#workingholiday

Workaway是什麼 A Workawayer is: a traveller who wants to give back to the communities and places they visit. Open to helping hosts and using the experience to learn and immerse in the local culture. 官網的介紹，也就是打工換宿的一種。到一個不同地方旅行的時候，有時候可能想要待久一點，體驗當地文化，這時候就可以用workaway，省錢省住宿。 Workaway的註冊 Workawayera couple / two friends：US$ 69 per yeara single person：US$ 59 per…

一直想花時間寫這篇文章，結果又太晚寫了。 去年在Banff的時候，香港朋友說有一個Local week的時間，這個時候去幾個有名的景點只要5加！！！！！大概是每年的5月中旬左右，最好是提早電話預訂，或是直接去到Banff購買。 5 月 11 日至 18 日5 月24日至 31 日 1、班夫纜車( Banff Gondola)2、敞篷觀光( Open Top Touring)3、哥倫比亞冰原探險 (Columbia Icefield Adventure)明尼萬卡湖遊船( Lake Minnewanka Cruise) 提前購票：Pursuit Adventure Centre地址： 333 Banff Ave, Banff, AB T1L 1B1加拿大Attraction reservations can be made in advance at the Community…

Well. Here we are. Last day. I am sitting here counting the hours, everything packed waiting for an appropriate time to go to bed.

The last days were mostly about getting things done, getting rid of excess clothes (or stuff that I didn’t deem necessary to take with me), cleaning the car, washing clothes, getting a box for the bike and so on. I managed to squeeze a hike in on saturday which was nice, went to Mt. Oxford, the closest accessible peak, about 60km west of Christchurch. Oh and I went to another meditation class on thursday evening which was pretty nice (liked it more than the one on tuesday) at the local Sri Chimnoy center (he was a spiritual teacher from India, not specifically buddhist but an advocate of meditation) and just to balance it out lots of sitting around, waiting and doom scrolling.

Bit more about the hike. Well. Sorta. After I had arrived as I was getting ready there was a sudden shout (I parked next to a fence) or maybe roar coming from the other side of the fence and then some of the loudest and rudest shouting I’ve ever heard. A 50+ guy came around screaming and shouting at his son and his son’s dog. From what I gathered the dog chased the chickens away which, made really clear by the dad, were their livelyhood. He was threatening the kid that he’d shoot the dog the next time it goes after the chicken and when the mum came around to defend the son (who actually brought back the lost chickens) the dad screamed at her as well in a manner that I am not willing to share that. I truly felt for all of them, the dad has clearly had some anger management issues and while I of course don’t know the whole story I feel like there cannot be a reason to treat your wife and son in such a way…Gotta admit I was a bit scared too, tried to be invisible while putting on boots and stuff, felt like the guy could bring out a gun and shoot whoever is in his way…Was thinking about this half the time while going up the mountain..

The hike itself was nothing special, it was just nice to be outside after being stuck inside due to the rain the days before. If anything it felt really long cause the trail wasn’t steep but long and I can’t seem to find a good pace on these mellower climbs, I go super fast until I exhaust myself sooner than I should. It was a 7 km, 1000m vertical climb, for your information the ones are prefer are more like 3 maybe 4 km long 1000 vertical which means they are way steeper and I guess due to experience I can find the right pace for those way easier. The lover part of the forest was damaged by a forest fire but this timer around the whole forest was super wet which made things interesting, lots of big mud spots but at the same time burned trees around, the whole forest had an odd smell. Anyway, I made it up in 2 hours and 15ish min, the view was kinda cool, the whole Christchurch area was covered in clouds while I was above them, but also below another layer of clouds so it wasn’t actually sunny. To the west I could actually see (near Castle Hill) one of the access roads on the mountain side that I’ve climbed by bike the week before. This trail was supposedly a biking trail as well and a few weeks ago I even thought about trying it but I am glad I didn’t, maybe 40% would have been rideable and maybe 10% of that enjoyable..

