Wednesday 20th
February 2008
We arrived in
Greymouth on Sunday evening after a relatively easy 200K through mountains and
valleys. The only things worth report are the camp was very modern (And only
$2.00 a wash!), the scenery continues to be magnificent and we saw 2 kiwis (the
bird, of course, not the All Blacks).
Next day we
continued north to Hanmer Springs, another 220K, where we have got stuck. We’ve been here 3 days and I’m not sure
we are moving on tomorrow? The
weather has been perfect and we feel very comfortable here; and there’s a
bakers!
Having sussed
the town on Monday when we arrive we decided to climb a mountain on Tuesday
because Roger thought Mags would enjoy it!! This is the highest locally at 1324
Metres (about 4300 feet) high. It
was a bright sunny day with a rather cool wind and our host said it was a good
day to ATTEMPT it.
The morning was fast
disappearing so after some cogitation we packed a bag and had set off by
eleven. From the word go it was a
stiff climb and we quickly rose above the town frequently stopping to recover
our breath. It was well past
noon before we
cleared the tree line and although the path was clear it was very steep and
sheer at times. The terrain was now
what they call ‘sub alpine flora’ some of which we recognised as rockery plants
common at home, but the names, of course, we couldn’t remember. An hour later we could see the ridge
leading to the summit; we were leaving the flora behind, but it was still a long
way to go and Mags was saying “do you think we are going to make it?” Me, ever the optimist would reply “It’s
not far to the ridge just keep going”.
We did eventually make the ridge where the path changed from a ‘Tramping
Track’ to a ‘Route’.
Local
classifications were:
- Walking Track – Suitable for most ages.
- Tramping Track – Limited track formation, average fitness level
required.
- Route – High level of fitness and experience
required.
Undaunted we
set of along the ridge which was rocky and initially not too steep although in
places the mountain fell away on both sides. The last climb up to the peak was pretty
difficult – very steep and slippery on a scree like surface – and by now we were
tired and stopping for breath frequently.
(“Do you think we can make?” – “It’s not far now keep going
steady”). After three hours and
forty minutes we finally reached the top and it was wonderful. The literature said this was the most
popular route to the summit but all the way up we had seen only 5 people. A
Young man and a younger couple overtook us going up and we met two Swiss coming
down near the summit who gave us that bit of encouragement to get
there.
At the top the younger
couple (from Devon) who had over take us were preparing to go down and after a
pleasant chat they set off leaving us alone on the top of the world. Very soon we were totally alone in this
huge silent world looking down on everything with only a clear blue sky above
us. Mount
Isabel, that is the
name of this mountain, has a cone top and we stood on the very top rock and
surveyed the scene for a long time. I know now why mountaineers climb
mountains.
Apart from the
wear on the knees the only tricky bit coming down was the scree like decent near
the top which we negotiated safely without slithering down on our backsides or
worse. Going down you see much more
of the scenery and it was a real pleasure despite the continuing hard work. It took two and a half hours to descend
and when van appeared at the bottom the track it was a great
relief.
After a shower
and a meal it felt like a great achievement and we were both pleased we had done
it.
Wednesday was
a day of rest in a Spa town. After
breakfast we went and wallowed in the thermal pools and generally loafed about
all day.
Tomorrow we
may do the same.
Thursday 21st
February 2008
Around 10.30
we walked into the village for a little shopping and thought we'd take a short
walk to The Conical, about half an hour, to look at the view. We weren't
going to be long so we took our shopping with us! It certainly was a pleasant
view, especially of 'Our Mountain'. After a while we observed a
coach party, complete with guide carrying a big pack with all the safety gear,
resolutely climbing The Conical so we beat a hasty retreat down another path.
Not necessarily a smart move! Our half hour return took two and a
half hours; it was a good job our shopping had our lunch in
it.
By now we were
really ready for our dip in the thermal pools, so we dumped everything, grabbed
our towels and went for a good soak. The sun continued to shine out of a
clear blue sky as it had done all week. It is currently 8.30pm and we are
sitting outside (no sand flies) looking at the mountains all dark and convoluted
against the western sky.
We'll have to
move on tomorrow I suppose?
Roger &
Mags; Mum & Dad
