Day 23 - Stody's Hut to Upper Timaru Hut, 14km, 6 hours

I woke at my now customary time - with the sun, currently about 6:30am. However the rest of the hut slept in, so I took the opportunity to catch up on some reading for an hour, and hit the trail at 8.30.

The first hour consisted of a 500 meter descent to the Timaru River.  It was steep enough to be bum shuffling territory in places, but nevertheless I found it easy, if somewhat slow, going.



Once at the river the track followed a number of high sidles, with steep (I must find a synonym for that word, I've been using it too much! .... vertiginous?) ups and downs. It was hard going, and, apart from the odd time when it dropped to the river, not very interesting, so I pulled out earbuds to listen to the Lord of the Rings audio book (I've never been into audio books, this is my first, and I'm quite enjoying it, thanks Pons'!).  A minor miracle; the ear buds cord was not tangled!


After a couple of hours of slow progress, I stopped beside the river for lunch and a swim. The colour of the water suggested a tributary upstream was glacier melt, and the water temperature confirmed it. I modified my plan to just having a wash!

Continuing after lunch I came across a crazy dangerous sidle which required swinging by one arm above a 3 meter drop.  At this point I determined I'd be better off in the river bed, so ignored the track for the most part for the rest of the afternoon, preferring to move directly up the river.


This decision transformed the day from a slog into a day of pure delight. I love following bubbling mountain rivers; it's probably my favourite kind of walking, picking a way along banks, across to the other side, and directly up the bed if required.


The track came back to the river a fair bit and a couple of times I was sucked into taking a flood track, before finally ditching the track for good. Close to the end of the day the track went up onto a farm road, easy walking, but I was loving my afternoon so much I still stuck to the river as it went through a slot gorge.


Lots of fun was had negotiating the steep plunge pools.


All good things pass, and mid afternoon I came out of the gorge and to my hut for the evening.
A brilliant days walking for me, my hut companion, another NOBO, claims it was the worst day for him yet sticking to the track.

Day 22 - Lake Hawea to Stody's Hut, 21.4km, 7 hours 50 minutes

Lake Hawea, with Lake Wanaka and Mt Aspiring in the distant background

With another 1300 meters climbing to be done today, all in one long stint, and a good 90 minutes of walking around the lake before I could even start it, it was another early morning start.



Strong winds were whipping across the lake, giving pause for thought about what it might be like higher up, and whether it was wise to be going up a narrow ridge. Between this and a complaining groin muscle, today was the first day on trail where I really didn't feel like walking. Nevertheless I proceeded, rather nervously, reasoning that I could always turn around if I didn't like how matters were proceeding.


Reaching the start of the climb, a DOC sign promised 4-6 hours to cover the next 4km and climb 1100 of those meters to the first hut, then numerous more signs promised dire consequences for any inexperienced trampers on the route. Ok, pretty steep and exposed then.

 It was, as evidenced by the neighbouring ridgeline which matched the trajectory I was on.





Happily my climbing legs had come back to me, and I powered up the first 500 vertical meters of switchbacks in an hour.

This took me onto a narrow, exposed ridge. Bluffy and blustery is a bad combination. I proceeded staying low, to keep my center of gravity close to the ground and limit my exposure to the buffets of wind.



Continuing like this I reached the hut, Pakituhi after only 2.5 hours, feeling a lot better about things and enjoying the views that were opening out towards the Main Divide, Lakes Hawea and Wanaka and Mt Aspiring in the distance.


After lunch at the hut, I continued up the ridge for another 200 vertical meters to meet the high point for the day. Conditions became windier as I went, resulting in a full on freight train of noise at the top.  Furthermore the weather had closed over the mountains restricting my view somewhat. What I had though was still superlative!
I was surprised at the top to have a full on alpine view down one side of the mountain, and almost a pastoral scene down the other, with merino sheep right at the top of the mountain.



