tramping new zealand

Rain overnight and this morning for a while, I left with my raincoat hood up.

Today was the major day on the famous, or infamous, Demon Trail but really, when it comes down to it, you don’t notice any difference from your standard DOC track found in other localities. It’s just all up and down in a Stewart Island kind of way. In the rain there was a certain amount of travel along a track that doubled as a decent watercourse but you kinda expect wet feet in Fiordland, what’s the problem?

Actually it was mostly great walking for the day, not as slippery as I’d envisaged just, pretty much been benched the whole way, although a long while ago, and having only three big tree windfalls which took all of two minutes each, and a slip to negotiate.

More memorable were the three-wire bridges, one the highest, and another the loosest I’ve encountered.

Highlights were, I guess, a close encounter with the kea, it seemed young and lonely, definitely not a kaka that I’m more likely expect. And, the second high point of the day, after meeting a couple who guessed, incorrectly, that the Hollyford River flood overflow channel, it’s actually a permanent feature of the landscape, was up too high to cross to the island, I took the plunge and manage to rinse my underwear, quite a bit deeper than the knee deep Geoff and Doug claimed a few days ago, and was successfully aboard the island.

With the rain just starting again in the evening I’m hoping all be able to cross back again tomorrow morning, it’s not flowing too swiftly so I’m thinking I’d almost be able to cope with another 200 mm but I’ve still sufficient food to hold out for a couple of days here if rationed.

The hut is bigger then I’d anticipated, much less used than the others on the trail and it’s set in a clearing with a whole bunch of flowering kowhai trees. All in all I’m pleased to be tucked up here.

Plenty of dry wood so I had the fire cranked up to cope with my soaking wet vestments. I picked out a few armfuls of rata from the huge supply at the edge of the lake so the hut is certainly cosy.

On my lonesome again for the third night.