After the city of Dunedin, and all it's unparalled beauty, I mean, plainess, I was quite excited to travel to Aoraki, or Mt. Cook. It's, as you know/guess the highest point in NZ, and the cool thing about it is that you can drive nearly to the top. But that does take away a massive amount of "impressiveness" that say, a Mt. Fuji has (or one of those "cone" ones).
I got there late in the day, and light rain started hitting my windshield as I had been passing the lake that I can best describe as "the color of my Alfa Romeo that Aki totalled." The official name for that paint was "sea-foam green." It was beautiful. The car. And, well so was the lake.
So my main concern was: get a spot sheltered
underneath a tree, you know, the whole rain thing. Wind was not an issue.
And then it got dark.
And the skies cleared up, to reveal glorious constellations that I know none of, and the wind picked up. Something fierce. The whole
underneath thing should have been
behind. I couldn't change my location in the dark &wind anyhow at this point, so I decided to try to make out the night. For anyone who camped at Leon's birthday, it was stronger than that.
All night, I kept worrying the tent was going to come undone in the ground, and I'd be left with no fly. The fly kept whipping hard against the tent, and I never slept. I got out at about 2 am and checked the pegs in the ground, and they were fine.
And then at about 6 am it happened, like a 600 pund sumo wrestler charging into my tent from no-where, 2 of my 3 poles
snapped. I heard them go, and then a wrip, as one of the poles tore the nylon. I was f-u-c-k-e-d. I had to push all my weight agianst the wind, and tried to put my pants on when it subsided enough.
I got out as soon as it began to show light, and packed it up quickly/poorly. I hopped into my car and drove to the mountain view point walk, and was the only one to see the mountain top luminate 1st thing in the morning. I sat enjoyed it, until the sun hit me, and I went down to the car and made coffee and grilled cheese for breakfast. When all the tourist buses started showing, the clouds rolled in, and hid what I saw while they were still sleeping.
I was rewarded.
I drove an exhausting, and often un-interesting drive to Banks peninsula, which was formed duirng 2 volcanoe explosions. The ruggedness of the steep slopes reminded me of the shape of Fiji. Not as warm though. I found a remote beach, and when the sun set, the clouds over the bay had a softenss to them that reminded me of Bob Ross, the whole scene was his. And over there was a "happy little tree." I had supper, finished my Maurice Gee book (it was choice) and went fast asleep in my car as soon as it was dark.
And then I came into Christchurch today, which is having it's International Buskers Festival.
It's pretty cool, seeing some of the acts. I think I'll only be here 1 night, and head to Hanmer Springs tomorrow. It's strange being in a city after I've adjusted to the sticks. I always said I'm a city boy, but camping has made me re-think that idea. I suppose I'm still city though, until I wrestle and defeat the bushwackers. Then...
Some stuff:
Bob Ross. Watch him do his magic.
The Bushwackers even had figures made of dem. They also had 3rd guy and were know as the "Sheepherders." Love it.
My dad also has uploaded pics from his album on his trip to Central America. Anyone unlucky enough to not know him can see how he's obviously travelling solo, as there's only 2 pics of himselft in 89 uploaded.
View the album!
