Day 2 at Hanmer Springs and I get a sore arse

Our site at Hanmer Springs Top10

 

Blossoms are still doing their very lovely thing down here. This tree is in the side street next to the camp.

This view must be spectacular in the winter when those mountains are covered in snow. Pretty impressive even now.

After breakfast on Tuesday at Fire and Ice (had to see if it was as good at breakfast as it was for lunch the previous day - no, not really) we went for a walk in the Hanmer Forest - it is an exotic forest, very few NZ native trees, so it looks quite strange - exotic, I guess. Lots of larch and very tall straight things (trees, they are called ...) and very little undergrowth - very different from NZ bush, that is for sure.

Anyway, we entered the forest on a downhill path that was signposted as being NO to bikes. But what do I spy on the track? A skidding bike tyre mark. My sense of being grumpy kicks in about people who don't think the rules apply to them and I tell David that we are going to spread out across the track so that if someone tries to cycle past us I can give them a piece of my mind... Actually I was more likely to be polite but firm, rather  than passive aggressive.

Anyway, I didn't get the chance - as we walked down the slope and around a corner, my feet slid out from under me on the gravel and I landed very hard on my bum and on my hands that I put out to protect my spine. Ow Ow Ow!!! I sat for a few seconds before getting David to help me to my feet. Amazing how I felt like crying - even though it was painful, it wasn't the worst fall I've had. But not only did it make me tearful, I felt really grumpy - not about the cyclists (non existent) but about falling over.

Even though I had fallen over, I still wanted to go for a walk - I think I knew that I had to keep the muscles and spine moving. So down the path we went and over the bridge.

 

We were aiming for the Sculpture Walk, a circular track with sculptures in the trees - surprising that they call it after what it is really, isn't it? We found the photo of a dog sculpture on a post and started looking for the actual dog sculpture, but could not see it. So I kept walking, grumbling in a bad tempered way, and then a couple of hundred yards further on I saw another post with the dog photo. Aha, I thought, that's the signage that is meant to tell me that this is the way to the Sculpture Walk. Not totally obvious, and my bum was still sore. David had stopped and was rootling about trying to find said dog back at the first sign, so I phoned him and he wasn't happy that I was impatient (but I'm not, he has told me so and I have written it down in a blogpost somewhere). So in a very patient way, I hung up on him and walked off on my own, going the opposite way to the signposted way - that'll show him, I thought! Did you know what a grown up I am?

The first sculpture I came to

Three mice?

Squirrels?

Anyway, eventually he rang back after about 5 minutes and I didn't answer because I was still being very grown-up and sulky at the same time. So he texted to say he was going back to the motorhome and I texted to say I was walking clockwise around the track. 

 

A bear in climbing gear - que??

A bloody possum ...

None of the sculptures were of NZ animals - not surprising, I suppose given it is a forest of exotics. But a possum!!! AAARRRGGGHHH!!!

And then I got halfway around and thought I didn't want to do the rest, so I exited the forest on a track that pointed to the main entrance. 

And at the main entrance there was the dog that was in the photos at the other entrance to the walk - shame they didn't put a written sign that said 'Follow the dog signs'...

 

So I walked back to Hanmer village on the road way.

While I was on my way back, David texted to say he was waiting for me at the beginning of the Sculpture Walk and I texted back to say I was out of the forest and walking back to the motorhome, and I would meet him on the corner of two streets. Then he texted to say he'd taken a wrong turn and was a bit lost. So I sent him a pin from where we entered the forest, not far from where I got a very sore bum, and he made his way back. I stopped sulking, apologised for being grumpy, and gave him a hug and we walked to the small supermarket, and because my back and neck were sore, as well as my bum being very painful, he carried the three bags of groceries. 

On the way back, we stopped at a physiotherapist rooms that I had seen previously - of course, Ann would say it was meant to be that the physio was there when I needed her**. I just say that it was my very good luck that it was her day to work (she only does two days a week there), and that she had a spare appointment for me that afternoon. While I waited back at the motorhome, I took turmeric capsules and had a lie down. 

**It being meant to be means that I was meant to fall over too - and I am sure that's not right!!

The physio session made a big difference - she did a lot of massage all up and down my spine, and into my glutes - that particular massage was painful, but I knew it was helping. With the assistance of paracetamol, turneric and ibuprofen, I felt pretty good the following morning. 

So people, all I can say is if you have a fall and hurt your back, go immediately to a physio, an osteopath or a massage therapist - immediate treatment makes a huge difference. The painkillers and anti-inflammatories were good too ...

My ACC card - session cost $30 and the rest is covered by ACC because it was an accident. Even though I am essentially retired and even though it wasn't work related. Good system, eh? If I need more treatment for it, I just quote that number. Very cool!