Reaching the peak, Mount Alford, overlooking rich farmlands.
This is the last posting of New Zealand (not that anything is expected to happen in that country to make it disappear) to be followed by a finale from Australia. After a trip that we would both agree was hard to beat, besides the fact the mountain challenges were spectacular and we succeeded now and again, we met so many interesting people and had some equally fascinating experiences. Obviously, they are too numerous to mention. Nevertheless, something innocuous, which one of us found both amusing and delightful but would probably be most uninteresting to anyone else occurred on the last day of the Abel Tasman tramp. I would think Jenni enjoyed it too, particularly the taste of it. (see below...)
When we were part way up one of the mountains, we expected the white structure to be the end point.
This is a 'zoomed in' picture of the structure in the picture above, from the top. We misjudged that one on Alford.
The clouds formed, moved towards us, sat for a while and then dissipated.
An idyllic ski-village to which we'd like to return.
We began the day by waiting for the estuary blocking our path to subside. These estuaries can be most annoying and probably do it out of spite. (Did we hear someone say 'paranoid'?) We had about 12 miles to walk and commenced well after 11am. We set off at a blistering pace for about 200 feet, got bogged down in the river, dried off and headed up-and-down the coastal cliffs. After a few miles, we noticed a car and then another. Usually when on tramps, the land is deserted but it differs at Tasman. We continued after sighting the cars and then came across a car park, a large campsite and a land management office. This was the first time outside Tasman we had ever seen anything like this in the country, certainly outside Europe. Normally, there may be a few hikers/trampers on a trail but that's it. Jenni waited outside the office while I entered to catch the flavor of this seemingly out of place structure. I was surprised.
I returned to Jen, sat her down and presented her (and myself) with a Nestle Milky Bar. We never do this because there aren't such facilities available and it's not a good habit to develop. We sat on a log, watched the world go by, made conversation with day visitors who came to view the ocean while we savored our chocolates. When I saw how much Jenni was enjoying her tasty treat, I felt bound to buy her another one. It so happens she had had enough so I was saddled with the burdensome task of having to eat it. One could hardly allow food to go to waste and felt duty bound to do the correct thing.
Suffice to say, it was an unusual situation in that we came out of the bush, spotted some 'civilization', sat and enjoyed chocolate in the wilds, made conversation with some locals and enjoyed the sights and particularly, the rest. We told you it was not an exciting story. However, it kind of tickled us. There's no accounting for taste, chocolates or otherwise.
The ever-climbing editor approaching the peak of Alford.
Lake Brunner sits below Mount Kinga and other giants in the Moana district.
Could be a trap, a noose? Even the trees in New Zealand are aggressive.
The sophisticated look, I think...at Kinga.
From peak of Mount Taranaki in the north, comparing farmlands with those earlier pictures above.
A favorite scene.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
A sunset down-under.
Humor from the backpackers' in Franz Josef, the home of the glacier of the same name.
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