tramping new zealand

As predicted by my weather forecast, there wasn’t a cloud in the morning sky.

Considering the rain the day before, there was a surprisingly white frost.

The sun had just hit the hut, but I sat under the veranda for brekkie. No surprises there, I scoffed my usual porridge and coffee, although I sat with the porridge pot on my legs and held the coffee cup with both hands to transfer some warmth.

It was a 20 km walk for the day, or thereabouts.

I was in no hurry to leave, but still managed to get away before 8 am.

Unlike my day getting to Deep Creek Hut, which was a typical summer’s day, despite the sun being out, it was probably now 20°C cooler, and I started walking with my standard wool T-shirt, a long-sleeved shirt, fleece vest over my puffer jacket, with my raincoat over that. When I really got out into the sun, the puffer jacket was removed, but all else went back on.

It turned out that walking along the Pisa Range required more than 800 m climbing for the day, but fortunately, in acceptable chunks and mainly at the start.

It was all four-wheel-drive track, and I had the place to myself other than the oyster catches and double-barred dotterels.

Well, that was until a four-wheel-drive came up the track the same way as me and announced it was the day the Lions club of Wānaka was doing a fundraising loop for Search and Rescue, and two groups with 50 vehicles each were about to come by.

Okay.

About a kilometre up the hill, they stopped to let the laggards catch up. I passed them, and after 20 minutes or so they all went by again.

I was running out of jokes, such as, If you’re lost, I can’t help you. Is this the right way to Queenstown? I answered the question of whether there was anything I needed. Yes, a scone and a hug from my mum.

Someone pointed out I should be on a mountain bike.

They stopped for lunch, and I went past again, then they caught up with me at the bottom of a climb up Mount Pisa, 1964 m, and that was the first 50 through.

I stared down into the vast Clutha Valley and picked out Cromwell, Lake Dunstan, obviously, but also the Lindis River campsite from six nights before, as well as the Obelisk. If I had binoculars, I could have seen Boundary Hut from two nights before that.

Looking the other way, I could make out the ridge I climbed to Lauder Basin Hut from two weeks before.

Yeah, I’d come to know the area pretty well.

It was an easy roll down from Mount Pisa to Kirtle Burn Hut, and as someone was occupying the hut, I thought my tent was a good option.

It was pretty cold, so dinner was served in the insulated hut. It had been moved there in 1982, but the location seemed incongruous until I learned it was for cross-country skiing. It seems that 90% of visitors turn up when snow is about.

Only on half rations, I was pleased that I would be resupplying at the 5 Mile supermarket near Queenstown, but that would require a 1000 m drop to the car park at the completion of my loop.

That might take a while.