Christchurch is more English than England so Mark, James and I turned our back on the town and headed inland towards Arthur's Pass and the Southern Alps. We stopped for lunch in Springfield (population 300) where we found a huge pink doughnut and then took to the back roads of Rubicon Valley to find a farm offering horse trekking.
We were each given a horse (Arrow, Blade and Samson) and we set off with our guides, two dogs and some Arab riders. We crossed paddock after paddock, following the track of the TranzAlpine railway, rounded a ridge and eventually emerged overlooking the Waimakiriri River with its crystal clear, bright blue water.
We were definitely ready by then for the homemade scones and jam which magically appeared from a saddle bag along with some hot chocolate. The afternoon grew colder and we just made it back to base before the icy rain arrived.
No comments:
Post a Comment