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Published: January 31st 2008
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Tuesday 29th Ouch, that was an early start - took me a while to get to sleep last night so the alarm was a shock (probably also to the other 5 in my room!) - got ready quick - eating breakfast when bus pulls up - what's going on - they said 730 for 745, it's only 710. Apparently yesterday's busload was told 720. Office doesn't even open for key (deposit) return til 730! Pack a bit quicker than intended and am ready soon after 720 - then we wait for key returns - don't take off til 755 in the end! Ho hum...
Driver today is called Leftie and seems to think he's driving the Kiwi Experience bus with the number of games he has planned! 830 we stop at Lake Matheson (just past village of Fox Glacier), with 45 minutes to get to viewpoint 1 and back. This is the lake famous for it's stunning mirror-like reflections. Most of the group gets to the first likely spot, is disappointed and goes back for a coffee. I'd rather walk another 10 minutes - who knows - might be somewhere better! 5 minutes later find the actual first viewpoint which
is more as expected - although the lake is rippled. One photograher who was there at 8am shows the photo he got of a perfect mirror image - oh well, plenty of postcards with the image on! Back on the twisty road - feeling quite roepy within half-hour! After an hour's driving we stop at Knight's Point for a photo shot... This is the point where in the 1960s the road down the West Coast was finally completed - where the crews working North/South met. Named after a dog which had appeared to the North crew 10am every day, and then realised had appeared to the South crew 3pm every day.. To be fed, of course! Great itinerant life for the dog...
1045 - back on the bus, where I've just finished catching up with this blog. Thankfully road is bit straigthter for now.. Although it's started raining! Rain didn't last so long - we wound our way round the picturesque scenery, over the Haast Pass, stopping at Makarora West for lunch. Continuing, plenty of winding roads and then we come out by Lake Wanaka - plenty of cameras clicking out of the windows for that one, until we
pull into Wanaka about 130. Looks beautiful - get checked in to 'the Purple Cow', wander off to find information on local walks, the Post Office and the supermarket. By this time I'm baking in my jeans so I go get my bathers on and jump in the Lake. Bit chilly to start off but soon adjust and enjoy a good half-hour in there. Out in time to be ready for Netty to give me another treatment - reflexology this time - think it's pretty accurate, and relaxing! Decide not to have the meal I planned and join them for dinner after talking to Campbell (Hamish's brother) - in Dunedin. Dinner is good old sausage and mash - my dinner is tasty but the others don't enjoy theirs so much. Go to Shooters for a quick drink but don't want much/too late as planning a reasonble walk tomorrow!
Wednesday 30th Wake up 6am, so 7am decide to get up and get on with my walk to Roy's Peak. Information Centre says that it is a 40 minute walk to the base, about 2-3 hours up, then down/back. I'm not the fastest walker, but usually faster than the DOC times,
so am anticipating a 7 hour walking day! The weather is gorgeous so I'm enjoying snapping away at the early swimmers/ducks in the lake, then set off properly - not sure which is the right peak but takes a while to get there - 1 hour 40 mins to be precise! Turns out later to have been 6-7km
So, finally at the base, get a nice encouraging text from Karen (also reminding me to stretch... I'm already there.. After the hurt after the Tongeriro Crossing). Head up, planning to stop every 1/2 to take a photo to record progress. This is the first time that I've planned to hike on my own and not sure how much of a slog that is going to make it... Turns out to make it a hard slog because although it said at the bottom 2-3 hours, it takes me best part of 4 hours to reach the top. Passed and was passed by a few people who were as puzzled as I was why the top looked so far away with the timescale given - all of whom usually find themselves beating the DOC (Department of Conservation) timings! A whole busload of
people were doing the trek and gave good encouragement up/down. Felt sorry for a Dutch couple who had to head back down as the heat was too much - made her sick. It was pretty hot and I couldn't find my hat in the morning - have LOTS of suncream on my head though!
Finally reached the top and the views were breathtaking (as though I wasn't already out of breath). Met a German couple up there (who had made it in just over 2.5 hours, but they'd expected to do it in a lot less!) - we swapped cameras for a minute, had a chat, I ate my lunch, took a panoramic video then headed back down. Was down in about 20 minutes to the point where it had taken me an hour to get up... Would proably have continued at that pace but decided to talk to Beth from Yorkshire on my way down - her husband had continued up, but she'd decided enough was enough! Made for a pleasant down journey, then we sat in their campervan as her husband Martin was another 1/2 hour coming down, before they gave me a lift back to Wanaka!
Nice!
First things first, hop in the shower, then make dinner. Having chicken/vegetable curry - made enough for 3 meals so all set for next couple of days. Checked out the walk I'd just done in the Lonely Planet, says is a 'strenuous 16k'! Repacked my bags, grabbed my book and probably went to sleep pretty early, so tired!
Thursday 31st Nothing disturbed my sleep until 8am. Sleep of the dead! Get up - ouch - a bit stiff! Refresh in the shower, have breakfast, nip across to the supermarket so I don't have to go anywhere tonight, check out and settle down in the dining area overlooking the beautiful lake and work through a couple of books - making notes so I can leave the books behind (Titles?), before reheating my curry, reading a trashy magazine and going outside to wait for the Magic Bus. .... this blog will continue in Queenstown, which is the next stop!
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