tramping new zealand

My plan for this trip was to park my car at the DOC Lake Taylor campsite, walk around past Loche Katrine and Lake Sumner, and then use the legal easement to get to the Lake Mason Hut.

Back in Christchurch, I’d weighed the food and put each meal’s rations into its snack-size Ziploc bag. That’s the pre-dinner nuts and oats.

So it was easy packing up, but I spent too much time trying to get my La Sportiva pair of walking shoes sorted out. The plastic heel supports must have melted in the sun in the back of the car, as they sure dug into my heels. No amount of fiddling made them comfortable despite having soaked them for a couple of hours.

I decided on my more lightweight Lone Peak Olympus shoes.

The 38 km gravel road up to Lake Taylor was slow, and despite an early start, it was after 10 30 am before I arrived at the Lake Taylor campsite. Then, I had to load the meals in my pack, tidy up the car, and have some lunch.

This time, I had written down a list of everything I would need. Not leaving anything behind this time around.

Suddenly, my pack was very much heavier with the extra days’ worth of food. It was obviously the heaviest of summer, and my trip to Dynamo and Bullendale Hut had been my longest period away from resupply.

This time, I had 11 days of food aboard. One extra, just in case, but I usually subdivide my already austere rations into smaller portions if I think I might need a day or two more.

This is the first time that I’ve got a deadline to get out, because of my pre-booked Heaphy Track trip coming up.

It was hot work plodding along the four-wheel-drive tracks around Lake Taylor and Loche Katrine, but ameliorated by the usual vicious headwind.

Just one foot in front of the other at times.

Four-wheel-drives went past at regular intervals, topped up with their Saturday camping supplies.

Eventually, I turned off up the hill towards Lake Mason on an old New Zealand Forest Service track that became increasingly obscure. I followed the paper road easement, mostly, with a few moments of matagouri until I got into swampy grassland.

This is where experience made life better. Cattle take the easiest path, so I settled for that contour.

Eventually, after some time in the cattle-ravaged forest around the lake, they chomp out the undergrowth, the hut came into view.

Others occupied it.

I pitched my tent under the mountain beech trees.

I should sleep well after the day’s efforts.

Despite leaving after 1 pm, it was around 8 pm when my tent was finally up.

Here’s The Thing. I was under the misapprehension that Lake Mason was a DOC hut, but despite being in Lake Sumner Conservation Park, DOC land, there was a massive sign on the door stating it was a private hut.

Oops!