...but also great memories. Especially when it is a beautiful long weekend and there are heaps of friends to share tears and laughter, puddles and mud, hills and wind, snacks and lunch and eventually roasted marshmallows with.
The hike to Packhorse hut was really hard. It was nearly 7 kilometres one way, up and down and also pretty windy. But there was a lot of mud and puddles we could jump into, sticks and rocks we could collect and we even found a sheep tail! It was 6 of us – Maty, Belinka, Anicka, Indra, Janek and myself – and our mums and one daddy and we all did so great that after 3 hours of walking we reached the historic stone hut in a nice saddle with awesome views and had a long lunch. The hike down was tough and some of us needed a little nap along the way but we did it and it was well worth it!
The next day mum and I drove all the way to Kaikoura to meet my new friends, Izzy and Phoenix, and enjoyed yet another nice walk. The Kaikoura peninsula hike was much easier and Izzy and I got to jump from rock to rock, get our shoes and feet all wet, watch seals and crabs and even go for a splash. Eventually we had to climb a big hill but when it is two of you and you challenge each other you just run up and completely forget how sore your legs were. This is all the more true when there is a playground to be enjoyed in your campground and marshmallows to be roasted over a huge beach bonfire.
On the way back home on Monday I finished off the trip with a good run on beautiful Waikuku beach. Long live long weekends filled with adventure!
Your Annie
