These things become difficult to update as the trip draws near the end. It’s also difficult when you decide on a whim, to increase the total driving hours to around 10 😮💨
Our original plan was to drive to Hokitika and learn about pounamu before traversing Arthur’s Pass and heading back to Christchurch, but things didn’t quite go that way. We both purchased pounamu pieces in Hokitika that we learnt could be cleansed or blessed (for want of a better term) in waters to make them more personal.
I took Nic’s to the nearby shore of the Tasman sea, filled my boots with salt water and sand and said a few words. I then told Nic that I’d like mine dunked in a mountain stream somewhere along the way.
At some point on our drive out of Hokitika, Nic was struck with a brilliant plan. What about going back to Lake Tekapo?
Something about that place speaks to me in ways I can’t fully understand yet. It’s pristine, magical, calming, yet energising. It’s where I discovered a fragment of myself, hiking up Mt John.