On Tuesday morning Nicky MacArthur, the well connected and well travelled owner of 3000 hectares of mountain wilderness, collected us and 2 Americans in their late 60's-Charlie and Sheila Perrin, from West Chester County north of New York city, and drove us up the mountain to the start of a 3 day walking experience in the Kaikoura mountains.
Led by Bruce, a Staffie terrier crossed with a Rhodesian Ridgeback, accompanied by his owner (Nicky's son Sam) we then walked in hot sunshine to a picnic spot a couple of hours up the mountain. After lunch we moved on, climbing ever higher and getting ever sweatier. Now and then Bruce -always well in the lead-would look back at us with a superior expression as if wondering why an animal such as Man, so ill adjusted to walking up hill, had been created.
When Sam suggested we cool off in a mountain stream I rejected the idea at first because I had no swimming costume, but then the water was so appealing that I decided to take the plunge in T-shirt and my M&S knickers. At first the other three looked on doubtfully as Sam and I waded in but then they stripped off as well. Standing in the mountain pool in his Calvin Kleins, 68 year old Charlie, Chairman of Save The Children International, declared 'This is a first!'
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