
Sunset from Auckland airport.

Sunset from Auckland airport.

I kept worrying we weren’t making enough noise and that bears would come and get us. Then I remembered that it was alright, there was nothing but the deadly poisonous snakes. And they’re nowhere near so good at climbing trees as the bears.


The next day it stopped raining and all the Stumpy Tailed lizards (a.k.a. Shinglebacks) came out to play in the sun.

And so we climbed a long climb, which was all good until on the second pitch Pete started complaining about how it was difficult to think over the noise of the bees. Then he realised there was a beehive a metre from his head, so he rapidly chose another course. It’s generally unpleasant coming up against creepy crawlies on a cliff face – you invariably have very few escape options available to you.