Thread: Hunting, painting, and a spot of perving.

Many years ago I went into the Copland (Welcome Flat..with those lovely hot pools).
Loved the place...just back in NZ after a year in Vietnam and an Army mate and I just wanted peace, perfect peace. We both left the Army at the same time and needed to unwind.
A couple of years later, and I'm in the NZ Fire Service where one of my workmates was a bloke (Peter) who made his real living as an artist (Fireman's pay was pretty poor...still is).
I told him about the Copland and we made a plan to go. Another workmate was a 'sort of' hunter and came in too.
Walked in to the hut, and started to get sorted.
In walked a young German couple...and she was a sweetie! Absolutely lovely.
There were 2 bedrooms but they decided to stay near the pools under the bivvy rock (must have thought we looked dodgy).
So, we had our evening meal and time to get a bucket of hot water from the pools. Down I go and round the corner to the pools and 'full frontal' presents itself.
Yes, the wee lovely was knee deep in the pool, body front on to me but looking back over her shoulder to the mountains above.
Well, after a wee while (time goes slowly at moments like this) I went back to the hut with an empty bucket.
Told the other 2 that I had just had a full frontal!
'Sort of' grabbed the bucket and rushed off, to come back in a few minutes and he had seen the same view as I had.
No water...again...so Pete grabs the bucket and heads down.
Comes back in a couple of minutes and called us a pair of lying bastards. No girl, no full frontal, zip, nada.
Bugger, she must have gone back to the bivvy rock.
Now, we still had no hot water so I go back to the pool and as I reach the edge to dip the bucket in there is a sweet wee face looking up at me.
She had sat down in the pool and was hidden from view by the raised pool edge.
So...we had a wee chat, I filled my bucket, and went back to the hut.
Told Pete he was bloody blind, but he didn't go back to the pool. Was quite convinced I was telling tales again.
He must have forgiven me, as he did a lovely painting as a wedding gift some years later when I met/married the Missus (48 years ago).
Anyway, if you have never been to Welcome Flat then you should make the effort and go.
There is (was?) an airstrip on the Flat so can fly in if you don't want to walk (about 12 miles in if I remember correctly).
Look across the river from the swing bridge and slightly to the left and there's a good wee stream bed to follow up to the higher area.
Easy travel, rock hopping and reach some patches of ice where the Chamois like to sit on a hot day.
I shot 1 Chamois on each trip in there.
Plus another workmate went in after we told him of our adventures and he shot a Tahr on the track up to Douglas Rock.
Take a camera...it's lovely country...and you will see why I went there with my old Army mate.