kawakawa bay

The best weekend I've had so far in New Zealand was spent climbing rocks, sleeping under an overhang and roasting marshmallows with some of the coolest people around. Unfortunately I'm as far as I could possibly get from that place at the moment, but that is a whole other story that deserves a whole other entry.

To get to Kawakawa you have to walk/slight hike from Kinloch for a couple of hours (or if you're Dan, run it in one). Alex picked me up at 6pm and we got to Kinloch shortly after that. We didn't really get around to hiking until 8.30 pm, as we were too distracted eating chips, drinking beer and packing our bags. The night walk was quite nice despite the fact that I ran into two (or seven) trees along the way. For food and beverage along the walk, Alex prepared delicious chocolate and alcoholic concoctions that got us to our camp site safe and sound. After starting a fire and chatting for a bit, it was time for sleep.

Waking up was quite an experience as several unrequested birds served as alarm clocks at around 7 am. It's nice to arrive at a place at night and be surprised by its gorgeousness first thing in the morning. We were sleeping under a rock about ten meters from the lake and as I made my way to wash my face and fully wake up I saw the mist covering the water and the first rays of sun and it was just bliss.

For the rest of the weekend we climbed rocks, met other climbers, ate trail mix, enjoyed the view, collected firewood, cooked pasta, fell on rocks, and just overall had an amazing time. I thank the boys and Jess for showing me around and welcoming me with open arms. I hope to make my way back to the North Island and climb with them again.

Check out more pics at
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.855138783133.2384806.27209052&l=a6fc0606ac