Living in New Zealand you have no choice but to develop a close connection with Metvuw, the weather forecast. It’s kind of a love-hate relationship. My friends and I are always full of outdoor plans for the weekend, but then that stubborn, unreliable weather decides otherwise. It’s not easy to plan in advance and often we end up doing something totally different.
That’s what happened the other weekend.
Instead of hiking in the Mount Cook area, where there was a bad weather front coming from the South, we took the safer option of hiking the Kaikoura Range. So how to spice up a Plan B-hike? We do a PIRATE HIKE!
It is my personal opinion you’re never too old to dress up and have fun.
Our hidden treasure: Mount Fyffe in Kaikoura. We conquered this little mountain on a cloudy day. Our ships were strong and the attitudes good. With its 1602m height it gives a good view on its surroundings. Perfect for some happy pirates.
Seven tough mates gathered in the harbour, ready for departure. In front of them their steady ships, packed with enough food to survive for weeks and enough rum to – arrr no there is never enough rum.
With their compasses in the hand they sailed and sailed. It took 3 hours, fighting with the waves. The pirates weren’t fast, but they didn’t mind. They cared more about eating, drinking and shooting each other.
At a certain height a new challenge appeared. Snow started to form everywhere on their paths. But these fierce pirates weren’t afraid, they didn’t want to go home. No, they crushed the fluffy snow happily under their strong boots.
“Ahoy! I see the hut”, said one alert pirate. One by one the ships docked at the new harbour. Food and rum were on the table before you could say “Arrr”.
Half of the pirate crew didn’t survive the battle that night though. The other half were reckless and conquered the summit of Mt. Fyffe the next morning.
If your ship gets attacked before you reach the summit, take a good sip of rum and hide in the hut. Even from the hut the views on the peninsula are Arrr Arrr Arrmazing.
Mount Fyffe is an easy hike, following a 4WD track. You don’t have to be experienced to walk up this mountain. Straight to the summit will take around 4hours (8h return). If you’re not in a hurry, climb up the next day and stay the night in the hut! More concrete info on hiking Mount Fyffe, you find on the DOC-site.
Ahoy, Matey!