It was one of those hikes where I was just happy to be outside and exercise a bit, knowing that I won’t have the chance to do it for a few days now.

Skipping ahead, yesterday I checked in at the last hostel, (the previous one had 8 bed rooms, this one has 4, and a bit more space for storing the bikebox), disassambled and packed the bike, cleaned the car, did laundry etc.

Today I returned the car to the previous owner as I wasn’t able to sell it and got a glorious 500 NZD for it (he actually gave me USD, maybe that’s easier to exchange to CAD in Canada than NZD..)..Which means that if I basically rented a car for 3 months at a daily rate of 38 NZD. A normal car costs about 80 per day and any decent campervan costs around 100 or more so I’d say that was still a pretty good deal, at least I had the chance to get some of the money back even if in the end I couldn’t actually sell it for what the car is worth. The guy (Anthony) was really nice, we had some great chats, saw his backyard and considering that he is trying to get out of the campervan business (after being in it for 25 years) he still got 15 or so cars haha. He said this was one of the worst seasons in terms of business (also a really mild summer apparently) so I am trying to come to terms with how things turned out. With finishing the trip in Christchurch and returning the car to him it definitely feels like full circle in a somewhat “poetic” way and I like that. In the afternoon I went for a walk in Christchurch cause I actually wanted to come back here for a week to walk around in the city more but the weather had other plans. Saw some nice street art so here is some of it.

Was kinda walking around to buy a cap as well since I lost mine sometime in the last 3 weeks but in the end I managed to not spend an ungodly amount of money on an overpriced cap. Maybe in Canada. That reminds me I also lost my wrist brace (back in february) and half of my riding gloves, the wind blew it out of my lap. Maybe I already mentioned that though.

I am really just throwing stuff out there but I just wanna express that I am glad that I booked this hostel for the past two nights, while the previous place was a bit more modern it almost felt like a backpacker factory, dozens of people coming and going every day, it is clearly just a business while here I the owner is at the reception and was really cool about washing my bike and storing it and so on.

I booked a taxi for tomorrow, I am bit nervous whether the bikebox will fit, (although it did fit in the taxi when I landed) and I even mentioned it in the booking that I have a box so it should be fine but I can’t help but to be nervous about it.

Another thing to be nervous about is the rideshare in Canada, it’s a private person doing that and he wants me to send him a deposit but I don’t have the canadian online banking stuff that he has and he doesn’t have revolut so I told him to give me his IBAN and i’d send him the deposit there, haven’t got a response to that so I am hoping he won’t change his mind now..

Another random bit, while walking home from the meditation class on thursday I passed by the hostel that is officially my home address (as I needed that to buy the car, it’s the hostel of Anthony) to check if I got any speeding tickets and I am happy to say that I only got one, apparently while in Wellington they caught me driving at 57 km/h while the max allowed speed was 50 km/h. It’s only 30 bucks but as I got it confirmed by Anthony (again) today, since they didn’t hand it to me the ticket personally it doesn’t count as an official handover so I don’t really have to pay it cause if I don’t and they come looking for me at my home address (which is a hostel) the owner can just tell them “i have no idea where he is, this is a hostel” …Funny that they haven’t found a way around to prevent this yet…Oh well.

So tomorrow the taxi picks me up at 3:10 AM and the flight to Brisbane is at 6:05 AM.

Landing in Brisbane at 8:00 (or something like that) and the next flight is at 10:15 AM, landing in Vancouver at 6:55 AM. It’s a 19 hour travel (the flying part), which feels short after the 40+ hours that it took to get here.

This is probably the last post here, starting a new one for Canada, here is the link to that. - https://www.tumblr.com/canadamozsombi

I am actually not sure what I am more excited about the 2nd season of my favorite star wars season airing tomorrow or going to Canada..

