tramping new zealand

A noisy night with the wind rattling the chimney on occasion.

There’s an enormous difference in comfort following the restoration. The old beach saplings with chain-link support had passed their use-by date. The mattresses that were 150 mm wider than their supports were not five-star-rated. It was no loss when these were replaced.

The sleeping platform works well, but more than three occupants with their gear would be a squeeze.

The white building wrap and clear windows at each end make it light inside without having to open the door. It’s so much drier now, with the exposed dirt covered by a black polythene moisture barrier.

The graffiti and 50-year-old signage have been kept, along with the flagstones and cut-down bench. It has been restored, keeping its historic ambience rather than becoming a homogenised DOC-style with a total renovation.

It’s still recognisable as a pre-DOC basic hut, with a thunderbox toilet down the hill, a new woodshed and 260 litre water tank up the slope, and the area around the hut level.

8 am, and the heavy rain predicted for the day arrived. My body was shattered after the three long days getting here, following the three big days to Nydia Lodge. It rained most of the day, with the wind whistling in the trees and occasional booms from the chimney.

It’s quite easy to fill in a day at a comfortable hut. Drying out my tent and socks and doing some reading. Really, there was nowhere sensible to go in the wet conditions.

My mind was thinking of going back via Nardoo Hut, even though it would take longer. If the weather is fine, it’s a great view along the Alpine Fault. The only hard bit is getting down through some bluffs quite close to the hut.

I thought I might just camp at the tarn, which is about halfway, then go the long way around to the head of the stream that flows past Nardoo Hut. The other two routes I forged in the past were somewhat fearless.

An early start, like 7 am, would be helpful as I wasn’t sure if I travel faster these days.

It was early to bed, and my body seemed to be telling me something when I went to sleep at 8 pm.