Throwing ourselves in the deep end

Today was our first full day of travelling New Zealand and we decided to ease ourselves into it with a nice 8 hour walk up a mountain! Not quite to the summit though. We headed off early to Mt. Somers, a 45 minute drive from Methven and we were initially treated to the sight of hundreds of sheep being herded by sheep dogs down and around a hill towards us. It was quite impressive to see this white river of sheep flow down the hillside, something you imagine happens a lot in New Zealand but something we haven't yet been lucky enough to see. We started our walk on the Miner's track. As the name suggests it covers an area that used to be mined for coal and some of the old machinery and mine shaft openings are dotted around for you to see. There was a very steep initial incline and I did wonder what we had let ourselves in for because this was very challenging both mentally and physically. I'm definitely not fit, that is for sure. Every time you climb just a few metres the view seems to grow and grow and open out so much more in front of you. Our route continued with more uphill but luckily with some more level ground and a few slight descents. We saw some of NZ's bird life including a fantail and another bird with a very distinctive call but one we are yet to learn the name of. After just under 3 hours we finally saw our lunchtime destination, a little hut on the side of the river. The hut has been built for walkers to stay in overnight if needed. Seeing as we had worked ourselves quite hard we did eat our lunch before we reached the hut, overlooking the gorge and surrounding beauty. It's quite hard to believe such dramatic landscapes exist. We made our way down to the hut and Nick got to experience his first long drop toilets. Apart from that the hut was very modern and hardly look used despite being 12 years old. We then had a decision to make: head back the way we came or face a more daunting tramping track up Mt. Somers. We chose to take the more challenging path with the hope of seeing even more beautiful scenery. Luckily the suggested track is marked out with posts every couple of hundred metres so you have a general idea where you're meant to go which is handy when there isn't a clear path to follow on the ground. Saying that we did stray a couple of times from the designated path and luckily spotted other walkers to help guide us back to where we were meant to be. We did have to cross a rope bridge which only allows for one person at a time. It was suspended above a valley with a river below and although it was very daunting it was easier than I thought it would be. We then were also treated to a beautiful waterfall in the next valley we climbed down. The ascent then was very hard indeed. It was also that horrible moment when you think you've reached the top but then you come over that ridge and see you're far from finished climbing. The views were spectacular and made every step worth while. We passed an area under a carved out area rock face that had so many bright colours of rocks on show which was quite amazing to see. The hardest part of the walk was the descent down the last stretch of mountain. It was incredibly steep and very rocky with a lot of uneven ground. The worst part was we could see the carpark and no matter how often you looked up it still looked the same distance away. I found it very hard on my knees and there was lots of places I needed to hold onto Nick or a rock to step down. We would of got down a lot quicker if it wasn't for that but Nick was very understanding and we've decided to go and buy myself some Volterol cream which I used on my knees as a child to help with the next walk. It took us 8 hours in total and although at times I felt like my body couldn't do it, it was incredibly worth it and I'm just hoping over time I get fitter and these walks become easier. Czytaj więcej