This was an epic adventure.
We kicked off early on Friday morning and headed West from Christchurch. We all had issues getting to Reefton, but we got there by about lunchtime.
We had a few hours on the Friday afternoon, so we headed into the Waitahu River towards Montgomarie Hut. It was a very cool wee track, but unfortunately, there had been an enormous washout not far into the track, and the track was impassable.
We also had a play on some of the slippery tracks at the beginning of Big River, which were wet and extremely slippery. It is tons of fun!
We camped at the Reefton Camp Ground and prepped for the next day.
Saturday was big, Napoleon Hill, some of the best 4WDing I've ever done. It was nothing challenging, but the scenery was spectacular. We were lucky to have a mate come along in his SJ, who grew up as a kid on the station that backs onto Napoleon Hill, so he knows all the cool places to go.
Napoleon Hill is a pretty magic place. At one point, we were on a track through the beautiful native forest, but it took me a minute or two to realise that on each side, despite being surrounded by these magnificent trees, there was a steep dropping bank on both sides! We were driving along a ridge surrounded by giant, towering native trees. Then, there were the tunnels and stream beds. After significant rain, the water through here is torrential and impassable; it was hard to believe because it seemed so quiet and peaceful.
On Sunday, we packed up and left Reefton and went to Greymouth to explore Cock Eye Creek. This place was a tricky wee mission, as the track through the trees had been reduced to a quad bike track. Still, we got 5 Suzukis through there, with help from the chainsaw and ropes. It was a different kind of adventure again, slow and technical, with plenty of mud to get stuck in - I even got stuck!
There was minimal vehicle damage and lots of funny banter all weekend.
It was said once again: "How are we going to beat this trip next time?".