Hanmer Springs - 2010

I have now landed hack in Hanmer Springs where I am continuing with the training as an instructor, which is going really well. Unfortuntly ue to staffing issues I have been reduced to 3 days a week there, so I decided to get a job to fill in the other times, and managed to get position at a café/ restaurant. I'm there as a front of house/ barista (in training – because I'm really not that good at making coffees), dealing with drink and food orders from the cabinet. It’s a really awesome place to work as the owner/ manager is a very experienced chef, and there is a lot of gluten free and veggie options and all of the food is made/ baked in house and there is nothing like chips or bog standard food. All top line and beautiful.

I last posted when I got to Takaka in Golden Bay for my summer, but more has happened since then. I spent until the 25th of January at the Hang Dog camp site climbing with friends I met there, an in that time I also went on a 9 day tramp in the Kahurangi National Park. A section of that tramp was on the Heaphy Track, one of the NZ ‘Great Walks’ which was just stunning, crossing from the east coast, across a high coutry plateau, before descending slowly to the west coast. The track follows a river lined with giant native ever-greens, moving in to groves of Nikau Palms next to the rugged wind ripped Tasman Sea. After completing that 80km stint we cut inland up the Karamea River, bush bashing for 4 days to the totally isolated Roaring Lion Hut with views up the Beautiful River. We continued up the Kakapo spur on to the Peel Range ridge where we stopped after climbing 900 meters through the dense ever-changing bush. For the firt time on the tramp the weather came in and we cut the route short, dropping back in to the Peel valley, catching a ride on the back of a ute when we hit the road.

I recovered for a few days back at Hang Dog (which is the term used when a climber is working a climb and is resting on the rope in between trying moves) before I finished my holidays at a 5 day festival, also in Golden Bay, called Luminate. This topped the holiday for me as I went with a troop of friends from the campsite, and just had an incredible time. I saw the best band I have seen live there, which was awesome.

Now I have 2 weeks left of this term before I finish with Activity Hanmer, where I will go full time with the café for the easter break, then ……… onwards. Somewhere. Something. We will see…