“Oh, yes! I’ve been looking forward to this experience ever since I first learned about it,” explained Mike. “These are private, cedar-lined pools designed for soaking and relaxation. They are filled with pure local mountain water which is artificially heated. Each pool has a retractable roof so we can truly enjoy the scenery.”
“Wow! And the prolonged foreplay with our frolicking naked will definitely enhance our lovemaking when we finally get back to our hotel suite tonight. What more could a new bride possibly wish for?”
There was a complementary bus shuttle which Missy and Mike took advantage of. The Onsen Hot Pools proved to be an even better experience than what they had imagined and they enjoyed themselves tremendously. They also enjoyed making love in their bedroom afterwards, just as Missy had predicted.
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Monday, June 27, 2022
When they got back to their hotel after spending the day bungee jumping, Mike was totally amped up. They had ended up doing athirdjump and his heart was still racing. As for his stomach? He told Missy he had no ideawherethe hell that might be.
Missy had been able to sense and feel what Mike had felt during each jump, thanks to her empathic ability, and that had made their shared experience that much more memorable. She was loving all the adrenaline which had been flowing through their veins that day. Wow! She kept thanking Mike for making their honeymoon so fabulous. It truly was far exceeding all her expectations, even though those indeed had been very high. Mike knew her so well and had gone to such great lengths to plan things. Yeah, she was finding even more things about him which she loved.
For their dinner, Mike had suggested they finally take advantage of the Lodge's Swiss chef to learn if his reputation was everything which he had read about. They both had the prime rib and had to agree it ranked among the world’s finest. Its high-quality was due to grass-fed beef from free-range cattle raised with high welfare standards. The result was tender, juicy, and flavorful with excellent marbling.
They also had to agree the chef had earned his reputation. They really enjoyed eating their wonderful meal with an uninterrupted view of Lake Wakatipu and the mountains. There was even an open fire which made things extra cozy.
They lingered long after finishing their dessert. The wine had been wonderful and so was the Irish coffee which they ordered after finishing their meal. After chit chatting about the day which they’d just had, Mike asked, “What have you decided we should do for tomorrow?” He handed her the list of suggestions which he had prepared.
Missy answered, “Mmm, I still haven’t been able to decide. This place has been so great. I’ve been able to forget about everything else and just stay focused on you and me.” After pausing to review Mike’s list, she looked up and said, “I think spending the day in nearby Arrowtown sounds fun. According to this, Arrowtown is where they had a big gold rush back in the eighteen-sixties around the same time as California did in the U.S. They have both a European Miners’ Village and a Chinese Miners’ Village along with a museum. Lots of original huts, cottages and historic buildings have been preserved and restored.”
Mike nodded and said, “Okay, that sounds good and I did research that place a bit. I know they have some nice trails which we can walk as well as plenty of cafés where we can grab a bite to eat. Plus, of course, there are very good restaurants and even a winery.”
“I almost feel guilty the way we keep indulging ourselves, Mike. Then I remind myself that we’re on our honeymoon and that we’resupposedto be doing exactly that.” Missy sighed contentedly and handed Mike back his list. “For Thursday, we don’t need to go anywhere. I want to spend that day in our wonderful room. Just you, me and maybe some room service. It’s only right that we enjoy the fabulous resort which you picked out for us.”
“Well, since we’re on our honeymoon, I believe that too is what we’resupposedto be doing. Spending lots of time when it’s just the two of us. No distractions. Making love morning, noon and night …” Mike began laughing at Missy’s expression when she heard him say that.
They continued to banter playfully for several more minutes. Then, they finally went up to their room. Once there? Oh, yes! They made love like two wild and crazy lovers on their honeymoon!
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Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Things at Arrowtown did not go according to plan. Upon arrival they noticed some sort of commotion with a crowd gathered outside one of the hotels. Naturally, Missy insisted on getting close enough to hear what was going on. She learned there apparently had been some sort of an accident since two people were missing. They had gone to do the Kepler Track hike and had not returned.
Buddy Clarkson and his brother Randy were from Australia and had come to Arrowtown with their wives. The two couples had gone on this famous walk the previous summer and the brothers had insisted on repeating the experience again in the winter. Since that was much more difficult, the wives had remained behind.
The Kepler Track was a thirty-seven mile circular hiking track which traveled through the landscape of the South Island of New Zealand and was situated near the town of Te Anau, which was a little over two hours away from Arrowtown by car.The track was one of the New Zealand Great Walks and passed through many landscapes of the Fiordland National Park. There were rocky mountain ridges, tall mossy forests, lake shores, deep gorges, rare wetlands, tussock grasslands and many rivers.
Compared with other tracks in New Zealand, this walking track was constructed to a very high standard. Most streams were bridged, boardwalks covered boggy areas and the very steep sections had steps. It was a moderate walking track that normally would take three to four days to complete in the summer.
The wives had dropped their husbands off at Te Anau and the plan was for them to pick the brothers back up again four days later. Today was the fifth day and the men had still not returned. The Department of Conservation had been contacted and their search and rescue team members were now talking to the two wives as they prepared to begin looking for the missing brothers.
Missy listened to much of the conversation and learned that both men were very experienced hikers and had done most of the correct things in preparation for their hike. Unfortunately, the one thing they had not done was bring any distress beacon. They also did not have any satellite phone but had only brought their mobile phones with them.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Mike listened as Missy explained some of the things she was learning. The search and rescue guys were telling the wives how mobile coverage on the Kepler Track was generally poor and unreliable in winter, with some patchy service near the Luxmore Hut but little to none elsewhere.
Missy said, “They did get to that Luxmore Hut at the end of the first day and spent the night there. There are three large huts for hikers along the trail but in winter, the facilities are greatly reduced. While there’s a volunteer ranger on site at Luxmore and cooking facilities with fuel are available, you need to bring your own cooking stove and fuel for boiling water, as supplies are limited. You should also prepare for potential deep snow, cold weather, and the risk of avalanches.”
“What about at the other huts?”
“Basically, the same only there is no ranger on site. There are toilets but no showers. The toilets at the Iris Burn hut are flushing toilets but at the Moturau hut there is no running water and the toilets are just outhouses.”
Mike said, “I think I’m getting why the wives didn’t want to go. Did the men get to that Iris Burn hut?”
