When I first got to Christchurch, I got terribly lost. I guess the hostel had moved after the earthquakes and not google maps had not caught up. Or something. My terrible travel/directions luck strikes again.
I caught a ride out to the trailhead where I was planning to hike out to Packhorse Hut. I got really lucky and the people in the car were just going for a drive to enjoy the scenery, so they drove me right up to the somewhat out of the way trail. I then made a ridiculous mistake and left my hiking poles in their car. Again. This time, I did not get them back. Instead, I found a nice pine branch and carved myself a walking stick after falling in the very slippery mud twice.
Packhorse Hut was lovely, the first stone hut I have encountered. There was a bit of a mouse problem, but that's par for the course now. There was also a small earthquake while I was there, but I didn't really know what was happening until it was over. I thought it was the wind shaking the hut - it was a very windy spot - but then I realized even the strongest wind wouldn't have much effect on a stone hut. Other travelers later confirmed that it had, indeed, been a quake.
I was at the hut for Anzac Day weekend, which meant that loads of people were coming through for a day hike or an overnight. On Saturday and Sunday, there were multiple people sleeping on the floor because all the beds were taken! The upside was that I had an ever-changing, ever-appreciative audience. I'd been practicing some music but put it up when an old couple came in. They'd heard though, and requested a performance. Then they told the next people on the trail, who also requested I play some tunes. And so on. People shared their food with me as payment, and it was all very jolly, not to mention delicious. I earned myself half a dozen cigarettes, 2 beers, a ginger beer, 2 tasty Anzac biscuits, some mints, crackers with cream cheese tomato and salmon, some fruit leather, 2 feijoas, 5 cherry tomatoes, an apple, 2 glasses of wine, and some pancakes. As I remember. It was a good 24 hours!
There were three guys who were at the hut for a couple of days - Josh, Jack, and Oliver. We became friends largely because they'd forgotten to bring a pot (or a cookstove, bowls, and sufficient utensils. They had one fork, knife, and spoon between them and each meal began with them calling dibs on preferred cutlery). I shared my cooking gear with them, which meant we pooled resources and shared all our meals for a couple days. Nothing for building camaraderie like shared food. Except, perhaps, frolicking around the mountains, climbing rocks, standing on clifftops in the wind, and fighting with flax sticks. They really reminded me of friends back home, nerdy and into martial arts. There was the added element of parkour, which was new. I didn't join in that - climbing up crumbling rock faces and and vaulting over boulders was enough challenge for me without cat passes and the like - but it was great fun to watch. They were high-spirited and playful and wonderfully nerdy. They'd get into excited conversations about the odd and wonderful workings of the world and then shout out gleefully, 'Physics!' I felt right at home and thoroughly enjoyed their company.
Visiting the Strothers in Lyttleton was wonderful. I arrived in town, having hitchhiked with a nice guy who'd just moved home to start his own business after spending the past couple decades teaching English in Peru, and got my standard greasy hamburger that I'd been craving in the bush. Then Justyn met me in town and we satisfied my other craving - real coffee. Civil and Naval was the coffee shop she took me to - I soon discovered it was the family's in town hang out, and it was obvious why. The coffee was delicious as were the bar snacks, the staff was fun and friendly. It also became a bar at night and Louis, the owner, made amazing mixed drinks! He looked like he was playing maracas as he danced around shaking up a drink in time to the music, which made me laugh.
I had a lot of fun hanging out with the kids. Clementine is a sweet seven year old, definitely the girlyest of the lot. We had fun putting make up together in the mornings, something I hadn't done in a while and a rare treat for both of us. Basil is a clever young lad with a great sense of his own fashion. I proudly stole his hat for several days. Ava is so smart and we bonded over a shared love of superheroes (although we didn't necessarily agree on our absolute favorite. There were strong opinions.) and Bella is blossoming into a beautiful young woman, venturing towards independence. She just shaved her hair off and is totally rockin' it. She's also now a published author, having submitted an article to an Australian feminist magazine! Pretty impressive for 15.
I didn't see too much of Matt, since he was busy working all day and rather tired at night. But he was quietly hospitable and quite funny if you pay attention. Justyn herself, of course, was wonderful to spend time with. I was actually a little nervous to rely on her hospitality because I've hadn't seen her for more than a few hours over the past several years. Since she was one of my babysitters, actually. But she was so much fun to hang out with - easy to talk to, happy to let me do my own thing or to go into town for a little outing (usually to Civil and Naval). She is honestly one of the most accepting and non-judgmental people I have met. I loved spending time with this awesome family, even if it made me miss my own rather a lot.
