Jager SA Posted September 28, 2008 Report Share Posted September 28, 2008 Arriving in Auckland at early O Clock wasn’t exactly what we wanted after a 26-hour stint on Mr Boeing 747, however, the journey wasn’t at its end, so needs must…Anyway we got our connecting flight to Christchurch, a quick hop South through the drizzle and low cloud and there we were. Next challenge was the luggage and the thunder sticks, but before that was the immigration dash to justify our presence! All signed sealed and sorted, now off to the baggage reclaim and the cops to get our temporary FACs. Let me just say the NZ Police were just superb, a shining example of how they should be. They weren’t bothered about the rifles, all they wanted to know was where we were off to and could they come along…of course you’d get that here wouldn’t you? These guys had their heads in the right place, it was a pleasure to talk to them and the whole Firearm piece was a formality. There was an amusing moment when he asked me where the rifle bolt was, “err its in the main pack officer”, “ crickey we don’t usually see that, we usually have the rifle shoved at us with the bloody bolt still in it” Well it made us smile. A few minutes later were off with everything intact, well apart from my nice new Rab sleeping bag that is, the £300 sleeping bag that was going to keep me warm and snug…F***ing baggage handlers! Needed a replacement bag double quick time or I was in the brown stuff! A quick cab ride to our RVP to get our kit sorted the guide was to pick us up 14:30. He arrives; bugger the pick up isn’t big enough, whoops! We crammed everything in with no space left for toothpick. All aboard the skylark we hopped and a speedy departure to Hanmer Springs for our first instalment. Hanmer Springs 06:00 and it was up, load the truck and out, it was a bit chilly, each breath nearly froze the nasal passages as we gulped for air. We had to chip the ice off the car and re-adjust some kit. In the distance you could see it had snowed a little on the mountains, which is a well-known Ski resort, but I forgot my bloody Snowboard. Right, off to the local café for a Kiwi breakfast…Bacon, Hash Browns, Eggs, beans and toast with a nice hot coffee to wash it down. As we exited the café the ground was still frozen and a shape of things to come! Next stop, Amuri Helicopters of Hanmer Springs to catch our ride into the mountains to look for Mr Chammy, the weather was meant to be closing in, not good news for us really. We unloaded what gear we needed, all of which had to be weighed as the chopper payload needed to be accounted for, the big brecky we all had was now part of the payload! Quick load up of the Squirrel, sort all the paperwork, last will, letter to next of kin etc! All aboard we climbed as instructed, chopper pilots don’t like people touching things they shouldn’t, so it was hands to ourselves as we sat aboard what is essentially an engine with a BIG propeller above us! It is also not a good idea to wave ones arms about, wear a hat, carry you rifle on your shoulder or go for wonder around the chopper to have a looksie…the consequences are fatal! We were told of one clever dick who decided to have a mooch and ended up having a dispute with the tail rotor, nice of him to paint the chopper I thought… I should mention the chopper was worth about a million quid so my travel insurance probably didn’t cover new for old! We were all in and the rotor blades started to turn, shaking us to pieces until the centrifuge took over, then it was a sea of noise and fumes as the engines gained speed and pressure for flight, ye hah! The same smile was on everyone’s face and it said the same thing…bloody awesome! We had a 20-25 minute flight out of civilisation into the mountains, which were heavily covered in snow (That was the little overnight snowfall) and scenery was spectacular. Now the flight wasn’t very long but yomping in it’s a 3-day walk in and out of the area we were going to. There is also no phone coverage, however, we had a Mountain radio in case of emergencies. After bobbing around in the chopper we spotted several animals mooching in the snow then running for their lives kicking up snow as we hovered over them. There were some nice Red Hinds amongst them but they weren’t staying around to say hi. We then came into the valley where our home was to be, we spotted 3 nice Stags on the face of a mountain in the snow so the pilot did a bit of a turn to have a look. It wasn’t the best of moves; unless you are used to chopper flights the sense of balance is lost and nausea kicks in, I felt like I was going to puke I wasn’t the only one either…! Anyway we were in a place called St James with the Spenser Mountains at the back of us and the Opera Range just to the South. Anne hut was our new home and was just in the bottom of the valley next to the nice full flowing Henry River…our water supply! The pilot manoeuvred the squirrel into landing position…Houston, the Squirrel has landed! Right sit tight until told otherwise, out we fall and start to unload the gear, with about 6” of white stuff to welcome us. Once we were unloaded we all huddled over the gear holding it in place before the down draft of the chopper eats my rucksack and