Gisborne had become too busy for us, the tens of people around was overwhelming, and so we headed out into the middle of nowhere for a weekend. Along with Tony, Stacey, Sean and Lauren we'd rented a bach in the middle of the gorge separating Gisborne from the rest of civilisation. Surrounded by nothing but countryside the only appropriate way of getting there was the Grape of Wrath in full 4x4 mode down dirt tracks. On arrival Tony and Stacy prepared a sensational roast dinner for us to enjoy and we spent the evening eating, drinking and lounging in the dodgy gas powered hot tub which Claire and Lauren managed to light with minimal shrieking and only 3rd degree burns.

We spent the next day taking in the surrounding hills with an 8 hour walk. It included menacing cows staring at us threateningly, confused sheep stuck in fences and waterfalls. Navigating the waterfalls involved some death-defying climbing using crumbling/absent hand and foot holes and hanging off aged rope that seemed to be disintegrating in front of our eyes. To celebrate surviving the walk we had a private chef (local lady) come and prepare a three course meal for us using ingredients sourced solely from her garden and animals. This was accompanied by more drinking and merriment, including several rounds of the always popular hat game.