Kiwis go hard when it comes to hiking. I think they call it tramping and for a reason. When I think about it, the term even sounds more accurate for the Kiwi activity. I was told tramping and hiking mean the same thing, but based on Sunday’s experience, I would say tramping is a bit more intense. For me, hiking usually means traveling along a designated trail which can vary in difficulty. Of course, there can be easy hikes and hard ones, but I grew up with the mindset of sticking to the trail. If going off-trail was the plan, it was clearly specified or directly stated. If I accidentally got lost and went off-trail, it would be classified as “going off-trail.” Tramping sounds more aggressive. There is a phonetic element to the word “tramping” and it sounds similar to “stomping.” The action of stomping on rocks or through bushes sounds slightly more extreme than simply hiking through the same terrain…but maybe I’m just overanalyzing this.
Anyway, I had my first authentic experience of tramping this past weekend! On Sunday, I joined the Christchurch Tramping Club (CTC) on an “easy/moderate” trip up Mt. Guy. The CTC recommends prospective members and newcomers to start off on the easier trips in order to get a feel for how the club tramps. We met at a gas station Sunday morning and then carpooled to the trailhead. In the group, three of us were exchange students and seven were Kiwis. Not just that, but us three students were definitely the youngest by a good margin. I still didn’t know what to expect at this point, but when we arrived at the trailhead and everyone (except the exchange students) changed into boots ranging from day trip to heavy duty. A few individuals put on gaiters while others took out hiking poles. Hmm, this trip is going to be legit, I thought. What exactly does “easy/mod” mean to Kiwis? I soon found out.
Going up really wasn’t that bad. It was tough because after passing Lake Clearwater, the path took us basically straight up Mt. Guy (about 650m). Switchbacks were minimal, but I hear that’s similar to trails in the eastern part of the US. A few parts of the trail (or track as they call it in New Zealand) were steep enough to require the use of hands. However, the view at the top was awesome and made for a scenic lunch break.
The real challenge took place on the way down. Now, why would it be harder going down than up? Well, there was no track going down the mountain. And by no track, I mean not even a trace. We didn’t go back the way we came (which I was fine with), but I was kind of confused to see the Kiwis casually bush bashing (bushwacking) their way down. It was just as steep, but now you had to manage your footing on patches of loose rocks and watch out for plants like matagouri and spaniards (also called speargrass). Apparently, New Zealand may lack animals that can kill you, but the plants aren’t all friendly. Matagouri is like a briar combined with a cactus: long spikes on thin branches. The spikes aren’t poisonous, but the can easily scratch you.
More importantly, you want to avoid Spaniards as the tips of the flat, sharp spines can easily break off and lodge themselves into your skin. In my experience, the pieces were quite small, comparable to getting a splinter, but it’s still a pain to dig them out. However, that was just from light encounters with the plant. I can only imagine falling on one would be much worse.
The three of us students were clearly out of our element and basically had to be chaperoned on the descent. I thought I was going at a reasonable pace when we began the descent and everyone was within twenty feet of each other. However, one moment, I was concentrating on my footing, hearing the crunch and rustle of the people around me. The next, I look up to find two Kiwis already at the bottom while us exchange students were only a third of the way. I felt kind of bad for being so slow, but no one of them seemed to mind. Eventually, we reached the bottom and I couldn’t help but ask the locals if it was normal to go off trail like that. Nonchalantly, they replied yes. I learned if there’s not a sign that says stick to the track, then trampers are free to pick their path. That being said, they also mentioned the area wasn’t heavily hiked which was why there wasn’t a designated track for the whole loop.
On the way back to the city, we stopped at a local pub. The trip leader explained a CTC trip typically ended with a visit to a pub or café to support local businesses. Fries were ordered for the table and calculations were done to see how much was owed for gas. Overall, tramping with Kiwis was a great cultural experience and I was so glad to finally get into the mountains!
Oh, and for those of you observant people out there, yes, this trip took place three days after I got those bad blisters. Did they magically heal by Sunday? Nope. Was I going to miss out on this opportunity? No way! Luckily, an amateur combination of Band Aids, plastic anti-friction strips, and forgiving sneakers (instead of boots) more or less worked for the day. I won't say the journey was pain-free, but it sure was fun! Will I be wearing flip flops for a while? Yep.