning we said goodbye to Chris and Lesley, and took a tour of Queenstown before heading off for our first ‘official tramp’ in the New Zealand bush. Now, in Canada where I’m from, a ‘tramp’ is a word not much used nowadays. But, when I was growing up, a tramp was a hobo or a bum or someone down on their luck. Here, a tramp is a trek or a hike.
Before reaching this tramp, we drove through the Remarkables along Lake Wakatipu. David's photo fingers were just itching as the weather was not great -- perfect for him.
Lake Sylvan is an easy, beautiful trail through the bush with plenty of beach trees and green moss. At the beginning, there is a suspension bridge that needs to be crossed. This area is very near where scenes for Lothlorien in Lord of the Rings was film. And, indeed, it did look like a place that elves might once have inhabited.
While on the track, we took a little break, and David took a photo of Brian and I. At which point, Brain mentioned we were attending an APH Conference
in the woods. Brian, Diane and I all met at the Association of Personal Historian's conference three years ago. This is a business that helps save the stories that so many of us hear, but rarely record. And, even fewer do it for a living. It was truly a great experience to meet people who understand and share my passion for this work. A conference in the woods seemed such a fitting analogy for those of us who often work alone, but are surrounded by such beauty and richness.
Our accommodations for the night was Kinloch Lodge. (Another long-time favorite of Brian & Diane’s.) The lodge sits amid the mountains at the end of Lake Wakatipu. The mountains in this area were featured in the opening sequence of LOR, The Two Towers. The lodge caters to backpackers who want a step up from their tent, and the rest who want to get away from it all without getting into a tent. Brian did offer us the use of his tents several times. As tempting as this sounded, we graciously declined. (Should he ever make it to Canada, I have a few friends that he should meet.) Our
APH Conference in the woods
APH - Association of Personal Historians room was named the ‘Kiwi’ and held a cozy bed (including hot water bottles) and one small chair. Bathrooms and showers were a short distance down the walkway.
Dinner in the evening was at the lodge in a dining room with a wood burning fire place that held about 20 people. The three-course meal consisted of soup for the appetizer, venison stew for the main course, and cheesecake with a nut base that was to die for! A little wine and great company were the icing on the cake!
Overnight, fresh snow fell on the mountain tops, and we woke to a misty morning, ready for our next adventure on the famed Routeburn Track.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.062s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 13; qc: 22; dbt: 0.0401s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
taracloud
Tara Cloud
A jewel indeed!
These photos are just as I imagined the South Island to be. What fine hiking trails, and I love that bridge! I've a writer friend who wants to help preserve stories, so I sent her your APH connection. Thanks for that.