tramping new zealand

I’ve seen more rain today than my entire 4.5 year zigzag across, cycletrailsaustralia.com/7b-blog/heading-west and back, cycletrailsaustralia.com/7b-blog/zzoz, the Australian continent.

It’s hammering down as I sit snug in my sleeping bag, not yet 7pm.

I could talk extensively about rain, big time rain, but there’s another preoccupation that’s sprung up today: disintegration of my footware. My you-beaut Meindls are a fair way down the process of losing both their soles.

Early on today I sensed someone was following me, unlikely due to my route and the inclement weather, and turned around a couple of times just to check. Then looking down it was clear that the front of my boot flapping was the cause of the noise. Renown, somewhat, for ingenuity on my bike with radiator hose clamps in this case I ended up pulling out a spare sock and fitting that over the boot, holding it in place.

The walking?

Well, not so far on the direct route via Totara Saddle, a magnificent walk through more pigmy Beech forest along the ridge tops, mostly, and a short burst through the snow tussock that on a clear day would have terrific views both of Mt Richmond and the Pelorus Valley on one side and over to Mt Arthur to the west on the other.

When I reached Browning Hut it was clear the other boot was self destructing in the middle of the sole. The toe was still attached but the material between the sole and the rest of the boot, generally in good condition, a plastic of some sort was seriously breaking down, basically a chemical reaction turning the interstitial layer into a grey powder.

So, it’s back to Nelson for new boots and the abandonment of this attempt at St Arnaud.

Wow, there’s a lot of water falling currently, at this rate I wouldn’t be able to cross the stream, this is flooding rain. I have my tranny, that’s a transistor radio, and find it is indeed flooding in Richmond just over the hill, up here there’s episodes of hail, sounds like a truck dumping gravel on the roof, then a purely tropical style downpour, drops would fill a cup, man that’s heavy. The thunder and lightning have been carrying on for a few hours for my night time entertainment.

What a night.