tramping new zealand

I slipped into bed early at Kowhau Hut, just after 8 pm, and the rain was still coming down. At 12 pm, I woke briefly to hear it stop, and it seemed to stay away. I thought the stream might rise a bit, but I didn’t think it was flood material for my return, which required quite a few crossings.

It was cold in the morning when I went outside, and I could see plenty more snow, so it wasn’t my imagination. Actually, once I cleaned the windows, I enjoyed a pleasant view of the surrounding hills as I had breakfast with a dusting of snow down to 1000 m.

Blue sky patches gave hope for the day. This was sort of realised as it was fine, as they say. Blue skies until the cloud rolled in in the afternoon.

The river seemed much steeper on the way back, which helped with locomotion. I still did the crossings, but there were few stops, and I was soon back at the car.

It was just a 5 km roll down the hill in the car, and I was turning off on the track to Benmore. A small car was already at the DOC car park, and then a hunter arrived. Before he left, another arrived together with his six-year-old daughter. They were well-sorted and soon left, and I was on my own.

Getting my food together took time, but then I was loaded up and away. The farm route became increasingly neglected and hard work in long grass, but after an hour, I reached the forest, which was DOC’s domain. The track was well marked and well beaten. It stayed that way all the way to the hut.

I was in no particular hurry. Half an hour on, two young guys raced past, so it looked like a crowd for the three-bunker; however, the hunters had gone ahead, the two guys had occupied the hut, and with the night looking more promising than last, I put up my tent in the forest.

I was slightly social and made and ate dinner in the hut. That made a change from the solitude of the previous night.

But it was before 8 pm before I was back in my tent, sliding into my sleeping bag.

Time for another long sleep.