Meet Chris and Steve. These two guys took me on the most fruitful fishing trip on which I've ever been. During this time, they continued to tell me how bad of a day of fishing it was. So, for those of you out there that like to fish, come on down to southern new Zealand.
We had a beautiful (but quite early) boat ride out of Bluff harbor. Steve proceeded to navigate Northwesterly at a brisk pace to get to "three rocks" and "two tons". The prior having an appropriate name for the three rocks sticking out of the water, and the later name given by a local fisherman. This fisherman had three favorite spots to fish, they were named "half ton", "one ton" and "two tons" which was the amount of fish that he'd caught at each site. Two ton's has no land marking the area so you have to know were it is from the locals.
I did very well at "two tons." Getting the two largest catches of the day (on one line!).
Steve didn't do as well.
Still, we all went home with about 25 lbs of filleted New Zealand Blue Cod. It's pretty tasty stuff.
Feasting on the big catch of the day!The next weekend, we all went on another exiting outdoor adventure. Welcome to the the best dam tailgate camping you've ever experienced! Want to be in the middle of the great outdoors with no one else around? Want to hike along an alpine mountain ridge and into a lush forest all at the edge of your campsite? Still want to have bacon and eggs for breakfast and hors d'oeurves before your dinner? Well that's what going hunting/camping with Steve Brown is all about. Thanks Steve! A man's paradise.
This time the trip included Mark, Juliet's brother. Mark was the cook responsible for all the wonderful meals we had while tucked away from the rest of the world. You'd be surprised what this guy can do with a pressure cooker, a camping pot and brie. Thanks Mark! He also set up the tent while the rest of us got a helo ride to the top of the mountain. Way to take one for the team Mark.
Chris was the victorious hunter for this expedition. During our adventure, there were five sighted dear, and four shots fired, two of which made contact. Both were from Chris's riffle. We won't talk about the other two shots. Anyway, because of Chris and his generosity, everyone was able to go home with some venison. Thanks Chris.
While on the ridge we were visited by a native parrot called a kea. These parrots are the equivalent of a beautiful sunset of colors combined with an annoying two-year-old personality. Very curious and very loud. They don't have much fear of man and would come within three feet of us. They also had a fascination with anything new to them, including Steve's riffle.
Hiking along the ridge line was sparse, dry, and covered mostly by the local tussock grass. Very steep and we had our share of frightening slides. Thankfully, short... but still scary. But there were absolutely incredible views from the tops of the mountains. Looking out for miles without seeing a sign of civilization.
Our campsite was just to the far left of the clearing below.Hiking through the forest was difficult at times. I was very thankful for my gators (for those who don't know, these are leggings that cover the tops of your boots and the bottom of your pants). Aside from the occasional (narrow, short lived and without good head clearance) dear track, there were no trails and it was thick with vegetation and deep with mud. Still there were a few areas that it would open up just enough to let the sunlight reach through. These were beautiful scenes.
I've tried to capture a few of them for you in pictures, but they never do the scenery justice. It was an incredible weekend and will be a very memorable experience.
To see more of the hunting/camping photos click HERE.