I caught a ride out to the trailhead where I was planning to hike out to Packhorse Hut. I got really lucky and the people in the car were just going for a drive to enjoy the scenery, so they drove me right up to the somewhat out of the way trail. I then made a ridiculous mistake and left my hiking poles in their car. Again. This time, I did not get them back. Instead, I found a nice pine branch and carved myself a walking stick after falling in the very slippery mud twice.
Packhorse Hut was lovely, the first stone hut I have encountered. There was a bit of a mouse problem, but that's par for the course now. There was also a small earthquake while I was there, but I didn't really know what was happening until it was over. I thought it was the wind shaking the hut - it was a very windy spot - but then I realized even the strongest wind wouldn't have much effect on a stone hut. Other travelers later confirmed that it had, indeed, been a quake.
I was at the hut for Anzac Day weekend, which meant that loads of people were coming through for a day hike or an overnight. On Saturday and Sunday, there were multiple people sleeping on the floor because all the beds were taken! The upside was that I had an ever-changing, ever-appreciative audience. I'd been practicing some music but put it up when an old couple came in. They'd heard though, and requested a performance. Then they told the next people on the trail, who also requested I play some tunes. And so on. People shared their food with me as payment, and it was all very jolly, not to mention delicious. I earned myself half a dozen cigarettes, 2 beers, a ginger beer, 2 tasty Anzac biscuits, some mints, crackers with cream cheese tomato and salmon, some fruit leather, 2 feijoas, 5 cherry tomatoes, an apple, 2 glasses of wine, and some pancakes. As I remember. It was a good 24 hours!
There were three guys who were at the hut for a couple of days - Josh, Jack, and Oliver. We became friends largely because they'd forgotten to bring a pot (or a cookstove, bowls, and sufficient utensils. They had one fork, knife, and spoon between them and each meal began with them calling dibs on preferred cutlery). I shared my cooking gear with them, which meant we pooled resources and shared all our meals for a couple days. Nothing for building camaraderie like shared food. Except, perhaps, frolicking around the mountains, climbing rocks, standing on clifftops in the wind, and fighting with flax sticks. They really reminded me of friends back home, nerdy and into martial arts. There was the added element of parkour, which was new. I didn't join in that - climbing up crumbling rock faces and and vaulting over boulders was enough challenge for me without cat passes and the like - but it was great fun to watch. They were high-spirited and playful and wonderfully nerdy. They'd get into excited conversations about the odd and wonderful workings of the world and then shout out gleefully, 'Physics!' I felt right at home and thoroughly enjoyed their company.
Visiting the Strothers in Lyttleton was wonderful. I arrived in town, having hitchhiked with a nice guy who'd just moved home to start his own business after spending the past couple decades teaching English in Peru, and got my standard greasy hamburger that I'd been craving in the bush. Then Justyn met me in town and we satisfied my other craving - real coffee. Civil and Naval was the coffee shop she took me to - I soon discovered it was the family's in town hang out, and it was obvious why. The coffee was delicious as were the bar snacks, the staff was fun and friendly. It also became a bar at night and Louis, the owner, made amazing mixed drinks! He looked like he was playing maracas as he danced around shaking up a drink in time to the music, which made me laugh.
I had a lot of fun hanging out with the kids. Clementine is a sweet seven year old, definitely the girlyest of the lot. We had fun putting make up together in the mornings, something I hadn't done in a while and a rare treat for both of us. Basil is a clever young lad with a great sense of his own fashion. I proudly stole his hat for several days. Ava is so smart and we bonded over a shared love of superheroes (although we didn't necessarily agree on our absolute favorite. There were strong opinions.) and Bella is blossoming into a beautiful young woman, venturing towards independence. She just shaved her hair off and is totally rockin' it. She's also now a published author, having submitted an article to an Australian feminist magazine! Pretty impressive for 15.
I didn't see too much of Matt, since he was busy working all day and rather tired at night. But he was quietly hospitable and quite funny if you pay attention. Justyn herself, of course, was wonderful to spend time with. I was actually a little nervous to rely on her hospitality because I've hadn't seen her for more than a few hours over the past several years. Since she was one of my babysitters, actually. But she was so much fun to hang out with - easy to talk to, happy to let me do my own thing or to go into town for a little outing (usually to Civil and Naval). She is honestly one of the most accepting and non-judgmental people I have met. I loved spending time with this awesome family, even if it made me miss my own rather a lot.