Well today is the Le Race bike race in Christchurch and I helped a mate out by offering to do water bottle duties at the top of the Port Hills.
So here I was at 7:40 this morning water bottle in hand and waiting at the summit of the Port Hills thinking what a great morning it would be for the stags to start roaring. Like clock work I heard a not so distant roar, my first thoughts were that it must be from a farmed animal. When the cogs started turning over in my head, I couldn't recall any deer farms near by and the roar came from inside the pine forestry? My exact thoughts were bugger it, lets give it one of my finest so cupped the hands together and let rip from the road edge. Within seconds there was an agressive reply! You beauty! I quickly scanned the roads to make sure that the cyclists weren't approaching and there was nobody else nearby and gave another. Another reply and then low and bloody behold a hind and a yearling stroll out from some scrub below me, meandered to the forestry, jumped the fence and buggered off. This was all within 30mtrs of where I was standing with cars/cyclists/mountain bikers and other weirdo's all out and about. My attention quickly turned from holding a stupid water bottle to giving the stag a wind up so once my mate went past we were off into the forestry for a quick looksey. Now I must point out here how weird it felt to be scrambling through scrub in shorts/t-shirt/running shoes and no gun in hope of sighting a stag. Well our hopes of seeing another animal faded after a short time so headed back to the car. I had always heard that there were deer on the Port Hills but this is my first confirmed sighting. 10 mins in the car and back home to the wife with her giving me a puzzled look and saying why are you so wet and scratched up? "long story hun but the bike race is going well"
Al
