well proud but sore i am

Okay so, i suppose this post would be better off with pictures but i dont have them ready just yet. I do be just back from my first Queenstown adventure. Went for a humoungus hike today, or as the New Zealanders call it, a tramp, or tramping or something. GOt up at 7 and got picked up and brought around 50 miles to a place called the Routhbourn Trail. ALong the way we passed over a small bridge and saw this .

Well not actually this, take away the big spire thing and the burning trees, yes thats right chalk off the first Lord of the Rings location sighting. A river actually runs through this.

Anyway i was taking a guided tour through this trail that appearnatly was first used by the Maoiri's to get to their jade and then by the Europeans to get to gold. I know this cuz we had a native guide showing us the way. His name was Tupa-tupa or something, he said it was Carl but they always change their name so to be more accepted by us Europeans so i just guessed Tupa-Tupa. UNfortunately he was not wearing his traditional dress of leaves and tattoos but was impressive none the less, appearantly you are not supposed to feed them as he got quite irate when i tried to give him a banana.

Anyhow the trek was long and arduos ( i dont care about spelling), took several hours and involved going up the side of the valley, then through the middle for a bit before heading back up the other side. Perhaps i am not explaining this very well cuz it was quite impressive. The sides were covered in temperate rain-forest and the peaks were around 2500 metres tall and some even had glaciers. Like i said i took lots of photos and will put them up tomorrow or the next day.

I was actually quite proud of myself for finishing it without any real trouble, it was 10km to the first huts and then the same back and i never really felt that i had to collapse, 14 miles up and down tough terrain is not to be sneezed at. My legs do feel a bit like jelly at the moment though. For the last hour none of us really spoke cuz we were just exhausted, well not our guide as those people live for this sort of thing but myself and the other person taking the tour, Ashka i think her name was, she was Japanese.

I wanted to get a steak dinner to celebrate when i got back but the fates conspired against me and none are readily available, its probably cuz i am just too lazy to look for them. I bought a wholemeal ciabatta loaf instead and it is quite delicious. Anyhow i will put up the pictures later and apologies to Amanda for insulting her boyfriends heritage, the 'Polish'.