Otari-Wilton's Bush

Chris is leading a walk in the Otari-Wilton's Bush, so Owen and I came along as he did the walk to test out how long it would be.

Part of the walk takes you through a graveyard. And one of the graves belongs to a man who was on the Shackleton expedition: Harry McNish. 

McNish was the carpenter. He had a cat that unfortunately had to be put down after the ship broke up in the ice.

There were some more surprises in store during the walk. A warning was painted on this low hanging branch. Owen commented that despite the warning, you were more likely to be looking down while passing by and would hit your head anyways. We thought that a streamer should also be hung to help preserve heads.

When we reached the pine forest, Chris told us about the time that he saw the ground move in a similar pine forest. Apparently it had been so windy and the pine trees were swaying so much that their roots were lifting the ground.

 Along the way I finally learned what a stinging nettle looked like. Luckily I didn't learn the hard way.

It really was a great day for a walk. I keep packing my raincoat just in case, but it always seems to stay pretty sunny when I go out hiking. I hope my luck continues.