Should’ve remembered that when the New Zealanders say Long, they mean LOOOOOONG! Everyone’s courses were very tough today, lots of big hills and thick scratchy forest mapped as white (we would map it as mid green).  We were on farmland about 30 kms south of Oamaru, up on a hilltop which would have been very bleak had it been raining or windy. As it was, this morning’s thick cloud was breaking up by the time we positioned ourselves with a view of the (uphill) finish chute, and the sun shone merrily.

My assignment today was 2.5 km, the longest course for the week.  I expected a nice easy walk following farm tracks that would undulate across open paddocks; I had no  idea how long it would take but at best I thought about 45 minutes; at worst, double that.  The walk to the start was pretty indicative, with the open ground badly chopped up by things with hoofs, and the gullies dropping steeply into dense pine forest.  Through the start procedure, and off down a gently sloped grassy spur, looking for a control on the forest edge. So far so good.

No 2 was a short distance away … straight down three almost vertical contours.  I gazed sadly down the slope, gripped my walking pole firmly, gritted my teeth, and picked my way down, glad of the pine trees to grasp onto.  The control was right next to a muddy little stream, which I then had to cross, then creep along the edge of amongst tree roots and potentially stingy things (you don’t touch anything in NZ if you can avoid it, in case its ongaonga or any of the other myriad evil plants lurking in the forest). Back over the stream, through a low fence, up a gully, then straight up – another vertical slope. I zigzagged my way up slowly, wondering if I was going to end up on hands and knees.

Finally breaking back out into the open, and realising that my time was going to be on the worse end of my estimates, I pressed on.  Now I was following fences and vegetation boundaries, dipping into the pine forest occasionally.  The navigation was simple enough, although you did have to read the map, but I was rarely on a track, instead relying on handrail features.

It was quite tough for an Easy course.  I had several fences to climb, as well as big rolling hills.  By the time I got back, after 65 minutes, I was weary. So was everyone else, with winning times generally 15 minutes or more over the estimates.  They breed ’em tough in NZ.  Pete spent large amounts of time thrashing around in thick scratchy gullies, and Ilze’s “moderate” course was anything but.  Happy to report that I was not the slowest on mine, with a couple of names appearing under me in the results.  Luckily back home, the restorative effects of pear and ginger cake, milo, and a nice warm fire, are starting to work.  Tomorrow – rinse, repeat.