So we arrived in a gorgeous hotel-style lodge at the base of mount Cook, the largest mountain in New Zealand, only I was too tired and poorly to really appreciate it. The glacier clung to the mountains side with vivid blue craters that made it look like it was growling at the valley below. We had the most stunning view from our bedroom window and the air was already warmer from the chill of Queenstown. After slobbing about in the room for a few hours we thought it was time to actually do some exercise and make the most of the beautiful surroundings. So the lovely Cedric and I hiked up the Red Trends track which turned out to be steeper and longer than we thought. When we had climbed the what felt like a million steps up the side of the mountain we came a little lake filled with unique red seaweed (hence the name of the track). It was definitely a postcard moment and I didn't want to leave. We just sat there for ages and took in our surroundings (sounds very OTT but you had to be there). Eventually though the sun went behind the mountain and we made our slow walk down before when couldn't see where to stand and we went tumbling down instead. That night we had a healthy dinner and was in bed by 10. The detox from Queenstown had begun.
We were up stupidly early to travel up to Rangutata, a farming area just outside Chistchurch, which was still a recovery after the earthquake. There, five of us decided to do a bit of horse trekking. Getting on the horse brought me back all those years ago to when I had lessons when I was 10. My horse was a beautiful chestnut coloured mare called Debbie. Good name for a horse I suppose. Apparently she was a tough cookie who could walk for miles and miles with hunters blasting their guns and hauling their heavy kills on her back without resting. We got on well. The trek itself was only an hour but we trotted, clambered through the bush and streams and even galloped at the end. It was so exhilarating and it made me realise how much I missed riding. we managed to get some good photos of all of us. Each rider had a horse with a different personality and the owner of the stable had great delight in telling us about the horses background and how he came to own them. We had an ex-race horse who had a serious issue about not being in front and another one who killed sheep in the when he was bored. Crazy.
That afternoon, while everyone was chilling out at our new lodge, I went short walk down to the river where the white water rafting took place. This 'short walk' turned out to be a long and dull 2hour hike. I eventually got to the river, took a few photos, then got half way back to the lodge an realised I left my camera on the rock when I took my shoes off to paddle. So off I went, all the way back to get it, adding an extra 4km onto my journey. By the time i got back to the lodge my back ached and my feet were sore from my flip-flops. And i call myself a podiatrist!! That evening nine of us had an epic game of Cranium. My team won, obviously, but we had a great laugh acting out yoga and bike riding. Trying to explain to two germans, two swedish and a swiss the meaning of 'to jump on the bandwagon' whilst only using hand signals was something to be recorded. Again, I think you had to be there. The lodge had dorm rooms with 3 storey bunk beds and I was naturally at the very top. I felt like a bird roosting it the rafters of a house. I swear I needed oxygen by the time I reached the top. As it was it was one of the most comfortable nights sleep I had in a long time.
Another early start but this time we were greeted by a gorgeous red sunrise coming over the mountains. It's so frustrating that photos can't capture the moment or how striking sone of the colours are - well my camera can't anyway. We passed through Christchurch to drop some people off to the airport and I'm happy to say that I didn't see much damage but then again we were on the outskirts of the centre where most of the wreckage took place. It was then onto the seaside town of Kaikoura, a town so sleepy that you could lie yourself in the middle if the road for 24hrs and not get run over. The town reminded me of any old Devon coastal town, minus the mountains. Seafood-based cafes and restaurants line the small pebbly beaches that lead down to the choppy waters. Here you can do most sea-related activities including dolphin swimming, whale watching and cray fishing. I decided for once to save my money as none of these things really grabbed me. Around the corner from the Fish Bowl hostel was Seal Point, suitably named for the hundreds of seals that sleep, feed and play on the rocky shore. I went for a long run and caught a glimpse of these funny creatures, some cute, some boring and some who have blatantly eaten too much. That night we sat around talking for hours eating homemade flapjacks by yours truly (I was disgusted to find that loads of people didn't know what flapjacks were so I had to educate them). Early night again for plenty of lovely sleep. I was a little bit smug because the dolphin swimmers had to be up at 5am to be in the water by 5:30. I'll stick to my bed thank you very much. I can see dolphins in Plymouth.