Obligatory song recommendation:

Nickelback - Photograph

This song (and the memes around it) is the style for the canadian blog so it seemed fitting to finish this one with it.

After spending most of Sunday in the kitchen on monday I left the campsite and headed back to Christchurch. Well, kind of, 10 min into the drive I found a cool spot with good view and decided to stop and just enjoy the view, first from the driver’s seat and a bit later I laid down in the bed and ended up actually having a nap. It. Was. Great! Felt like I got nothing to do, nowhere to rush, I could just sleep there on the side of the road with this view. That’s what I call a well spent hour (or two). There is a bit of a gap here, I am not entirely sure what I did exactly, driving, getting groceries maybe and at some point in the afternoon I got to the hostel in Christchurch. I only booked 2 nights at this spot and thank God I only booked two nights. It is probably one of the dodgiest hostel I’ve stayed at in New Zealand. Hard to describe, won’t bother, partly the people staying there, partly the kitchen-bathroom-common area that made me feel that way. BUT to say something positive, I didn’t feel this dread (that I felt at a campsite in Nelson), it was more like “yeah I don’t really like it but I am 80% certain that I won’t be stabbed or shot here so that’s fine”…Oh, also, it was really fckn cold in all the common areas as every window and door was wide open even though it was like 12-14 degrees outside and windy..Fortunately there was a small oil heater in the room where I stayed so it was pretty warm in there. Decided to go for a walk just to get out of the hostel and visit the botanical garden that was only a short walk away.

During the walk I found an enormous eucalyptus tree that was really cool and it seems like I found myself a ride from Nanaimo to Cumberland (in Canada) on the first leg of that trip. I posted it in a few ride share groups that I need a ride and someone texted me, really tight-lipped guy and I am a bit nervous about organizing 3 days around trusting a stranger to take me from A to B but I guess it’s time to take some risks. Also, I talked about this with Andrea a while ago, most of the problems that may arise while travelling around can be solved by throwing some money at it so I try to keep that in mind haha. Anyway, I am stoked to have found a ride.

On tuesday I went for a really nice hike on the southern side of Christchurch, stopped at the bottom of the gondola, went up to a ridge, hiked along the ridge, good views, grey weather, some 2nd world war anti aircraft gun emplacements (spots where they put some big guns to shoot airplanes in case the japanese or whoever tries to attack NZ).Went down on the other side of the ridge to a little town called Lyttleton. I have to say this was the 2nd town where I felt like it actually has a specific vibe and not like every other town in the country.

Walked across town, up on a different path, back to the ridge and back at the car park. The route from Lyttleton back over the ridge was called “Bridle path”, after the first settlers arrived sometime the 19th century this was the route they used to cross the mountain and get from Lyttleton to Christchurch. Props to them, it’s a steep track and their hiking gear was probably not the best..

After getting something proper to eat at the hostel (actually came up with this idea the day before while napping), I visited the local buddhist center and took part in a meditation class. Felt like I haven’t engaged in anything spiritual (besides my daily meditation) and I wanted to kinda feed my soul if you know what I mean. It was a 1,5 hour session with a short breathing meditation in the beginning, a prayer, a teacher from what seemed like a buddhist monk (in person, a kiwi woman) and then some more meditation around the topic of the class (anger, resentment). It was, well. I am glad I went, but the teaching actually triggered me a bit, she said anger is a dellusion and we gotta separate being angry at someone vs being knowing that anger is a dellison and if we are angry we can’t be happy so we should acknowledge anger as a dellison. Have I said dellusion before?…Anyway, there were some things around that which I did not agree with, it seemed like she categorized anger as an undesireable feeling and in my opinion anger is just another feeling like happiness or fear and non of them are good or bad, they are just feelings. Anyway, it was good to engage in something spiritual, found some other spots in town as well, so I may go to a few more group meditations in the next days.

