Eight weeks of Action and a Fortnight of Fun - part 1

After a long tramp its nice to relax the following weekend. Amys form of relaxation is slightly different from mine and so the weekend after heading up the Huxley Amy took part in the inaugural Lake Hood race. This consisted of a 24km mountain bike route along the Ashburton river followed by a 6km run around the lake. A few other people we knew were also taking part and Amy just wanted to finish in a respectable time. As it was, 1 hour 30 minutes was quick enough to come in as 3rd female and top in her age bracket. After another weeks work we had a great weekend in the "French" enclave of Akaroa with a few friends, staying in a batch in the centre of town. The weather was stinkingly warm, the hottest of the summer, and so perfect for some frisbee, swimming, drinking and of course some petanque. The weekend was topped of by a meal at The Little Bistro, a fantastic restaurant about which not enough could be said.

Throughout the summer a work team has been playing in the local social touch rugby league, the mighty Vetlife Vipers. Despite 5 of the team never having played before we managed to make the finals after drawing the semi 2-2. There was always a good turn out which meant that we had plenty of rolling subs, it is a surprisingly fast game, and our two Richards ensured we always scored a few tries. We did lose in the final to a much younger and fitter team but we got a mention after for our excellent support of the bar. We kept up that tradition after the last match which unfortunately meant that I could only face getting out of bed at around 4pm the following day, having it off after working the previous weekend. That weekend Amy had organised an end of season get together which involved some paintball followed by a BBQ. Everyone had a great time at paintball with most having a few war wounds (bruises) to show for their efforts and the food afterwards went down a treat. The rugby was not quite over as the following Saturday was the South Island Force Back competition. This is a kicking a catching game involving 4 people on the field at any one time. It was good fun although we were not that good. This did mean though that we were already out of the competition by the time the freezing wind and rain arrived at the showground and so we all took shelter and started on the beers early.

You will have noticed a distinct lack of fishing in this post. It was about time I dusted the fly rod off and got into some trout. I had had a few evenings on the river and caught a few fish but was looking forwards to 5 days on the water in a new part of the countryside, Amy being up in the North Island on a mastitis course. Checking the weather I decided that the west coast was the best place to head, with a couple of well known rivers offering a good supply of reasonable sized fish in great locations. I was not to be disappointed. After spending the night at Klondyke Corner I started fishing about 11am the following day and my 2nd "practice" cast saw the indicator take an obliging dip and a 2lb rainbow quickly landed. Another couple of cast and I was into a big brown. 20 minutes later, having followed him downstream a couple of hundred meters the line went slack as he broke free. Very annoying especially as he was probably the biggest fish of the trip by far. 5 other small rainbows came to the net that day before I headed inland having called ahead for permission to fish through some farmland and stay at their hut. The hut was great, no luxuries but very comfortable and I could drive to the door (though I did nearly get stuck again). The scenery was fantastic though the big fish were elusive on this well fished river. The further into the season the more fisherman the fish have been exposed to and so the more cautious and spooky they are. My spotting skills also leave a lot to be desired, especially in the larger rivers, and so I could easily have passed by hundreds of fish! As it was I got a couple each day but all around the 2lb mark. The final 2 days were spent on a river on the way back home and I was pleased to have chosen it. Getting there took a while and so I did not have that long on the water on Saturday but did land the biggest brown of the trip. Nothing amazing at 4.5lb but a fit and nice looking jack that was very satisfying. On the final morning another 3 between 3-3.5lb were landed and so I drove home happy after an enjoyable and reasonably successful trip. Coming back over Arthurs Pass provided the last bit of entertainment as on reaching the top and stopping at the viewpoint all of Gordons coolant decided to empty out onto the road. After letting him cool and topping things up with water however we both made it home in one piece.

Quake

After the September earthquake it had taken quite a while for the aftershocks to settle down but, having missed out on the bigger Boxing Day aftershock, we had not felt anything for several months. When we felt the tremor at work in the day everyone thought it was a little bigger but none of us could have guessed the little shake we felt in Ashburton could have caused so much destruction and loss of life in Christchurch where the epicenter was focused. The CBD was effectively destroyed, not even the cathedral was spared. Rocks were dislodged from the Port Hills and sent tumbling down onto houses below.

In Ashburton, pretty much unaffected, people started panic buying with bread, milk and fuel running out for several afternoons until they realised that there was no issue with supply. Accommodation was being offered by those with space and emergency shelters were set up in churches and other centres for the displaced. At the same time life went on with the normal run of sick animals and the more routine surgeries and vaccinations. It is going to take a long time for the city, the capital of the South Island, to recover from this.