anything else not secure. Anne hut was a typical hut of sorts, one like many others used throughout the year by Hunters, Trampers and the odd Ranger. We stowed the gear, had a brew and a chinwag and then went for a wander to look at our new surroundings. The Red circle was my destination the next day! Early bird catches the worm, or hopefully a Chamois. Up at 06:00, cup of tea and lashings of Porridge and brown sugar, the staple diet for breakfasts to come. Boots on, pack on, rifle ready and off we trott into the unknown. Looks like I went overboard with the sunbloc... We had a slow walk up the river system to the valley beyond ours; it was chilly, chillier than a chilly thing and every breath was harsh on the lungs. Not far into the walk and my blood was doing the Indy 500…I was toast! Underfoot was a bit challenging as snow always is, that coupled with water crossings and things got interesting. Now I know why the fitness was important and if I am honest I hadn’t done enough prep in that department but heart and mind would get me through. Of course the Bambi-basher didnt even get out of 3rd gear the fit f***er. The going was slow, arduous and cold (without the right kit you would be in problems) it didn’t get much better than that so it was head down and plough on. After much searching and spotting we came across fresh Chammy tracks, 3 sets to be exact so they were in the area but due to the weather things were against us. I slogged up the side of a mountain for a few hours in search of my prey, the going was tough, it was waist high with snow and every step required effort trying to prevent the snow giving way. The sun was out and it was hot but in the shade it was freezing so good clothing was a must. The mountain was steep, rocky and slippery under foot. The ground to my left dropped off a bit sharpish, and one mistake would be the last I made so it was full on concentration. I really could of done with a walking stick but you cant carry everything…the rifle now had a dual purpose! The top of the peak was in site and the chammy tracks went over the top so we made our way waist high in the white stuff. A view from above… After glassing the opposite side of the mountain we decide to head across the peak and down the shoulder in case the Chammy had gone this way. The sun was full on the side of the slope and things started to get interesting. As I pushed through the snow the whole area gave way, shite I was in for a rough ride, I started gained momentum, the rifle bouncing along beside of me, if I don’t do something drastic here I’m going over. At this point I was cacking myself, the snow had shifted creating a mini avalanche and I was on a free trip to broken bones. I hit rocks and boulders but couldn’t get a grip; it was no good the rifle had to go. With that as I went to get the rifle off me it dug into what snow was left, as it did I plunged it into the ground which was enough for me to dig in. I stopped sliding and was puffing like a train, bloody hell I thought to myself that was close! Now all this had taken seconds to happen and I only dropped a little way but it felt like an age but I new what the outcome might have been had I not stopped. This was not for the faint hearted and now I know how easy it is for accidents to happen. After a hard slog, lots of effort and endless spying we just couldn’t seem to find our quarry but that’s how it goes at the time of year we were in. The animals are less active and very elusive to the Hunter, feeding very early in the morning and then couching up out of site. We were told they even crawl into holes in the ground when things get bad. So there have it, the Chammy trip turned up zero despite our best efforts. But it was a fantastic and memorable experience all the same, I will be going back ASAP. Here is a photo of one of the little critters, which was all that could be mustered and he was a looong way off. Next instalment the Bull Thar Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest northernchris Posted September 28, 2008 Report Share Posted September 28, 2008 Cracking pics James,nice place to live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grasshopper Posted September 28, 2008 Report Share Posted September 28, 2008 Fantastic read and pics..looking forward to the next instalment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wsm Posted September 28, 2008 Report Share Posted September 28, 2008 It must have been cold for Bambi not to be wearing his shorts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jager SA Posted September 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2008 Cracking pics James,nice place to live. I would move there in a heartbeat Chris. You wouldnt believe how good the place is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jager SA Posted September 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2008 Fantastic read and pics..looking forward to the next instalment Cheers Grasshopper, took a while to get written up but I got there. Next instalment on the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jager SA Posted September 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2008 Thats got my heart poundin just from the read.... 308Panther Should of been there mate, I got the double wammy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jager SA Posted September 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2008 It must have been cold for Bambi not to be wearing his shorts Theres only one photo of him...