Harringtons track tidy up

In the darkness we arrived at the main highway at Mt White turnoff. The tail lights of the cars on the CTC trip turned for home. We turned toward Arthurs Pass. How satisfying it felt.

We decided to call into the Bealey for tea. Paddy and Rochelle came over. It was good to have a chance to say hi. Rochelle is not long back from a very hard trip to Cho Oyu in the Chinese Himalaya. She'd climbed higher than anyone in her party to 7500 m through heinous winds and cold.

After a meal we carried on to the Pass, to stay at the CMC's Kennedy Lodge. This is my preferred place to stay in the village, both for its ambiance and for the people you bump into there. This time it was young Luke, up for a climb and some quiet study time. He's at Canty U, studying and concerned about the oil depletion crisis of the coming generation. Peter Cleary arrived later for a climb on Rolle.

In the morning we drove over the Pass to Harringtons Creek (Otira K33 764 260).

We wanted to finish our new track bypassing the Fitzgerald farm. We had some work left over from May when Honora got a bad bang in the face from her loppers.

Quite a few big tree ferns parasitised by rata had come down in a storm. The tangle of rata vines makes them harder to clear with simple hand tools. That's how Honora got her bang in the mouth. But we cleared them all without problems this time.

That done we spent the rest of the day bringing the near kilometre of track up to a standard we're happy to put our names on. I hope people enjoy walking it more than going across the farm.

And I hope it encourages anyone else thinking of adopting a track. There's plenty to do out there and the best places are still unclaimed.

It was 5.00pm when we packed up and headed for home. On the way over we'd noticed that the Jacksons Tavern had reopened under new management so we thought we'd stop in there for tea.

A log fire was blazing and a cat was stretched out on the mat. We were a bit early for the kitchen to open. While we waited we took in the decor which extensively features the history of the area.

The menu is one to fit with the rustic style of the place and the ample servings leave you knowing that you've eaten. I'm sure it will be popular with the increasing numbers travelling the road to the Coast now.

I didn't get the sadness on this drive home. I'd had a satisfying weekend.

Comments

[Honora]

Hi Love
I'm back in Olgii. We had a fantastic horse trek. Unbelievable performance from horses down extremely steep screes.

I'll contact you when I get to UB tomorrow. This keyboard is crap and the connection is extremely slow!

cheers