Rock Chundering

A.P.Harper from "Pioneer Work in the Alps of New Zealand."

"The rocks above me on Craig's Range were broken into very fantastic shapes, and numerous detached blocks lay on the "Hen and chickens", which I believe to have been left by the ancient glacier. Betsy and I spent two hours on the ridge, trying to catch some Keas, and also dropping stones over the great precipice onto the glacier below. A most fascinating occupation is this, of rolling stones from a great height. Douglas and I have spent hours, when waiting for a fog to lift, in various places, rolling down large rocks, and working as hard as if our lives depended on it to dislodge one of exceptional dimensions. We often used to try and suggest some reason which would account for the fascination, for I suppose it may be said to be universal. I have never met a man even amongst those who spend their whole lives on these hills, who did not only thoroughly enjoy seeing a stone career madly down a slope, but who would not go to considerable trouble to start one rolling."