Middle Earth vibes

We started early in the morning driving to Christchurch, where we met two friends of mine. We walked the Te Araroa together and the whole group keeps in touch. I finally got my Schorle glass back, which I forgot last time. I was really happy to see them again and I enjoyed their energy.

Castle Hill: Driving into the mountains is already an adventure with all the different shapes. We visited an area with huge limestone formations scattered in the valley. Formed underwater long ago and shaped by the weather into smooth rocks. Some rocks reminded me of the Kauri tree bark. A magical place and a paradise for climbers.

Cave Stream: Further up the road we stopped for another fascinating river that digged its way through the limestone and created a cave, which you can actually climb through. We went to the entrances, but didn't enter, because we didn't have proper equipment and it was a difficult trail with climbing in between.

Rakaia River: We drove a gravel road to lake Coleridge, which was shining in a bright blue due to the glacier silk. A beautiful landscape going down into the Rakaia Valley. Where I crossed it 2 years ago, it is a 5 km wide river bed, but to cross it by car, we drove further down to the Rakaia gorge, where it is only 100m wide with a strong current. Many people were having a break there and the parking was limited, so we already parked at the edge of the entrance. One off-road vehicle with a long camper had to drive all the way backwards out of there, because there was no place to park or to turn.

Mt Sunday / Edoras: One of the most beautiful movie set locations in my opinion. This little hill in this wide valley and the tall mountains with snow covered peaks further up looks stunning. Going up was quite tough, because we were blown over by the wind and we could barely stand. We found a half sheltered spot on the top and I could lean into the wind without falling. On the way back we stopped at the Mt Potts Lodge, where it said it was closed, but we drove up the drive way, because we could have booked online. Right when we arrived a woman came back and she told us she can prepare a bunk bed room for us. We were so thankful and appreciated the unexpected accommodation. We had really delicious burgers aswell. We enjoyed the last sunlight near Mt Sunday, which engulfed the valley into a peaceful athmosphere.En savoir plus