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Speaker 1: You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast

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Speaker 1: from News Talks at be.

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Speaker 2: Mike Yardley is our travel correspondent. Good morning, sir, Good

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Speaker 2: morning Jack.

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Speaker 3: I was just reflecting on Google's observations about happy job

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Speaker 3: factors in terms of journalists.

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Speaker 4: I reckon that.

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Speaker 2: I wonder I was going to do you complain right now?

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Speaker 2: If you do you complain, If you say that your

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Speaker 2: job in the world enjoying the finest things that some

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Speaker 2: of the finest places have to offer, then there's going

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Speaker 2: to be a text machine is gonna light up.

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Speaker 4: Yeah. I can well appreciate that check.

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Speaker 3: But no, Philosophically, I was thinking, like, if I was

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Speaker 3: thinking about entering journalism today, would most young journalists actually

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Speaker 3: see the profession as simply now a gateway into higher

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Speaker 3: paying PR and comms stops.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I think a lot of them, Well I don't.

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Speaker 2: I don't even know if they need the gateway, to

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Speaker 2: be honest, if they just go straight in, you know,

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Speaker 2: a lot of them would just say to study communications

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Speaker 2: and go into PR these days. I mean, yeah, I

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Speaker 2: was always attracted to it personally because I thought it

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Speaker 2: would just be you'd have great work stories. You know,

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Speaker 2: you'd meet interesting people, you experience amazing things that would

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Speaker 2: be it would be a wonderful way to kind of

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Speaker 2: learn about the world. And you know, and I still

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Speaker 2: think that that probably attracts a lot of people to it.

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Speaker 2: But you know, when you speak to young journalism students

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Speaker 2: these days, a lot of them are pretty realistic about,

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Speaker 2: you know, the fact that they might be a journalist

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Speaker 2: for a couple of years if they're lucky, but if

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Speaker 2: they even want to own a home, they're not going

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Speaker 2: to be straying in the industry for very long.

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Speaker 1: You know.

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Speaker 2: It's a bit of a show.

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Speaker 3: But at least they aspire to be a future JEC

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Speaker 3: tape yes of the industry.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't know about that. I don't know about that,

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Speaker 2: but no, no, I mean that some of us are very fortunate,

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Speaker 2: of course, but yeah, these these sorts of opportunities a

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Speaker 2: few and far between, sadly. So yeah, anyway, we're focusing

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Speaker 2: this morning on the great outdoors in the heartland mid Canterbury,

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Speaker 2: so it's close to christ Church. But this is a

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Speaker 2: bit of an underrated road trip sort of destination.

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Speaker 4: Don't you reckon totally?

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Speaker 3: Jack yep, And it is Primetime Self Drive season so

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Speaker 3: I just thought as a burst of inspiration if you

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Speaker 3: are sizing up a bit of a roady in the South,

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Speaker 3: the mid Canterbury Heartland area really is a far less

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Speaker 3: crowded but surprisingly good slice of the South Island. And

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Speaker 3: it's because I reckon, it's that intersection, that topographical blend

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Speaker 3: of where the planes meet the peaks, so you get

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Speaker 3: such an incredible spoil of out doorsy treats and geographically

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Speaker 3: just think of it as being bounded by the Rakaiah

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Speaker 3: and the Ring of Tata rivers everything in between, close

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Speaker 3: to the mountains, and that's where to head.

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Speaker 4: It's a very easy roady.

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Speaker 3: They've got that inland scenic root, as you will know, Jack,

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Speaker 3: and it is just such a blissful way to hop

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Speaker 3: scotch from one great sight and experience to the next.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, it really is. I've spent a lot of

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Speaker 2: time in this part of the country. It certainly has

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Speaker 2: its charms. And I'll tell you what, some of the

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Speaker 2: attractions are just going from strength to strength. So in Methion,

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Speaker 2: the all Pookie thermal pools have sort of transformed the

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Speaker 2: town's pulling power totally.

