“On a Mish” #330 An Area That Time Forgot (Part One). Acheron Homestead. Molesworth Station. Marlborough. 5.6.2022. To watch hard work disappear before your own eyes is tough. Years of guiding and consistently going on many different missions had got my fitness to a point where I felt like I could set myself a challenging target and then head out and achieve. Staying fit and hike ready has been something that has naturally worked in with my job and spare time. All was well and I was blissfully unaware of what was around the corner in the game of life…
After my initial injury to my hip I slowly watched and felt my muscles, fitness and overall well being drift away, and I endured a couple of dark months where I almost decided that my adventure days were over. Luckily there was the lockdown!? Yes, an odd thing to say, but if it wasn’t for the lockdown in 2020 I wouldn’t have started writing these short stories. And without reliving my missions when I write them out I might not have found the mountain motivation to get myself back into the outdoors.
I now have to deal with round two of my hip saga, it turns out that pain wasn’t finished with me yet. The classic saying “everything happens for a reason” really does come into play sometimes (in the game of life), and being stuck in Christchurch has meant I have been able to spend some excellent extended time with Te Whanau.
Back in 2020 I was just getting used to life with a bad hip, however this did give me time to spend with the Whanau at the alpine village of Hanmer Springs on their annual family trip.
Deja Vu had me back in Hanmer in 2022 in a lot of pain but this time I wasn’t going to let pain paint the picture of this very special time.
The cross section of age amongst the team members sunk in when, after helping my 5 year old niece with her shoes, I turned my attention to helping my 84 year old Grandmother with hers!
Both Beffie and Bev, plus many more, were in Hanmer with me in 2020 when I was at my most injured state, and as if to show the huge difference between the two occasions, back in 2020 we watched as the chaotic BLM riots took place in America. Seeing the chaos unfold was rather unsettling viewing. On this visit we were treated to a much more positive TV experience with the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations accompanying our breakfast. The world can be a place of extreme up and downs, and I’d much rather hike up and down a trail than watch TV.
To avoid getting ‘square eyes’ from watching TV all of the time we decided to go on a mish. Our goal was to drive up and over Jacks Pass into the Clarence Valley, then follow the Tophouse Road into the huge Molesworth Station. The forecast told us to hurry, so an early-ish start was needed and, after bouncing our way over the pass we braced ourselves for an adventure into an area that time forgot…
