Staying with a friend of mine who lived in the far reaches of Yellowstone Park about 15 years ago I watched a herd of bison cross the bottom of their garden.  I use the term garden loosely here since living on a National Park Rangers Station you don’t so much have a garden but rather just lodgings in the park.  The point of telling you this is that it was probably that point that I determined that I wanted to live a little in the wilds.

We have wild boar and goats rather than bison and it may not be a national park but the back country is spot on.  New Zealand is probably one of the few places in the world where such natural beauty is so readily available to everyone.  Where else in the developed world can you be in the wilds of countryside in 40 minutes from your capitol city?

One of the public trails close to where we live (at the bottom of our back garden) is the Rimutaka Rail Trail and it’s perfect for basset walking after a few days rain.  Nice and firm under foot with a river rest point for basset refreshment and a paddle.  Slap in the middle of the country there are big skies and views to keep you entertained as you walk.  It doesn’t matter how many times you walk this track, the countryside always seems to be changing.

The river level was high on our walk after days of rain, the water was a bit murky and the currents strong. It wasn’t a day for basset swimming.

The bassets were rather happier hanging around on the rocks like a couple of lizards. Fortnum had frightened himself when paddling and found himself rather deeper than a basset likes.  He glued himself to the rocks for safety.

He was happiest up close with MT who you can guarantee wasn’t going anywhere close to getting his feet wet.

Mason was in heaven finding lots of places he could rest his chin.

Or wedge in his nose.

Or just lay his head down for a rest.

Stopping at the river during a basset walk is a high risk strategy of course.  Getting them up off the warm rocks and trudging back up the hill is never easy.  But trudge we did and passed crowds of Wellingtonians on their bikes riding the trail and getting a taste of the country on a bright sunny day.  It’s good to see so many people making the most of the good weather and the natural surroundings.

Just like the day I saw the bison herd walking in Yellowstone Park, I look at the peaks and rivers of Kaiotoke and think wouldn’t it be a great place to live.  And it really is.