Good morning or whatever time you are reading this. It seemed like we drove forever today, but these roads are major mountain curvy. It sure reduces your speed when you hit a roundabout every 3 miles or so. We finally ended up at the information/ranger station to figure out where we wanted to hike.
We had to go back and ask again after we (actually me) misunderstood the directions. I love LOVE the New Zealand accent, but this particular ranger talked way too fast for my Southern ears.
Picking a trail is a bit of a problem for me because I am chomping at the bit to hike some mountains, and Dennis wants a more cautious trail. That is understandable because he doesn't want to go through a knee replacement on his other knee. But then again? He has been a pretty good sport over just turning me loose to hike at my pace. Still, if I get too far ahead, I worry that he is struggling. Oh, what is a girl to do? No worries (Kiwi's favorite answer to everything) he is doing exceptionally well.
This trail was pretty fun, with lots of streams to cross.
This little bird seemed to follow me.
We are in the Nelson Lake district. The trail went downhill at first and then was along the lakeshore. It was more technically challenging, meaning you really had to place each stop for loose rocks and such. It wasn't so cardio-challenging but wasn't a cake walk either.
There were several waterfalls, and you could hear them from a distance. Don't you just love the sound of mountain streams?
The trail was pretty well marked.
And there were abundant views of the lake with the mountains in the background.
My total miles today was 8.8. I was enjoying the scenery when I went to cross over a small stream; I hit my knee on a log, hard enough to bust (burst? for you Yankees) my knee a good one. I knew it was bleeding, but hey, if you don't look, it doesn't hurt. When I got to the hotel, it took two bandaids plus some Neosporin to get it to stop bleeding. The good news is that I will live to hike another day. LOL
Our last sighting before we left Mount Roberts. Such incredible scenery.
Our beautiful abode for the night was the Alpine Lodge. We had such a good meal. I had duck confit atop mashed potatoes with baby carrots and beet sauce. I LOVE duck confit, and this was a really good one. Dennis had a Pizza Diavolo or sauce of the devil. It lived up to the devil's requirements. Very spicy. Of course, we each had a little wine to go with it.
So all is well here in New Zealand! Good night and sleep tight.
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