Alex Hallatt 4/18/18 Alex Hallatt 4/18/18

New Zealand Diary: Rat Trapping in Lyttelton

I wrote the above soon after we arrived back in Lyttelton. But the rats got worse and the old traps didn't work. We set some Predator Free NZ traps in tunnels outside and caught only mice.

And so, this.

Alex Hallatt 4/13/18 Alex Hallatt 4/13/18

Illustrated Epistle: Tramping in New Zealand

Hiking in New Zealand With Our Dog

I discovered that Oxford Forest allows dogs, plus the tracks take you through native forest (you can see photos on a previous post) with the sound of bellbirds all around.

It had been years since I had done an overnight walk and camp and I consulted my essential tramping list to make sure I didn't forget anything:

Down sleeping bag (I HATE being cold), silk liner, mat, tent
boots, lightweight shoes, walking poles (I used to scoff at these, but they really prevent you becoming tired)
cap, raincoat, warm hat, gloves, down jacket
lightweight towel, two sets of underwear, merino t-shirt, merino long shirt, two fleeces, trousers, leggings, (maybe) shorts, Buff scarf
glasses, contact solution, ear plugs, toothbrush & paste, deodorant (longer trips), medical kit, sunscreen, insect repellent
rubber bands, headlamp (I have one that takes rechargeable AA batteries), camera, phone
matches, fork & spoon, camp cookware, plate, penknife, cooker, gas, water bottle
book, notepad and pencil/pen, cards (if I'm going to be in a hut with other people)
tea, nuts & raisins (or trail mix, if I've been organised. Not on this trip.), crackers, salami, cheese, prunes, 2 minute noodles, tuna, chocolate, ginger nuts (the only biscuit that is nearly indestructible)

It was a nice short tramp, taking just over an hour to hike to the beautiful Ryde Falls where we camped for the night. The night was cold, but starry and we wore nearly all our layers and shared a lot of red wine (part of Duncan's essential packing list) to keep warm. Billie retreated to the fleece blanket in the tent.

Billie is much improved after last month's scare. He is still walking like a drunk and did fall down a small bank on the walk but he was happy and acted like he did on the Coast to Coast, barking at us to get going if we stopped for more than 5 minutes. Which was fine as the sandflies would turn up after that. Maori legend has it that sandflies were created to keep people from being idle and it feels that way when you are tramping.

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Alex Hallatt 4/12/18 Alex Hallatt 4/12/18

Reasons to Be Cheerful: Fermenting

My friend, Jane, introduced me to my latest fermenting foray (previously, I had only tried yoghurt and alcohol).

After being inspired by Sandor Katz's "The Art of Fermentation" and coming back from my Mapua trip with a couple of cultures, the boyf tolerated the build up of various jars and crocks in the house (kombucha and sauerkraut) and kindly shouted me a ticket to a fermentation workshop, hosted by the Australian, Sharon Flynn of The Fermentary. Unfortunately, I accidentally deleted half the photos on my phone this week, so these images are grabbed from Sharon's Instagram.

I went along to the workshop thinking I would learn a little, but came away with a lot of notes and a better understanding of fermentation, including some of the things I had been doing wrong (I'm surprised my kombucha has done so well - that SCOBY is bulletproof!). I don't think I'll be attempting milk kefir again any time soon, but there are definitely a few other things on my list.