Feeding the Chicken
Trip Start
Sep 09, 2004
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156
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Trip End
Ongoing
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Wanaka, New Zealand
Sunday, October 16, 2005
'What?'
"You heard!'
Just got back from a short but pleasant break in Wanaka with the Chike. She's been up there for the last few days, having had some free time. It's her birthday on Tuesday, nearly twenty-two whole years since she first hatched, bless her. I knew I'd be working that night, so I went and joined her yesterday for a night and a day. I like to keep my eye on Chicken. She's my little sister and I'm thinking of adopting her to make it official. I shouted her dinner in a Mexican place called 'Amigo's' for her birthday. Superb it was too. The 'Frijoles' went down a treat though I was a bit taken aback at how Chicken suddenly became a monster with the jalapeno sauce. She's a chilli animal.
After a hearty breakfast we established our options for the day. The wind was crisply chilled and howled across the lake in a fierce and punishing manner, which kindly narrowed down the options for us. As far as kayaking out on the lake was concerned, we'd got the message. Instead we took the long, scenic drive up the Aspiring road, which winds itself round to the north-east end of Lake Wanaka towards Mount Aspiring and the tracks that lead there. Although there were plenty of clouds and the odd patter of rain, some of the scenery was spot-on. It felt great getting out in the mountains again, a feeling which kicked my arse good and proper, reminding me not to leave it so long next time. There were cows and sheep everywhere, many of them roaming free and a few of them keeled over. Then there were the newbies: loads of new born lambs wandering carelessly next to their mums, who were themselves staggering clumsily as half of the bloody afterbirth hung loosely from their sore behinds. Chicken nearly threw up as we positioned the van for a closer look.
We drove on right to the end of the line, or at least until safety dictated the end with bright yellow signs dotted around the river warning of the inevitable rising levels. So we just hung around 'the end' for a while and soaked up the atmosphere. The seclusion was wonderful.
On the way back we stopped constantly for more strange animal encounters and a brief meander at the entrance to the 'Treble Cone' ski fields (the third major one in the area), before heading back to Wanaka for a bite to eat. It was a day well worth it that left us both feeling refreshed and keen to get back out in to the mountains again. Even the drive back to Queenstown was spectacular having chosen to leave the main highway and head over the Crown Range.
So we're back, refreshed and in high spirits and I've still got another couple of days off. As always there's plenty to do around here and I've been seriously considering all the recreational options and potential adventures for the foreseeable future. Summer's on its way fast and there's so much to think about, but more on all that later - there are still details to ponder, and I'm itching to start the new hobby!
The joys of living in an adrenaline capital...
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