Pre-Harvest 2: Seaside into the Mountains (Lyttleton & Arthur's Pass)

I started Friday 2/21 in my Christchurch hostel ready to start exploring NZ's famous scenery. With more time, I would have driven down to Akaroa, a french fishing village about 90 minutes from Christchurch (per a Courtney S. suggestion), but I had a beast of a mountain to climb that day. I decided instead to drive 20 minutes down to Lyttleton, which is a small seaside harbor town, for some coffee and light breakfast. This is where I first witnessed the Kiwi kindness, as my servers got a kick out of seagulls terrorizing my breakfast and happily served me a replacement plate. The servers even brought me a loaded water/squirt gun in order to fend off any more carnivorous birds that came my way.



I hopped into the neighboring grocery store to pick up hiking ("tramping" according to Kiwis) snacks and lunch food before driving ~2 hours west into a mountainous region called Arthur's Pass. I chose a path called Avalanche Peak, which was correctly advertised as a VERY steep incline for 3+ hours to get to the summit. The hike was relentless and one of the hardest "tracks" I've done - but it was also one of the best. The 360° panoramic payoff allowed me to see almost all the way down Arthur's Pass, out to the Pacific Ocean, and even included a glimpse of the "Southern Alps" of NZ. I had to pinch myself up there, realizing that I was in New Zealand, on top of a mountain, looking at snow-capped peaks. After 30 minutes, I scrambled back down the mountain, popped into a cafe for a beer and watched the 3rd period & overtime of USA/CAN. Pretty on brand, eh? 










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