A few days ago, I was talking to my roommate about nearby places to hike. He said that him and a few friends were going to try the Crater Rim Walkway (about 6.5 miles) on Thursday and invited me to come along. Around 10am on Thursday, we meet in outside the apartment buildings then took the bus to Cashmere, Christchurch. A few minutes from the bus stop we found blackberry bushes with ripe berries!!! I was so excited and now I want to go back with a container to pick more than a handful :)
The hike itself was amazing. It wasn’t too difficult and the trail winded through a variety of terrain. From hillsides of golden grass to patches of dark green conifers to yellow wildflowers and bright green bushes, the change of scenery kept things interesting. It was also nice to bounce between sun, wind, and shade. Our goal was to take the trail into the small town of Lyttelton. As we started our final descent, the path widened to maybe four or five feet. We were nearly there, and a few of us (myself included) casually jogged down the pathway. At one point, something barked at us from the other side of a fence. One guy stopped to inspect the noise. I kept going until I reached the end of the path where I waited for the rest of the group. The remaining group members trickled in and I was surprised to find an additional member trotting besides the last to people. It turns out there was a dog hidden in the bushes which ended up following us. One person got out a sandwich container and poured the dog some water while another looked at the dog’s collar. The address had the same name as the path we were on, so we figured the owner must be close. The path became a road, switching from dirt to pavement, and we looked for the right house.
Fortunately, we came across a young woman who said the dog (Bowie) belonged to her parents and pointed the house out to us. The mother was outside and told that she hadn’t even noticed her dog was missing. Not only that, she also said this sort of thing happens a lot because Bowie follows animals up the trail and then forgets how to get home. It was a little weird, but we were all glad Bowie was home.
Having accomplished our good deed for the day, we hungrily wandered through Lyttelton in search of food. Most of the group chose a restaurant serving fish and chips / Chinese food, but I was craving something cold and fruity. The local grocery store was the perfect place. Grapes and cold water really hit the spot. We ate in a little park with the company of seagulls (as usual) and took the bus back to campus.
Tired but happy, I plopped down in my room to remove my boots. Unfortunately, my hiking boots had not been as comfortable as I thought they would be. My heels got kind of torn up and I came out with blisters the size of quarters. However, it’s hard to complain since I got to go on such a great adventure: the views, the people, and the feeling of accomplishment definitely made the pain worth it. Looking back, not a bad day at all.
Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day!