(No, David, not what you’re imagining.)

I’m reverting to NZ/OZ terminology – never call it a “hike” or a “trail”, always a “tramp.”

As predicted, the weather today was influenced by Cyclone Pam who passed close to the northern part of the North Island.  Even though we’re midway down the South Island, there was still some fallout here today.

Since the weather wasn’t going to be so good, we decided to do a morning hike just to get some exercise.  We picked the 3-hour “Sealys Tarns Tramp” – the description said some uphills and climbing but we figured after 2 days in the car, it would be good for us.  Well, it turned out to be straight uphill, all the way.  Even worse, they’d built steps for 90% of it, so we climbed up 2200 steps (yes, someone has counted them, which we found out AFTER we got back!) It was absolutely exhausting.  I spent the trip up thinking of Blog headlines, and wondering how many swearwords could be incorporated.

Of course once we got to the top, all was forgotten.  Bummed that we had no view but we knew that starting out.  The way down was SO much easier and we started getting some views halfway down.  At the bottom, we felt like new people and headed back to the motel for lunch.

After some refueling, we decided to head out again on what promised to be a flat hike – Hooker Valley Tramp, across to Hooker Glacier Lake.  3 hours round trip.  We were both feeling the morning though and, I confess with shame, we turned around after about an hour, so never made it to the lake.  Not sure how much we would have seen anyway since by the end of the afternoon, the cloud cover was very low.  And now we’re back in our room in the middle of a very windy rainstorm (thanks, Pam!) so good idea to turn around after all!

My English blood came to the rescue today. Even though it was grey, cool, misty, I like the atmosphere of that kind of weather.  Peter finds it “depressing” – and that from a Dutchman!