There were two guys at the hostel who were I think construction workers but either they had no jobs or I am not sure, long story short they were the main source of disturbance in the hostel and for the 2nd night I got one of them as a room mate. After having talked to this guy before I knew that he wouldn’t be violent or anything he is just loud (and by the evening was a bit drunk too). Well. At some point in the evening he came in and randomly told me that he just punched someone in the face outside, someone who really deserved it. And now his hand hurts. And whether I wanna see the video where he punched the guy. I passed. So much about not being violent haha. I think, although I have no proof he was also the one who opened the window during the night and that was the point when it got really fckn cold again.(there was an asian guy in the room as well but he did not do much besides being on his phone or sleeping)

Today I had to leave that hostel (thank the maker), got a haircut from a syrian car in a trailer on the side of the street. Took a while to explain what kinda haircut I want and halfway I wasn’t sure if I won’t go for a buzz cut at the next barber I find but in the end it turned out okay. Well that was an experience!

Afterwards I picked up my bike from the shop and went for a bike ride at the local bikepark called Christchurch Adventure Park. The only good think about this bikepark was that it had a chairlift so no pedalling up. The rest, not worth mentioning. Didn’t like the trails plus I lost a glove on the chairlift, the wind blew it from my lap. Went back to look for it but I couldn’t find it. Found some other kid’s glove though haha…not my size unfortunately. Don’t get me wrong I don’t mind I tried this place, it was on my bucketlist since I knew I’d be arriving in Christchurch so it would have annoyed me forever had I not tried it.

I also got a message today from the (at this point) one and only person being interested in my car, that he just bought a van so thanks but no thanks…I am calling the previous owner tomorrow morning and hope for the best.

This really is the only thing to be solved before leaving for Canada, everything else is fixed or organized.

Obligatory song recommendation:

Elliott Brood - Write It All Down for You

Soundtrack from an iconic bike movie (don’t ask me which one though haha), it’s a fast paced folk (i think) song! Give it a go!

On thursday I finished my ride with feeling hungry for more and on friday I made sure to ride as much as possible. Without getting into the details too much I went for a big ride starting right at the lodge where I was staying, did 4 laps on some amazing natural trails and I pushed myself more than I can remember ever pushing myself physically. After the first 2 laps I had a quick lunch break at the lodge and decided to go for another two cause the trails were just too much fun. The last bit of the climb was too hard so I had to push up the bike bit it was still worth it. After the 3rd lap I thought I could still squeeze out another one and I really wanted to try the trail that the host recommended so I went for it. Man, that climb was brutal, even though I ate a sport gel after I was almost feeling dizzy from being so exhausted and I still had to make my way down the hill. The trail was great, but probably the most technical (and almost the longest) of the day and being so depleted physically it made things a bit dangerous, almost lost the front once and had to stop multiple times cause I felt my arms are gonna give in.

Well, to cut a long story short I made it down without crashing but still had a flat (well, kinda flat) trail to ride back to the lodge. At that point I am pretty sure it was the sheer desperation/hunger that made me get home, I was visualizing the precooked pasta in the fridge to give myself some energy but still had some very mellow uphill sections where I had to push the bike cause there was absolutely nothing left in the tank. Haven’t felt that tired in a long time (if ever)…It was probably the combination of the hike 2 days before and the medium size ride the previous day that made this one so exhausting although the stats were also pretty big, I climbed 1600m on friday, which is the 2nd biggest climb I’ve ever done by bike (even with the pushing included).

After lunch I regained a bit of energy, just enough to be able to wash and pack the bike (it was another muddy ride). Oh right, almost forgot, my left leg was really hurting since the morning (muscle fatigue from the hike) that riding was actually easier than walking haha.

Anyway, I spent the evening hanging out with the austrian couple, Mani and Dani, we played cards and a dice game while having some good chats and observing the larger, very loud group who arrived in the afternoon. The contrast was pretty big compared to the previous night, lots of people, the kitchen was really busy. Mani and Dani picked some mushrooms during the day and made some mushroom risotto with it which I had the privilage to try, it was great (and probably not poisonous).

