The View from (almost) Heaven

On Saturday I joined the Verso L'alto Catholic Tramping Club for a hike up Mt. Richardson.  I was super excited to finally get out into the snow-capped peaks I had only glimpsed from the library windows.  (Seriously, how can you work with a view like that?)



We drove to the base of the mountain and started up the track.  Fr. Clement lead the way.  The trail was quite steep in places, and the wet ground was rather slick, but the weather was beautiful for hiking.  Along the way we heard a great variety of birds, perhaps most notably the tui. A black fungus covered many of the trees, and this was a stark contrast with the pale greens of their leaves and a flowing moss that clung to their branches like cotton.  Soon we reached the snowy top of the mountain, though the weather was still warm and sunny.  With the shorter summit trees, it had the look of an enchanted corridor.  Father started throwing snowballs, but we pressed on until we came out at the very top, above the trees.


 I forgot my camera, so thanks to Becca for the pictures!  The view was breathtaking.  For a long time I just stood in the snow and stared at the snowy peaks around me, smiling into the sunshine.  I took a couple of tiny pictures with my little NZ phone--one is my new background--but mainly I just looked out over the mountains.
We waited for the rest of the group to climb up.  It was really nice, since we had a wide range of tramping skill levels.  Everyone climbed at different rates, and often people moved forward or backward within the group, so I got to chat with almost everyone who came.


 When everyone had gathered we had Mass in the snow at the top of the mountain.  It was heavenly.  Father's homily discussed the purity of the snow on the peak, and how it reflects the sun back even brighter.  In the same way, a pure heart reflects God's light.  It was a wonderful gift to celebrate in the clean air above the world.



After Mass we had lunch (doesn't food always taste better outside?), then hiked along the ridge for a bit.  Father Clement went wild throwing snowballs and singing.  I was pretty caught up in the Lord of the Rings-like scenery all around me!  Hiking through the melting snow, soon my shoes were soaked through, but everything else was so great that I didn't mind at all.  Some of the smaller mountains we hiked around reminded me a bit of the Berkshires.  I only wish I knew more of the trees and birds.  Hopefully I'll acquire that knowledge as I go along!



In short, it was a great day out for a tramp!  I'm really glad I finally got out to see those snow-capped mountains that enchant me from my window!  It was truly a blessing to spend time with the club, and I can't wait for our next outing!

The Art of Maori Bone Carving

On Saturday Alexis and I visited the Bone Dude to learn Maori bone carving.  We picked out our designs, got a quick starter tutorial, and started filing away at a little chunk of bone.  Once we had gotten it down to the right shape, we rounded the edges, then the Bone Dude helped with the finer detail.

We sanded the carving down with finer and finer sandpaper until it was smooth all around.  Then it was polished and we were done!  It was definitely enjoyable to make and the bone was pretty nice to work with, though I got a bit of a tickle in my throat from the bone dust while we were filing!

There's a lot of symbolism in Maori carving.  My design has a little bit of a fish hook, which is a sign of prosperity.  The Koru, or curl, is modeled after an unfurling fern frond, and it symbolizes new life or rebirth.  There are plenty of other symbols as well.  A whale tale symbolizes strength or protection, and a dolphin represents friendship.  A twisted design indicates eternity, and a double or triple twist is two people growing together in love or friendship.

It was definitely a little different from my soap carving last January, but I really enjoyed bone carving and wouldn't mind doing it again some time!

A Hike into the Hills

Weekend Update!  On Saturday Alexis and I caught the bus down to the Sign of the Takahe for a hike.  It was a beautiful spring day, with clear skies and a friendly breeze.  We hopped off the bus ready to go, then realized that we didn't know where we were going.  After a moment's deliberation, we struck off uphill.  I was practically bounding with excitement.  You know how much I love a good hike!  We walked for quite some time before reaching the trail head and a map.  The map showed one meandering hiking trail amid a tangle of mountain bike paths that braided their way down the mountain, all meeting in one place and interlacing as they radiated out from the start of the trail.  Five options were arrayed before us.  We chose the middle one, looking over our shoulders at every noise in an effort to avoid falling victim to speeding mountain bike tires.  However, we had nothing to fear, as we were soon assured when we came upon a set of stairs.

The views on the way up the trail were amazing.  It didn't feel like we were gaining that much elevation, but each break in the trees revealed that we were climbing higher and higher.  The trail was nice and clear, with little underbrush.  Naturally I was excited by everything I saw, and now my camera is full of pictures of trees.  But I guess that's not all that unusual!

We reached our goal, the Sign of the Kiwi, more quickly than we had expected.  Of course I insisted that we continue up Sugarloaf Reserve, which was the crest of the nearest hill and the highest point in the vicinity.  That walk was definitely more tiring than our earlier hike, mainly because there was nothing between you and the sun.  There were no trees, only tussock grasses.  All that openness paid off however, as there was nothing to get in the way of the phenomenal views at the top! 

  

The view to the South

Christchurch with the Southern Alps in the distance.

Once we were on Sugarloaf we walked around a bit to make sure we had seen all there was to see.  We felt like quite the adventurers!

A Word on Birds

On the hike back (after a brief snack) we took the flatter trail that followed the road.  It seemed to be the more frequently used way.  On the way down we couldn't help but notice how vocal the birds were!  Their songs were loud and quite pretty.  I captured one of the unique songs in the video below.  We also were excited to meet a couple of fat wood pigeons along the road.  Sunday morning I heard another bird that actually produced a pretty catchy tune, but I couldn't get my camera out before it flew off!  Perhaps in another post I'll have more to tell you about that!