heading to the high country

We are going hiking in the high country for my birthday and Luke has emailed me a list of their hiking equipment and where to find it in their warehouse. I go over in the ute to rummage through Nona and their cupboards for hiking clothes, backbacks, sleepingbags and a trangia, holding the list printout in my mouth when I need both hands and checking it regularly.

I pick them up from the airport at nine am. They left Dunedin on a bus at ten last night and are totally sleep deprived. We load the Bubblewrap set alongside the hiking gear and head north up the Hume to Mount Beauty where we are meeting Jono and the others.

We talk about Dunedin. Christy says the folk at the Fortune are interested in having us back – maybe in September? Although nothing is definite because they are changing management structures and someone else will be making decisions. Maybe they would buy the show, or maybe we would come to some kind of co-production arrangement where they also help us tour other parts of New Zealand. They will email us more information soon. It’s exciting to think about a residency there and the possibility of touring.

Luke is checking out the road - they will be driving here next week, taking Bubblewrap on tour in Gippsland.

We hike nine k’s in to Roper’s hut that night, and the last few kilometres are at sunset. Mount Bogong is in front of us and Feathertop behind. We are in high, open alpine country with heaths and mosses and can see layers of blue hills in the bright evening light. We walk and talk and then Jono cooks bolognaise over the campfire while Luke and Christy fall asleep, leaning into each other in their gore-tex and beanies.