I was really hoping for a good night sleep after all the sporty stuff but unfortunately it didn’t turn out that way and I woke up feeling almost as exhausted as the day before, my legs were just spaghetti, even driving was tiring haha. On saturday I had to leave the lodge and I knew I won’t be doing much. I decided to stay near Christchurch at the Banks peninsula (southeast from Christchurch). On the way I stopped for a short walk at Castle Hill, a nice area with some pretty rock formations, great bouldering and picnic spot. Next step was at the Sheffield Pie place (that I had visited about 2 weeks ago), got another delicious vegtarian pie, an apple pie (blueberry one was better) and a so called “veggie slab”. Not sure what was the intention but it looked good and I was hungry. The dough was a bit undone but the topping was great, a thick layer of pumpkin, seeds, onion and some cream cheese on the top. Still, nothing can beat the veggie pie.

Last stop was at a grocery store and from their I drove straight to the campsite where I took a much needed nap. I was almost falling asleep while driving and it felt like my whole body just wants to rest. That being said I stayed up quite late (found a good series called “Black Doves” to watch..) but today I finally woke up feeling well rested and my legs weren’t really hurting anymore. Still didn’t feel like doing anything that includes a lot of movement so I basically stayed in the kitchen (and surroundings) all day and did some organizational stuff for Canada. I must admit though it feels a bit harder to spend my time usefully/with things that I enjoy, I am feeling some boredom creeping in more and more often and while I know there are still things that I could do/see etc. I just don’t feel that fire anymore so I am not sure what I’m gonna do in Christchurch next week. I am probably go there tomorrow already (although for now I only have accommodation from wednesday so I’ll have to find some place till then) in hope of a. Getting my bike fixed (some normal regular maintainance things) b. Maybe having a bit more social life. Still trying to sell the car, prospects aren’t too bright, got one guy hopefully checking it out in the 2nd half of next week and other than that no interest. Posted it in a few more groups today, I guess I’ll have to contact the previous owner soon if nothing else comes up (he offered me to buy it back for a very very low price). I kinda accepted it that I’ll lose money on the car but I am still worried that I’d have to leave it by the side of the rode without actually selling it to someone. That is probably another thing that pulls me down a bit. Also I think I am actually a bit afraid of what’s next after getting back to Europe. Not so much about the getting a job part, (although that probably that too) but the starting over again in Hungary, I just don’t feel like doing that but I don’t feel like living somewhere else specifically either (definitely not here in NZ) but I also can’t imagine doing this travelling thing forever…So yeah, lots of uncertainties and some uncomfortable feelings..

Well, some days just aren’t so exciting and fun…It’s all part of it!

Looking forward to making a hearty salad later with some grilled cheese sandwich.

Obligatory song suggestion:

Nickelback - Savin me

I started listening to Nickelback again as the Canada part is getting closer. I am not really sure why they get so much shit, I actually like some of their more famous songs. And the memes! (FYI - They are are a canadian band).

Today I woke up not really knowing what I was gonna do, I felt like I am in a slow mood but I knew that tomorrow it’s supposed to rain and I am in this area only for two more days so I felt a bit of pressure, wasn’t sure how my knee would take a bike ride or a hike, long story short I kept postponing the decision until I left the hostel basically and even then I wasn’t sure or committed but it felt like a ride might be easier on the knee but I also wanted to just sit somewhere to take in the view. In the end I made a longer stop at the National Park sign and just sat there for 45 min while listening to a podcast. A couple gave me the idea who where apparently having brunch there (literally in the middle of nowhere) and I thought since I already had breakfast I could just sit and listen. To a podcast. Not them. Anyway that gave me exactly what I felt like needed in terms of a slow day but also fired me up for a bit of riding since the podcast was about mountain biking.

