45 almost epic adventures on the South and Stewart Islands
Epic?
That’s not heroic, extreme, Big-time Adventure, ie, climbing major mountains, rushing quickly over routes, covering vast distances in short periods of time.
Well, not here.
Ambitions are different: finding long distance tracks that offer the Little Adventure, manageable by average but reasonably fit people, without ropes or pitons, making use of huts and swingbridges.
Long distance? Yes.
Long duration? Definitely.
Epic?
Well, almost.
I’ve established a few protocols about my travel: don’t rush, it’s about the journey, not the destination; keep off the tourist tracks; and make a Moderate Effort.
Strip away all those garnishings of life from the whacky, frenetic world you occupy, where life rushes past, always plenty to do, distractions everywhere, never an empty moment.
The third trip is described in rather terse language in Brunner’s book, The Great Journey, The Journal of an Expedition to Explore the Interior of the Middle Island of New Zealand, 1846 – 1848 here’s some extracts just to give some idea the difficulties he encountered: bad weather, floods, starvation, eating his dog, Rover, it’s quite the tale.
One of the reasons some people appreciate, find fulfilment in, tramping is that pushing beyond life’s comfort zone, past our cotton wool existence of everyday routines and must dos.
The meaning of some of the New Zealand words may not be immediately apparent to foreign readers. Here’s a translation of some of the unique New Zealand vocabulary.