Ok, I’ve been negligent on the blog. After a big trip like Vietnam, I just kind of lose a little momentum and have to nest away from the blog for a while. That’s not to say that I have been sitting around doing nothing, but I just kind of forgot to write it down. So this will be the first post to try and catch up on the exciting goings on in my life. Or some of the boring things too.
Rainbow Road Bike pack:
After the Vietnam trip, I got pretty pumped up to do some bike packing somewhere. I really wanted to do the Molesworth Muster Trail, but the weather and timing just weren’t working out. I had a small opportunity so I decided I would ride up Rainbow Road for a night and test out all the new gear.
Rainbow Road is a dirt road the cuts across the mountains from St. Arnaud to Hamner Springs. It is, evidently, the highest road in all of New Zealand topping at 1347 m at Island Saddle. Part of it goes through a private sheep station which limits access to only certain times of years and charges you to go through. It was just before the season started, but you can email the station manager and get permission.
I wasn’t sure how far I would go, but figured there were several good places to stop for the night and either camp or stay at one of the huts. The weather was great and I cruised along pretty well all though all the creek crossings ensure your feet will be soaked to a squishy.
Mostly the riding was straight forward, but some of the gravel sections were steep and hard to get traction with a fully loaded mountain bike. After about 900 meters of climbing and 3 1/2 hours I reached the Sedgemere Sleepout. It was only 1 o’clock, but it was great little hut and was pretty clear I was likely to have it to myself. I decided to stop there for the night and just chill and enjoy the views for the afternoon.
I had a nice evening and woke up to a wonderful sunrise. I packed up and road back to the Ute and was happy to have made a successful first venture on the bike packing. I hope to more extensive trips in the future.
Sylvester Lakes, Kahurangi NP:
Last year I did a ton of training for tramping, but my training had fallen by the wayside because of all the biking. I had planned do a multi-way trip with my buddy Bev on the Travers-Sabine circuit, so thought I had better at least get out and do a trip with a fully weighted pack. I also wanted to try out my OM-5 in the back country since it was so much lighter than my Canon.
I chose this one because (a) I hadn’t been to this area before and (b) it was a pretty easy hike up to the hut. The climb up was about 500 meters, but on a very nicely formed trail by Kiwi standards. I got to the hut around 1 pm and there was one other person there. Sophie was an EMT in Motueka out on a solo tramp. It was a nice little hut with 16 bunks set out in the classic platform with 8 on the top and 8 on the bottom.
I ate some lunch and hung trying to decide what to do. My ankle was bothering me, but it was such a nice day I decided to just mosey on up to the lakes. My plan was to climb Iron Hill the following day, so I thought it would be to scope it out.
The lakes were beautiful and I was kind of sorry I hadn’t packed the tent as it was a lovely place to camp. I made it to the upper lake and saw Sophia there reading. The last 300 meters up to Iron Hill was pretty steep and scrambly through a bunch of limestone boulders and crevasses…it felt a bit like Mount Owen. I was going to stop, but then thought “I’ll just go a wee way up and see the view back.”
I looked at the time and decided I could continue until 5 pm, but that was the drop dead turnaround. I made good progress and then finally realized what I knew all along, I was headed to the top. There was a bit of narrow, slightly exposed spot to the top, but the view was worth it.
I made my way back down to the lakes where there were 4 people getting camp set up. I bent over to fill up my water at a stream and my spiffy new OM5 camera slid out of the holster and banged into a rock. Ack!!! (Later, on Travers-Sabine, I would discover that I had damaged one of the buttons. Ugh. I am hard on equipment).
There we two more people at the hut when I got back for a total of 4 of us. We had a lovely evening chatting and then went to bed. Since I had done the climb I was planning the following day, I decided I would have a leisurely morning and then head back down.
On the drive back I spotted some good limestone rocks which I loaded into the back of the truck. They would work perfect for the rock walls of my succulent garden! I am a scrounger at heart. If I can find a free economy, then I get great joy out of utilizing it.
It was a lovely area to tramp and I would definitely go back. If you are looking for a hut experience that doesn’t require an insane effort over tree ladders and boulders, this is the hike for you!
Yet Another Project at Ruby Ranch South:
We have come to realize that the climate here is just too cold to grow good hot peppers. Tomatillos seem to kick butt, but peppers…negatory. This was pretty devestating as we really like things with hot peppers. So besides building the rock wall succulent garden, I had been pining away for a green house. I could have just bought one of the pre-made ones, but they seemed expensive and being cheap I was on the hunt for a scrounge solution. Plus, DIY and scrounging seem to be a way of life here in New Zealand, so when in Rome….
One day, while at Mitre10 (the NZ version of Home Depot), I saw a big pile of 50 x 100’s sitting on a trolly with a sign that said “$5 each”. I checked them out and then asked the cashier was the scoop was on the boards. She said they were warped and mis-cuts that the manager was trying to get rid of. I asked how much for the whole lot? A brief discussion occurred and they made me a deal of $4 each. Now I was committed to the green house.
I found a dude who was tearing down a big barn and selling all the stuff he could. This resulted in two very spiffy windows for $200. Then there was the guy with a door he needed to get rid of that set me back $20. I had the sense that the spouse was like “why is that door still here…get rid of it!”. Anyway, for less than $1000 we are now the proud owners of a 2400 x 2400 green house! I do love building things.
I do like having this property, but I will say it does take a lot of work. I have had to learn how to do a lot of things, some are distinctly not fun (gorse) and others not so bad — like taking care of the chickens. That said, Emily got egg bound and we had to figure out what to do. A 15 minutes epsom salt bath did the trick, but I will say she wasn’t very happy to sit there with me for that time trapped in a cooler having listen to me blab on about how amazing I am at being able to build a green house for a grand.
Ok, more to catch up on, but I cut this update off here.
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