Hiking at Hanmer

On Sunday, after a good sleep in and big bowl of oatmeal, we headed into town for a round of mini golf before parting company and heading up into the hills. We tool the same road we had the day before for our ski trip, but this time stopped at the summit of Jack's Pass to hike up the mountain to the West of the road (I believe it is Mount Bain, from my extensive research while playing mini golf). We gobbled down a quick lunch before leaving the car and headed down the muddy trail.

Despite not being marked on any map we had seen the trail continued along the saddle we were parked in and up the ridge towards our intended destination. With no real rush or need to get anywhere in particular we wandered along the track as it wound its way between protruding greywacke spires, the newly emerging buds on the manuka, the thorny tumatakuru, and the wispy pygmy pine.

[miniature moss garden tucked safely beneath the shrubs]

[the view back to the car]

[Taramea or Wild Spaniard which is both stiffer and sharper than it looks]

[a tiny skull we found along the trail, we decided it was most likely a possum]

[walking along the ridge with the snow]

[the view from the top, well actually, it's just us]

[heading for home]