Katie and I drove South through the rain from our campsite at Nelson Lakes. The weather improved as we drove and by Springs Junction it was warm and sunny. We decided to make the most of the weather and headed to Rahu Saddle, a short way along the road to Reefton. We packed for an over night trip and walked up the Klondyke Valley track for a couple of hours to the lake at the head of the valley. The temperature dropped as we climbed and it was a bit chilly as we cooked dinner in the evening. The ground was very spongy near the lake but we found one flat dry spot to camp under beach trees on the edge.
It rained in the night but cleared again by the morning. The tops were covered in mist as we got up. We headed back down the valley and drove back towards Christchurch, stopping in Amberly for café bits and pieces. I then met Gina, Jeremy, and Craig there and went four wheel driving for a few hours which turned out to be surprisingly fun.
Above left: We walked up a valley close to a river in nice green bush. Above right: There was a lake at the head of the valley and we camped there.
Above left: Most of the ground surrounding the lake was soft and squishy but we found a dry spot under beach trees near the edge of the lake. We pitched the tent and I presented it for all to see. All being Katie. Above right: The bush looked just as nice and green on the way back out the next morning. It was much quicker on the way out being downhill the whole way.
