SOLD: Beautiful Happyzine

By Clair Fones – recent graduate of the Happyzine Positive Writing Course

I’m tired, sweaty and aching, my heavy backpack is hooked up in vegetation again and I’m flailing around like a fly caught in a spider’s web. It’s getting on for dusk and we’ve been searching for a good hour to find a spot flat enough to pitch a tent. Picnic in the park it ‘ain’t, but I’m actually in the middle of one of my favourite pastimes – off-track tramping. Think big old buttress rooted beech trees, rocky subalpine ridgelines and crystal clear rushing rivers. And technically it is several picnics in the Park, because my companion and I are in the north east of Kahurangi National Park in the Nelson region of New Zealand’s South Island. Starting from the Aorere Valley, Golden Bay, we had walked the Brown Cow track to Boulder Lake, spending the night in the hut there. Next day my initiation to off-track tramping had begun baptism-by-fire style as we stepped out of the hut and straight up a steep slope. Branches with a mind of their own delighted in snagging onto my dreadlocks, frequently bringing me to a painful halt.

I soon learned that having my sleeping mat across the top of my pack was a sure way to get caught up, and that spectacles were a no go.  Several kilometers and many scratches later, after a day of predominantly ridgeline travel and magnificent views, miraculously we find a tent site. As dusk gathers we huddle round the primus with mugs of hot chocolate. A Kiwi calls. I wonder how many other people are camped out for the night in the surrounding valleys, or indeed the whole Kahurangi. Even though we are really only tickling the Parks north eastern edge compared to its overall size, I feel deliciously remote. It’s this tantalizing ‘in the middle of nowhere-ness’ that clears my head and is a balm for my soul.

Learning to use a compass and GPS is high on my list of skills to acquire, but this trip was all about learning to read the land. And there’s a tangibly seductive ‘click’ in my brain when I match what I see on the land with what I see on the map. As we puff uphill, getting slapped round the face by branches seemingly every five minutes, I pump my experienced companion for navigational know-how. He explains how it’s easier to follow a ridge up than down, the opposite for a river. With keen senses we note that the trail of goat poo in front of us charts the easiest upward course for us too. It’s not always easy though – later that afternoon I’m in tears, exhaustedly sliding down a vegetated slope which we’re supposed to be scrambling up. Bush bashing can be mentally and emotionally demanding as well as physically and when the going gets tough, it can turn into a love-hate thing for me. But somehow, pushing through the hard times seems to make the experience all the more meaningful. I seriously recommend this activity to all those inclined, however if you’re a beginner like me make sure you go with an experienced friend or join a local tramping club. Learn how to use a map, compass and GPS, take an emergency locator beacon as an extra precaution, and always tell a reliable person where you’re going and when you’re due back.

Dusk fades into darkness and it’s by torchlight that we cover the last few footfalls to the summit of Parapara Peak, the lights of Golden Bay habitation twinkling below us like land stars. I awake with the dawn to see a velvety mountain vista bathed in soft red hues. We pick out the previous days route and I am so proud that my own two feet have carried me along those very ridgelines. From my lofty vantage point I can even see my home, an acre’s oasis surrounded by green paddocks snuggled between the mountains and the sea. Making our way down the Parapara track to the road end, walking unencumbered seems unbelievably easy.

As I drift off to sleep that night, images from the past few days float before my eyes. All week I experience a sense of elation, and I feel as though part of me is still out there wandering the Kahurangi.

In pushing my own boundaries I’ve acquired new skills, had fun and got fit doing it, as my stiff muscles testify. The mental blocks that I have about ‘getting out there and doing stuff’ are slowly but surely crumbling away. I feel a shift in my consciousness towards a more positive way of thinking, an empowered feeling of can-do which spills over into other areas of my life. I can hardly wait for the next opportunity to get out there and practice the art of off-track tramping. For me this is where the magic starts – where the track ends and the serious adventure begins.

“I’m Clair, a vibrant, fun loving, self nurturing Woman of 30 years.  In 2005 I bought a one way ticket to NZ and was immediately drawn  to Golden Bay, South Island, meeting my partner Grant and his children, Ananda and Mukunda.  Many fruitful projects later I’m still here, energised and supported by a dynamic natural environment and a strong spirited community.   I love to give voice to my creativity in many ways, and right now the juiciest outlet for my buoyant spirit is spontaneous expressive  dance.   I hold a B.A Hons in Geography from the University of Wales, Lampeter, UK where I learned to write academic essays.   In Happyzine I’ve found a place where my natural writing style can bounce onto the page.“

Tags: Tramping