The book “Day Walks of Greater Wellington” warns “be prepared for stunning views, this is an astounding viewpoint”. It is fair to say that the less prepared, the better … due to cloud we saw little more than each other, the dirt track and roadside vegetation. However, on the bright side if we had been captivated by the “astounding” views we may have overlooked other attractions the day had to offer such as a misplaced talkie walkie, a spaceship, and of course the exceptional company.
It was a group of five led by Mike Phethean. Actually, perhaps facilitated is a better word. He graciously stepped aside for Pete to lead the way to the start of the walk in Upper Hutt and for Marc to prolong the walk to summit number 2. In fact the only thing Mike appeared to lead the group on was an unprovoked attack against South Australians. However, the groups safety was undoubtedly at the forefront of his mind when he didn’t delegate the navigation to Lisa … despite the walk being a one way track on a dirt road.
Lunch was in the shelter of roadside scrub and proved to be a gastronomical event of international representation. By far the most impressive was Marc’s French 3 course meal. Of particular cultural significance, following the cheese platter, was dessert; home made bouch de noel (Christmas loaf: sponge cake, chocolate and jam). In the spirit of team work, I selflessly aided Marc in the disposal of this heart attack risk. The only thing missing from this lunch time cuisine was a glass of vino … highlighting the cultural non-inclusiveness of the clubs no alcohol rule.
It took us about 3 hours to walk up a steady and decent incline, and then turn around and return in misty and humid weather. Despite seeing very little, this did provide us the opportunity to have profound and insightful deliberations. We chose not to take that opportunity and rambled aimlessly instead (a little like this write-up). Topics covered included: the crazy hare and hound game which involves people chasing other people blowing horns in the Lakes District; the rationale behind the size of koalas peanut size brains; and varying interpretations of a metal structure (a spaceship was the most plausible).
Overall it was a wonderful day, and as the weather cleared we even sneaked a glimpse of a view.