By Harriet Blundell, 12 July 2026
Succeeding a lengthy winter duration drained of all colour and plagued by rain, the sun made a long awaited return, bringing with it a vast wash of uninterrupted blue.
How better to seize such a day than accompany Tommy on his LANDSAR qualifying pursuits?
Hence, an eager carload set off on a Sunday's early hours in direction of Mount Matthews.
Trance-like we trooped through the first few dark hours, broken only to dance around the mud and to welcome a kiwi’s very special greeting.
The spell of relentless rain had left destructive river crossings in its wake, the primary casualty being the warmth and comfort of my feet.
As we laboured up the steep incline, I’m sure any envy towards Tommy and his full overnight sized pack was mutually absent from the rest of the group.
Condensed milk tubes were consumed, the tally of falls on the descent became uncountable (thanks to me), and the end was reached within the desired timeframe.
I can think of few better ways to conclude the first week of trimester two.
