Guildblog
Tag

New Zealand

Tag

Climbing Mount Doom

Today, I climbed Mount Doom. For those too boring to be familiar with Lord of the Rings, please see below: The ascent of the mountain, which is actually a volcano called Mount Ngauruhoe, starts a couple of hours into the Tongariro Crossing. Alas, I was told by my shuttle bus driver that I wou...

Continue reading ...

Views from a Mountain

I have a problem. Actually, I have a few. I have been sitting in New Plymouth (not the most rocking town in the world) since Tuesday afternoon, waiting to climb conquer the local piece of badassery - Mount Taranaki, 2600m high and the most lethal mountain in New Zealand. My problem is that New...

Continue reading ...

Mental Warfare

Today, it is way too cold to climb Mount Taranaki. Tomorrow the weather will be better. So I wait... ...and eat cake...and drink tea...and stare at Mount Taranaki. I'm getting inside its head. Psyching it out for the big day. I'm playing mind games with a mountain. This is mental warfar...

Continue reading ...

Plugging In. Charging.

Wellington. I turned up here on a whim to see Tenacious D and, a week later, I cannot leave. Every day, I wake up in time to check out of my hostel, intent on leaving the city... Every night, I check back into my hostel and vow to leave on the morrow. It is no use. I am smitten. I spend...

Continue reading ...

Forging the Emperor’s Blade

24 years ago this very day, the Great Smith in the Sky forged my own Brother in Thunder, Emperor Matthias Bunn of Murderbeers. With him, I have feasted, reveled and lifted for time immemorial. Together with my Brother in Blood, William Billiam, we carved our path through the cities of Europe and...

Continue reading ...

Grits and Shits. All Outta Both…

I don't know if this is a real thing...but I think I might be exhausted. It feels a bit like my body is shutting down; my legs aren't working properly, every part of my lower back aches for reasons I don't understand and the space between the roof of my mouth and my eyeballs feels like it is ...

Continue reading ...

Lake Wanaka

Nothing much happened today, friends. I got up, hitched a ride from Frankton to somewhere around Cromwell, and then another one from around Cromwell to Wanaka. My first ride was in a bus, would you believe it? It was being driven by a fantastic old guy, who was driving three girls from the Kiwi E...

Continue reading ...

Highway 97

Once I am out of Mossburn, I stop to catch my breath and readjust my backpack, which already weighs a ton. My knees throb and the lunacy of attempting to run 22km in this condition has dawned on me. Still, at least I have made some good distance towards Five Rivers. Casually I check my watch for...

Continue reading ...

Routeburn Day 3: To The Great Divide

I wake upon the final day of the Routeburn Track and check my clothes. They are drenched. All of them. Squishing myself back into my boots, I hit the road. I shall not be taking my time today. I shall be running, wherever possible - until I reach THE GREAT DIVIDE! In reality, the Divide is just th...

Continue reading ...

Routeburn Track Day 1: Glenorchy Walky

This is not how I imagined starting my three day hike through the glorious mountain pass of the Routeburn Track. Having hitch hiked my way from Queenstown to Glenorchy, I have been walking ever since... It is about 26km to the start of the track. I have 19km left. The day is passing too q...

Continue reading ...

World’s Highest Doombutt

OH MA GAWD! SIM BOWA MUST BE 50...60....70...134 METRES HIGH! HE CAN'T BE THINKING OF... DOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMBBBBBBUUUUUUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!! [gallery type="rectangular" ids="3197,3196,3194,3200,3199,3198,3201"] There are only 2 bungy jumps in the world higher than this one. It...was...AMAZING!...

Continue reading ...