March 12

Lawrence

We were abandoned in the wilderness	Signs of ancient occupation

A relaxed start on a chilly morning. Stephen drove Barbara and I about 30 kilometres up the road and abandoned us in the middle of nowhere, where a rough track crossed over the Clutha Gold walking and cycling trail.

We met cyclists ...	... and wildlife
An old farm shed	All mod cons on the path

We set off through fields, passing some signs of ancient occupation. We met cyclists, all heading towards us, but no other pedestrians. The Clutha was below us to the left, a glorious colour but often hidden by trees.

Cows, sheep and a few farm sheds showed some signs of agricultural occupation. Even a kereru sat still on a branch and looked at me.

We made reasonable progress on a good surface. The sun shone enough to enable us to remove our jackets and waterproofs but it was still chilly in the shade of the trees.

There is an old suspension bridge over the main river which wasn't actually visible from the trail. We could have scrambled down a path to photograph it but decided that it was better to preserve our energy for the main walk.

We spotted a few apple trees, some appearing to be the remains of abandoned orchards, some to have originated from abandoned apple cores.

For a while we climbed reasonably steeply, giving excellent views over the river. We then descended into trees right on the river bank.

Millers Flat bridge	Stephen was awaiting

Thinking we were running late to meet Stephen, we suddenly spotted the main Millers Flat bridge on the left, rounded a corner and found him in a car park. We had walked about fifteen kilometres over variable terrain  in four hours. Not a bad effort We crossed the road, had lunch in the café and returned home.

Following our exertions, we had a quiet evening at home.