Caving and the Coast to Coast

February was a busy month. Less than two weeks after I returned from Brisbane, we said goodbye to four of our summer staff and brought on two new ones. Four people leaving meant several goodbye dinners and special events, one of which was particularly memorable - the walk through Cave Stream Scenic Reserve.

Cave Stream is a unique spot less than an hour from Arthur's Pass that my erstwhile coworker Simon had been desperate to visit. Underneath a parking lot with a spectacular view of the mountains, its name reveals exactly what it is: a stream that runs through a cave. Despite - or perhaps because of - the constantly flowing water and several pools up to a meter deep, Cave Stream is a popular trail. I haven't spent much time underground, but Simon has, and he made a great leader. Caving is a nice alternative to hiking, as it allows everyone to make their own path - I spent much of the walk finding creative ways to keep myself out of the water by bouldering along the walls. We all got thoroughly soaked nonetheless, as we expected. Simon and Lili have moved on from Arthur's Pass now, but they are keeping a travel blog as well if you'd care for another perspective on New Zealand.

A few days later, Arthur's Pass played host to a musical performance for the first time since I've been here. Mihirangi, a recent contestant on New Zealand's Got Talent, is making her way around the country. She performed at the Bealey Hotel, about 10 minutes down the road from Arthur's Pass village. She builds her music with a loop machine, which allows her to record sounds, have the machine repeat them, and sing or add more samples over that. My interest in songwriting and composition has developed quite a bit in my spare time here, so I was intrigued by Mihirangi's unique show. You can see one of her performances here.

Early February also saw the running of the annual Coast to Coast race, a special triathlon that passes through the mountains near Arthur's Pass. The cycling portion begins at Kumara, on the west coast, and participants then run up over Goat Pass and kayak down the Waimakariri River to Christchurch. Hence the name Coast to Coast - there is a two-day and a one-day race, but all the participants travel from the Tasman to the Pacific. The nearest road to the race is Highway 73, and the nearest village to the overnight rest point is Arthur's Pass, so our shop was absolutely packed. We didn't actually see any of the race, but each racer had at least 3 or 4 support crew, and those folks love their coffee in the morning. In the first hour of Coast to Coast Saturday, we used over 20 liters of milk. If there were units for sanity, we probably went through plenty of them too.

In Cave Stream with Shine, Yanina, Phoebe, and Lili.

Before entering the cave.