Christchurch to Wanaka, South Island

Tuesday 15 May

On Saturday I picked up the camper van from Christchurch and set off to discover the real New Zealand. My fist stop was Arthurs Pass, half way between Christchurch and the West coast. The pass is surrounded by mountains (nothing new about that)and on Sunday morning after consulting the local information office, I set about a 'moderate walk' up the Scotts pass, toward Avalanche Peak It took an hour of upward slog to get above the tree line, with some great views over the range of mountains, and another hour to reach the clouds which I thought was a good time to turn back as the view wouldn't be any good. On the way down I had a nasty fall, as the edge of the footpath slipped away from beneath my foot and I fell into a gully. As I grabbed the nearest branch I spun around and twisted my knee and heard a crack. Fortunately the crack was a twig that got in my way and I landed softly (thank heavens) astride two parallel branches just below the level of the path. I sat there for moment to assess the damage. My knee felt sore and I was a bit shocked but otherwise no problems. I clambered back onto the path and found all in working order but a bit sore on downward inclines. I guess I slightly sprained my knee joint as I span around.

After lunch I completed another shorter walk which had hundreds of steps but had no serious worries and later drove to Greymouth from where I booked myself onto a half day walking tour of the Franz Josef Glacier, for the next afternoon. That night the soreness of my knee became stiffness and I could hardly put my weight on my knee. For a while I was envisaging an early flight home. When dawn broke I tried the knee out properly and found it started to loosen up after I'd walked a while. I drove the 12okms to the Franz Josef village and signed up for the walk. "any medical conditions to declare?". I answered "Just a sprained knee" which then led to dire warnings of the helicopter rescue fee. I was confident and so it worked out that the more I use the knee the better it was. The walk although marred by continual heavy rain was fantastic. The equipment supplied stood up the conditions well except the boots which were leaking but, hey, it was only four hours of cold feet amidst the wondrous sight of the glacier crevasses and valley floor below.

Today, a lovely sunny day, I have driven south and inland to Wanaka, past some of the most beautiful scenery of the NZ southern alps. Tomorrow its a morning jet boat trip around the lake and then on to Queenstown, the NZ capital of extreme sports, where i won't be bungee jumping because of the knee, and any other excuses I might think of.