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Speaker 3: It's hard to actually use the superlatives to describe just

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Speaker 3: what a runaway success this complex has been. So it's

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Speaker 3: three years old now, but I cannot think of many

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Speaker 3: new attractions that have magnetized visitors to a destination quite

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Speaker 3: like or Porky has. It hasn't been just a flesh

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Speaker 3: in the pan. I was in Methan a couple of

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Speaker 3: weeks ago and the complex is consistently sold out, day

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Speaker 3: after day after day. So yeah, it's absolutely recast to

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Speaker 3: Methin is a year round destination, and I think it's

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Speaker 3: all of the elemental design touches some really thoughtful ideas

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Speaker 3: in the inception of the Pool's complex. They've got the

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Speaker 3: swarm Up bar, They've got lots of adults ony experiences,

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Speaker 3: and that has just anchored a Pooki's breakability as a

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Speaker 3: premium well being experience.

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Speaker 4: It really is just going off. Do you know.

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Speaker 2: I still haven't been there to make great shame because

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Speaker 2: the times that I've been around, I thought, oh, go

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Speaker 2: and stop in. It's been sold out. Yeah exactly, yeah,

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Speaker 2: but it does. It looks amazing. Yeah yeah, yeah, You've

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Speaker 2: very much got to block your head. But I mean

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Speaker 2: the dream is to come off the mountain, right it's

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Speaker 2: to come off Mountainette there and then have a good

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Speaker 2: soak in the thermal pools there after. So close to Meavan.

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Speaker 2: What about Washington Falls.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, well, if you want to work up a sweat

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Speaker 3: before taking a rewarding dip, wash Pin Falls track, this

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Speaker 3: is just across Rakai Gorge and wind Whistle and this

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Speaker 3: would have to be one of Canterbury's favorite walks.

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Speaker 4: Speak to any cantab and they will know about wash Pen.

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Speaker 3: It's based on a private farm, so that that is

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Speaker 3: a point of difference because there's actually a ten dollar.

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Speaker 4: Charge which is to help track upkeep.

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Speaker 3: But wow, this to our loop walk really is the

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Speaker 3: stuff of wonder because you were walking around a volcanic

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Speaker 3: canyon reserve. So you've got lots of g Nari Gorge's

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Speaker 3: incredible foliage, a huge tract of Southern Rata trees. One

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Speaker 3: of the biggest tracks actually in the South Island is

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Speaker 3: here and then it all climaxes with the frothy Washpen

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Speaker 3: force are very happy ending Jack.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah nice. Why should you take the inland scenic

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Speaker 2: route to Stavely?

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Speaker 4: Yeah?

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Speaker 3: Well, from Rakaia Gorge, yep, this route just stitches together

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Speaker 3: a crop of great stops, including one of my favorite

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Speaker 3: villages in New Zealand, Staveley, very snug little hamlet, and

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Speaker 3: it's home to the Stavely Store in cafe, which has

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Speaker 3: been a fixture since the eighteen seventies, so back in

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Speaker 3: the day this is where locals would go to higher

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Speaker 3: skates for the ice rink just down the road. The

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Speaker 3: store is still such a treasure, so much history on

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Speaker 3: its walls. They've got box about the store inside and

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Speaker 3: it also doubles. It's such a cool little emporium for

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Speaker 3: local artisans. So whether you're after local ceramics or soaps

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Speaker 3: or maybe a mountain summer's wall blanket, this is where

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Speaker 3: the head because it really is just gift where galore

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Speaker 3: at the Staverly.

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Speaker 2: Store is the top twins old home still.

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Speaker 3: There, yes, probably about one hundred meters from the store

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Speaker 3: and the Stavely Boutique Lodge as it's now Knownoe was

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Speaker 3: previously Dame Linda's home for twelve years before they relocated

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Speaker 3: a few years ago. But me it is the most

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Speaker 3: incredible country mansion. It's officially a Dutch American barn style

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Speaker 3: house and then you've got three acres of the most

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Speaker 3: brilliantly manicured established gardens. So if you want to stay

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Speaker 3: over in the mid Cannibury Heartland area, the lodge is

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Speaker 3: a really good option because it's in such easy reach

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Speaker 3: to so many outdoorsy goodies.

