Wanaka

WANAKA (21st - 24th Jan)

Our 1st major diaster has occurred. I've hurt my back while cycling thru a "ford" on our way to Mount Aspiring Hut. It's a perfect day and a beautiful track thru a valley. Suddenly I can't move and am nearly crying in pain. Luckily we're only about 4 km from the car and still cycling along a dirt road rather than up the mountain. Nik gets a lift from a passing motorist to get our car and comes to pick me up. Bloody hell it hurts, I'll be far more sympathetic to patients in the future!! Everyone is so kind to me. Back at the campsite I'm allowed a free half hour in the spa pool, which helps my back but the heat and fumes makes me want to throw up!



We decide that to continue camping would not be the best idea so we throw so money at the problem and check into a fab little appartment overlooking the lake - Perfect!!

I feel better after a stint lying down and some self prescribed pain killers. The next few days continue to be fab so Nik goes off for some solo adventures while I potter around.

So I've hitched a lift back up the track so I can get the car to fetch Caity. She's done her back in cycling through a ford. I've left her with the bikes and her pain. The bloke who's giving me a lift is a real mountain goat. He's been to the top of Mount Aspiring - he was "soloing" and "summitted" on Saturday. He smells worse than I do. His car is a battered old Toyota estate with raised up suspension and larger than normal wheels - just the thing for driving up rutted, gnarly tracks like the one we're on. We're talking about his trip - but just as he slows down to negotiate the next rocky ford a red 1980 Datsun Cherry comes flying over the summit in the opposite direction splashes down into the bottom of the ford sends water flying it's been going so fast. I look at the bloke who's giving me a lift. He just stares back at me. I can't fully see the expression on his face because he's wearing reflector sunglasses. As the Datsun Cherry pulls alongside us it stops. There's four teenagers inside, all looking like they're out of Busted. Their driver just turns to us gently nodding his head saying, "Cool." I'm speechless. My driver gently nods his head in agreement, "Dudes." Then we drive off and that's it. There's a slight tinge of regret that I won't be doing that on the way back. If we only had the hire car for a few days then maybe. But it's got to last us another three and a half months. I can't help thinking what a sensitive guy I am. Caity is injured. I'm pissed off I can't play Dukes of Hazzard.