Hanmer Springs

Hey everybody! We've made it to Hanmer springs which is about 100 km or so north of Christchurch. The place is supposed to have some killer (read: good in NorthernCal) hot pools which rival those on the north island. I'm slacking big time on posting stuff for the blog from my last South Island excursion, but if it is going to be done it should be done right, and it will take me hours to rummage through all my pictures. So I'll make this one a summary of what's happened for now.



My South Island trip was one of the best climbing trips in years. Somehow along the way I earned the nickname Ost, or cheese in Norwegian, but that might partially date back to the last trip. We spent a full week pulling on the thuggish sport routes of Payne's ford and Pohara. Life was pretty rough. Our lives consisted of Climbing, Eating, Swimming and Sleeping. It was the responsibility of everyone to order these in descending order of preference, which proved to be quite a task. We stayed at the Hangdog's Climber's camp which is probably the best pay campsite I've ever had the pleasure of staying at. It cost 5$ a day, they had a "today's gravity" meter, some clever poetry, the best swimming holes I've ever seen with a boulder problem over water, and much more. None of us wanted to leave, as we had plans further south. While there, each of us did some pretty great climbing, and I would wager some of the coolest each of us have ever had.

Then it was over to the west coast for a couple of days, where we climbed on the wave ravaged cliffs of Charleston. We finished up in Wanaka and Queenstown pulling on schist, which I've found in the States is usually pretty crappy rock, but here was actually quite solid (you can't take it for granite *badoo-tshhh!*). We climbed everything from the thin sport routes of "the diamond" (not to be confused with the larger one in Colorado) to some tall slab climbs in the remarkable (they were) and the huge roofs and cool arete's of Wye creek. We ended up camping in a pretty sweet spot on our last night, right on the shore of one of the many stunning lakes in this area.

Then it was off to Auckland for me to meet my Aunt Flora and Uncle Bill. Packing up my things at my flat was pretty uneventful, but then it was off to the South Island once again after they arrived and got sorted. I gave a bit of a synopsis about the few days we've spent on the north island. After Wellington, we spent a couple of absolutely awesome days in Able Tasman National Park. Yesterday took the cake, as my relatives (one of whom is a technically a senior citizen!) hiked over 20 km linking the inland and coastal tracks into one big loop. Most people take 2 days to do this. I had been wondering why this park was so popular, and the golden beaches and great vistas did not disappoint. It has a kind of Mediterranean climate mixed with tropical ocean color that makes it most impressive.

We drove over Lewis Pass and gaped at some of the mountain scenery, taking our sweet time at some of the pullouts. We'll spend a day or 2 here in Hanmer, and then we'll figure out where too next. That's all for now. When I get to a better computer I'll post some pics, I owe it to my travel companions and anybody else who's followed my travels thus far. It's a bummer my stay in NZ is almost over, but it's been a great ride and I suppose it isn't going anyplace. Life is good! Kia Ora.