I am indecisive whether I should write a lot about the riding or not cause I know most people scroll over it (makes sense, I am not upset or anything). Let’s see, I’ll try to keep it short cause while the ride was great there is much to say about the view and the scenery as it was quite special and varied.

I stopped at a DOC campsite and straight at the beginning the trail lead through a forest section that was almost entirely burned down in a fire in December. It was really weird, smelled like burned toast, black tree stumps everywhere, ashes along the trail…Quite blood-curdling…After that I pedaled up on an access road to the bottom of a ski area where the “downhill” (more like a traverse) trail started. Oh yeah the thing about this whole Craigieburn area (where I am today and tomorrow) is that many of the trails are for hiking and biking. So, from here I took a shared trail down that was very mellow and as a hiking trail it would be stunning but it really made me push my limits not in terms of technicality but in terms of being exposed to exposure. It is a traverse track so not much elevation either way but it goes through some scree fields where I really had to squeeze my butt cheeks to not shit myself. I got off the bike really often and just pushed cause on my left side the gradient of the slope was really steep and I really felt like I am not trusting my balance skills anymore.

Well long story short, I made it down the trail with some pushing, then a bit of uphill and another trail that was super fun, fast rooty and wet on the second half. Then a bit more climbing that lead through another scorched forest part, super otherwordly feeling, with some green patches of grass popping up on the trail itself, like nature was taking the place back after being torchured. It was really an experience to pedal through this part. This climb lead to a hilltop that offered what I think is the best panoramic view in the area, 360 panorama, forests, mountains, snowy peaks, everythiiiing. It was beautiful.

In the end I am really happy that I decided to go for a ride, it was awesome, both in terms of trails, pushing my limits (just a bit) and some beatiful and not so beautiful but unique views as well, all in all it was a good day, I feel like I managed to follow my inner flow quite well.

Today I am staying at a lodge that is, as they put it “off grid” meaning the electricity is solar powered, as well as the hot water, gas cooking, only phone charging but no microwave or other kitchen appliances, wooden fire stove and a really cozy kitchen-living room area. Finally met some austrians, a couple who’s also staying here for the night, they are sitting nearby organizing their trip (I think) talking in the austrian dialect and it somehow makes me feel like home…Like I missed this. Even though I have to focus really hard to make sense of some of the things they’re saying..Most of you reading this probably know that one of the main reasons for me to leave Austria was actually the language, not being fluent, not feeling like I am fully part of society and all that and now here I am on the other side of the world feeling like home when I hear people talking german next to me..I assume one of the reasons is that I associate a lot of the positive aspects of Austria with the language that and this is a reminder of that in a sense..

Obligatory song suggestion:

John Mayer - Changing

This guy needs no introduction, this song on the other hand is not a the typical JM song, mostly piano based with a killer guitar solo at the end. I like the lyrics, it is, you guessed it, about changing! And reminds me of my time in Austria.

Today was an up and down kinda day. Both literally and metaphorically. I did a bigger hike to Avalanche peak, it was a loop starting 5 min down the road from the hostel and it ended 100m behind the hostel. I decided to get an early start to try and avoid clouds on the top as it was only supposed to be sunny a few hours in the morning, got up at 6:30 and was on the way by 8:05. An older local guy (60+) was also aiming for the same peak (we chatted a bit last night and in the morning) and we started arond the same time, lovely chap, met him near the top as he was getting there and I was heading down. He just got back like 10 min ago we chatted a bit again.