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxing2night Posted September 28, 2008 Report Share Posted September 28, 2008 Keep them coming james,,,, Fantastic mate,,,, All the best,, Darrel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldon Posted September 28, 2008 Report Share Posted September 28, 2008 Nice write up makes me jealous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOP_PREDATOR Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Looks f**kin cold. As for living in New Zealand,grass is always greener over the fence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jager SA Posted September 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Looks f**kin cold. As for living in New Zealand,grass is always greener over the fence. It was a wee bit nippy! I guess I can only go on the 3 weeks I had their, the people I spent time with, the areas of North and South Island I visited. To be honest the stress free environment that was apparent would be worth the move in its self, that and the lack of pollution and crisp clean air. Now I drove 2000Km in a camper and not once was I stressed, I got back to the UK drove 65 miles and needed another F***ing holiday! All said I get your drift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambi-basher Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 It must have been cold for Bambi not to be wearing his shorts Shorts were in the case mate It was cold at night but once the sun got up it was quite warm. Also once you had climbed to the top in the snow you were sweating like a pig. All the best B-b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tulkyuk Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Cracking write up James, sounds as though you and BB had a fantastic time - I'm soooo jealous i may just have to book a holiday , but i think me and a mate are off to croatia first for some boar hunting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jager SA Posted September 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Cracking write up James, sounds as though you and BB had a fantastic time - I'm soooo jealous i may just have to book a holiday , but i think me and a mate are off to croatia first for some boar hunting Im going back mate so theres no excuse not to come! Croatia Boar hunting...hmm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest varmartin Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Awesome place to be James....a trip of a lifetime im sure.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jager SA Posted September 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Awesome place to be James....a trip of a lifetime im sure.. Trouble is mate its like a magnet...keeps pulling you back... It is an awesome place, a place of absolute beauty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishgun Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Trouble is mate its like a magnet...keeps pulling you back... It is an awesome place, a place of absolute beauty. one of my friends has been out to nz 8 times 4 to 5 weeks at a time .hunting on the state ground free hunting .he says the same one big magnet . well done enjoyed your read Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejg223 Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Good going eh, envy you. edi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jager SA Posted September 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2008 Now because there is only 13 replies to my review is this where I start to rant and rave about why I should bother its a waste of time, I post this and nobody is interested? Only kidding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldon Posted September 30, 2008 Report Share Posted September 30, 2008 Hey your on 10 % (replies to viewings) at the moment thats not bad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jager SA Posted September 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2008 Hey your on 10 % (replies to viewings) at the moment thats not bad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chester Posted September 30, 2008 Report Share Posted September 30, 2008 Photo's are stunning Keep them coming Chester Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sniper#1 Posted September 30, 2008 Report Share Posted September 30, 2008 nice write up mate.great photos shame ya did,nt bag a chammy but the experience must have been great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sniper#1 Posted September 30, 2008 Report Share Posted September 30, 2008 Cracking write up James, sounds as though you and BB had a fantastic time - I'm soooo jealous i may just have to book a holiday , but i think me and a mate are off to croatia first for some boar hunting hope you have more success than we had last november in croatia it was more like bored hunting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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