Well, great weekend. Was supposed to leave on Friday evening, but the trip was put off until Saturday afternoon, which meant that we headed out for a nice Indian on Friday evening instead :) Great, haven’t had a nice Chicken Korma with garlic Nan in far too long.
So, some interesting news, the people I headed off with for the weekend, are some friends I made here through Florian really. They live in this quite superb old house.
It’s gigantic, and old, and will be very cold, especially when I move in at the beginning of July.. Can’t hardly wait. Told Jim this weekend, he was cool about it, four weeks notice is quite a long time. It’s just going to be great though, living with an incredibly friendly bunch of Kiwis. Sometimes in the evenings they go canoeing on the river that runs across the back of the garden.. The Avon… Wow. So will get to head off and do some white water hopefully when spring comes.
So it was with them that that I headed off to Mount Cook for the weekend. And what a great weekend it was. Cold though. Got down there on Saturday evening, and we decided to just bivvy overnight in the DOC day shelter (you’re not supposed to sleep there.. But with 2 feet of snow on the ground, no one was checking). I slept in Michelles van, as I guessed it would be warmer. Probably incorrect.. This pic
is of Warwick cleaning the snow and ice off the car in the morning. Ice had formed on the inside of the car. It was bitter, and all the more reason for getting a down jacket, something I am getting made up this week I hope from a guy who makes them on the cheap ;) Excellent, and needed.
Did feel pretty sorry for the ducks though.
So off climbing for the day, will have to wait for climbing pics as I didn’t bring my camera up the face, but you can see the crag here.
There is a wee person on it, we were climbing on the right hand side of the pic. Easy bolted routes, but just great fun… I even led a couple of pitches, but like I said, really easy.
Then when the sun went down it was off to cook dinner, and then to the really excellent ‘old mountaineers pub’ they have here. Twee name, but a great place, run by a guy who’s guided in the area for the last 20 years.
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Yvonne is the one out of focus, with Steve on the left. Warick is the one sporting the excellent polypro top, and Michelle is the one looking wholly unimpressed that I’m taking the picture in the first place :) A really excellent bunch of people, I just can’t wait to move in.
Then today – Sunday – I went off for a walk up to a vantage point overlooking cook. I was also breaking in my new boots, but I think they broke me instead. Harumph.
Someone built this snowman sitting down at the vantage point.
There was this Maori legend about the ice too, which I thought was kinda cool. You can’t help but get caught up in the whole impact they have on everything in the country. Kia Ora means Hello (I think, doubtless someone will correct me!), the words get everywhere.. ‘That’s good Kai’ (good food) etc..
Finally of course, this wouldn’t be complete without the obligatory picture of Mt. Cook, which was cloudless yesterday, but I was too far away to get a decent picture..
So yes, all in all an absolutely excellent weekend, thanks to Michelle, Warick, Steve & Yvonne for a really great time. Wonder where the next trip will go?
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