Anyway, the way up was steep, techy, roots and rocks but doable and for once I was able to pace myself properly from the start, didn’t rush into it but found a steady speed and carried it all the way with only one short stop basically. It was 2 hours and 3 min to the top, about 1100m of elevation, but the last 30 min was the most technical and scary part, I was really on my limit mainly cause there was a lot of climbing and getting around big boulders and since it was already on the ridge the “trail” was really exposed and if I haven’t told you before I am telling you now, I have a fear of heights. Still, it was great pushed me just enough to make it but didn’t feel that weakness and trembling in my arms and legs that I feel when go over the limit. Oh another thing that made things spicy was the snow and ice on the top part which made things slippery and I really had to watch my every step. Fortunately there were footprints that I could follow and they made things safer, I don’t think I would have been willing to carve my own path had the footprints not been there. I was alone on the top for like 30 min when people started arriving, one british sounding guy from the hostel, a canadian dude and some french girls (as well as other people). I overheard the canadian guy saying he is from Canada to someone else so I asked him which area and he happens to be from Vancouver island, where I am going in two weeks. I swear to you, 1 min into our conversation he was like “if you want you can stay with my mum she wouldn’t mind”…What did just happened?! 5 min ago he triggered me cause he didn’t talk and seemed arrogant (simply by not saying hi) and now he is offering me a place in Canada…So yeah. Still can’t get over it, the generosity and just how random (or not) the whole situation was…Unfortunately I won’t be around the part where they live and since I won’t have too much time on the island (outside of volunteering) I have to pass on the opportunity but still, I am just really grateful for it..In any case, we exchanged contacts and may go out for a drink in Christchurch next week.

So there is this famous bird called Kea, it is native to New Zealand, the only alpine parrot in the world. I’ve only seen them from afar when I was on the west coast and they were sitting on the rooftop of the hostel. I’ve seen many signs here that you shouldn’t feed them etc and I finally saw some from up close, like really up close. The british dude was telling me about how he saw a group of keas on the way up and not long after he headed back down this group of 6-7 keas showed up on the top. They are pretty big about the size of a rooster I’d say, have some beautiful feathers and are really cheeky, not to mention fearless. They are famous for stealing people’s belongings whether that’s a shirt or a camera and eating whatever they can. They are pretty much like seagulls just fancier in a sense and I definitely felt more foregiving with them although when they tried to eat the grip of my hiking poles I got a bit more serious. The french girls were the main victims, the keas tried to eat their shirt they put out to dry and I shit you not, the sole of one of their shoes. While it was on her foot. So yeah, sneaky lil’ buggers…I was really glad I could see these birds from so close, they do look stunning and were great entertainment while I was waiting for the clouds to pass. (I spent almost two 2 hours on the peak).

After I accepted that some parts of the view just wouldn’t clear up I headed down and only 3 min into the descent while lowering myself in between two rocks out of nowhere I felt a sudden sharp pain in my right knee..My theory is that as I spent so much time on the top all my joints and muscles got cold and I started going down with a bit haste than needed and I may have put too much weight on my cold knee joint or something..I don’t actually know, long story short it was hurting every time I tried to put weight on it so I waited a bit, tried to move it, kinda warm it up and it got better but the pain kinda haunted me the whole way down and since the descent was really steep (sometimes I literally have to ditch my hiking poles and climb down on rocks) it didn’t really help..Now I am back at the hostel, did a bit of stretching hoping that this will help, we will see..Getting up and sitting down hurts a fair bit, walking around is fine but I guess I’ll just have to see how it feels in the morning and can decide on what’s next based on that. I am a bit worried but hopefully resting it a bit should be enough..

Sometimes it be like that, up and down…Still, this hike with the view, the keas and the canadian dude was definitely top 3 hikes in New Zealand, I am just not certain which hike got knocked off from the podium since they were all memorable for some reason. Also what made it one of the best ones is that it wasn’t boiling hot, I was sweating but I actually only finished one bottle of water during the whole trip cause I just wasn’t that thirsty whereas on a normal hike day I drink 2,5 bottles (about 2,3-2,4 litres).

Obligatory song recommendation:

Sleep Token - Ascensionism

I usually have a song or two stuck in my head while hiking and this wasn’t one of them but once I got back it this song popped into my mind and the title is just way too perfect, so here it goes. A slow building modern metal song from one of my favorite bands.