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Speaker 2: Yeah nice, And Sharpland Falls is nearby.

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Speaker 3: Right, yeah, just behind Stabley. This trail is a family favorite,

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Speaker 3: so it threads you through Native Bosh to the cascading

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Speaker 3: waterfall in the Mount Summer's foothills. It is deliciously scenic.

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Speaker 3: I just remember when I was last there. Right at

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Speaker 3: the start of the track, you crossed this glorious bridge

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Speaker 3: crossing of a gin clear stream. You just think to yourself,

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Speaker 3: this is world class. You know, people would travel around

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Speaker 3: the world for this, and the round trip only takes

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Speaker 3: about an hour, and if you are feeling intrepid, there

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Speaker 3: are other options. It is also the trailhead one of

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Speaker 3: the two for the longer multi day Mount Summer's Track

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Speaker 3: to the Pinnacles and Walmshead Creek, and also in the

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Speaker 3: area the day long Summer track up Mount Summer's, which.

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Speaker 4: I would call you knocked off some years ago, Jack.

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Speaker 2: I've done it a couple of siks that Yeah, no,

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Speaker 2: it's it's fantastic. It's really good and on a clear

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Speaker 2: day you get this prestige of alky from the top

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Speaker 2: as well, so it's you know, like you really you

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Speaker 2: want your needs to be in good working order. In fact,

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Speaker 2: I'm a big fan of having the polls for coming

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Speaker 2: downhill these days, you know. So yeah, very good, but

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Speaker 2: strongly strongly recommend the Mount Summer's track.

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Speaker 4: So glad to seven hours return is it?

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Speaker 2: Uh? Yeah, I would have thought so. Probably depends on

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Speaker 2: your uphill fitness, but yeah, yeah about about even ours return.

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Speaker 2: That makes about sense, And that makes sense. You've got

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Speaker 2: to be careful with the weather and stuff because obviously

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Speaker 2: conditions on the ground will probably quite different to conditions

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Speaker 2: on the summit. But yeah, it's fantastic. So if you're

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Speaker 2: doing if you're going through Big Canterbury, strongly recommend it.

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Speaker 2: What about the Pucketti Conservation Reserve.

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Speaker 3: Very enticing, loaded with temptation, So this is all easily

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Speaker 3: accessed from Mount Summer's village. Definitely check out some of

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Speaker 3: those gorgeous glacial formed highland lakes like Emma and clear

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Speaker 3: Water in the Big Daddy Lake here and it's just

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Speaker 3: that mirror smooth reflective quality. It's quite something. Think Lake Matheson,

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Speaker 3: you know over on the West coast. It's that good.

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Speaker 3: And then another essential, Mount Sunday, well known of course

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Speaker 3: as one of the most remote Lord of the Rings locations.

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Speaker 4: So many international tourists.

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Speaker 3: Still flock there because it was cast as Adorus in

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Speaker 3: the Rings. It's also a very easy walk to the summit.

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Speaker 3: In fact, it's only thirty minutes up this sort of

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Speaker 3: miniature mountain. Hollywood is long gone, but the setting is

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Speaker 3: still truly cinematic. And by the way, I only discovered

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Speaker 3: this recently. Mound Sunday got its name because boundary riders

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Speaker 3: from the high Country stations would meet there on Sundays

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Speaker 3: for a chin wag. But every day is a great

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Speaker 3: day on Mound Sunday.

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Speaker 2: Oh yeah, oh so good. Oh it makes me envious. Actually,

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Speaker 2: I've it's been a year or two since I've gone

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Speaker 2: through Big Canterbury. I must return soon. Thank you so much, Mike.

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Speaker 2: We'll put all of Mike's tips for tripping through mid

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Speaker 2: Canterbury and the Highland there up on the news Talks

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Speaker 2: edb website.

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Speaker 1: For more From Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live

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Speaker 1: to Newstalks EDB from nine am Saturday, or follow the

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Speaker 1: podcast on iHeartRadio