On a family trip back from Central Otago we took the windy route and headed through the Manuka Gorge.
The day was a little crisp and we were in an adventurous mood (as always). We saw a sign for a tunnel. An old train tunnel to be exact.
Perfectly placed right on the side of the main road, anybody could go here. We pulled into the parking lot, and got kitted up.
The walk was an easy one with us playing hide behind the tree so our 1 1/2 year old at the time would keep moving forward to find us.
At the end of the track we saw the tunnel entrance, it was a grand looking tunnel, but alas, there was a fence well blocking our path. Why wouldn't they put the closed sign at the start of the track we were saying out loud.
Before we realized our son had made it through a small gap in the fence. Slight panic set in as we watched him toddle toward the dark entrance. My wife being pregnant didn't even hesitate to scale that fence.
I soon jumped over joining them. Now we had to go through the tunnel. Couldn't come this far right? The tunnel was quite long and we didn't have a flashlight again.
It got to the point where we walked with our hands in front of us because you couldn't tell if there was a wall in front of us or not. We had that dreaded feeling that someone was there with us.
My poor kid was scared and holding on for dear life. We finally got to the other side, only to realize we had to go back through the tunnel again. Totally worth it.
Memories for life - Stu