I now went onto the tops, walking parallel to the Main Divide, and the wind went up a final notch, resulting in by far the windiest conditions I've ever walked in.


I was walking like a drunk man, getting blown sideways by anything up to a meter, despite the stabilising influence of my walking poles. I felt safe enough on the tops with no vertical exposure, but it was certainly not the time to be on a ridge, like the one I had just come off. I explained this to 4 SOBOs who passed, but we literally had to shout at each other from within a few feet to be heard.

It wasn't a particularly cold day, in fact it would have been very pleasent without the wind, but severe wind-chill saw me buttoning well up to stay warm.

After about 10 kilometers of this the trail eventually dropped down off the ridge to Stody's, my hut for the night. No need to take boots off outside for this hut!

I enjoyed a very congenial afternoon and evening with 3 SOBOs who did not know each other prior to starting, but have walked literally the whole country together.
In the end an enjoyable day's walk, the reluctance of the morning forgotten.

Week 3 summary

180km covered, no resting days on track, but a 2 day hiatus in Queenstown and another 1 day hiatus in Wanaka broke up the week's walking.

Great progress this walking week. It started by finishing off Southland with Stephen and Eli through to Lake Wakatipu, and ends with me only a couple of days from entering Canterbury. Central Otago is huge, but somehow I've crossed it really quickly.

My back is still doing great, but I have developed knee and groin niggles that currently dissapate when I start walking.

Blister issues seem behind me, although I have some painful cracks and annoying sores hanging over from where the blisters where.

I've been enjoying blogging more than I thought I would. It's sometimes a chore after a hard day's walking, and my cellphone's 'smart' keyboard often replaces intended words with entirely nonsensical ones, but I know I'll enjoy reading back over the record when I've finished, so I put up with these foibles.

All in all a rosy report!

Day 21 - Wanaka to Lake Hawea, 32km, 6 hours

With a shortish, easy day in prospect, I made a very late start, vacating my room bang on the 10am deadline. I had brunch in Wanaka on the way out - there's nothing like a cooked breakfast when you're used to nothing but dehydrated.
During my rest day I had developed a lot of little niggles, all hang overs from the Motatapu of course. Most settled down somewhat as I started walking, following the lake towards the Clutha River outflow.


The most annoying niggle is a nasty crack on my heel. Colleen had warned me about using strapping tape too much, but with blister issues in the first fortnight I pretty much didn't have a choice.  That's coming back to bite me somewhat now, with cracks on the left heel where the strapping tape had been. I've applied a Compeed, normally used for blisters, to the worst of them, which settled it right down for walking. However all my old blister spots, while not reforming blisters, have been sore in the last few days from the hammering they've been taking. This resulted in a fair bit of limping around Wanaka while I was there. While providing discomfort today, I think they'll heal up within a day or two.

The track around the lake was a curious mixture of people cycling at little more than my walking pace, and competitors in the upcoming Wanaka Ironman out for training jogs, going faster than I'd do an 800 meters.

I noticed early on that my legs were still weary from Motatapu. Although flat, I found the going fairly tiring. A heavier pack with much more food loaded up didn't help matters.

For some reason I decided to walk with only 1 stick today. Since starting TA I've become used to the rythym of using 2, and it felt weird having a hand free. Part way through the day I decided to switch to 2, only to discover my 2nd pole was stuck half closed. A fair bit of tinkering in the evening fixed this, but I'm thinking about changing poles when I get back near Christchurch. If I do so, all of my legacy gear (pre-TA planning) would have fallen by the wayside, barring my pot.

Within a couple of hours I made it to the Clutha outflow. I love places like this! To see a mighty river, arguably New Zealand's mightiest (most flow at 500 cumecs and 2nd longest) flowing from Lake Wanaka is a sight to behold.
I had an extended break here, having a couple of swims at the interface between the lake and the river, up stream a bit, avoiding where the current grew stronger as the river took hold, and some lunch. This was shared with some rambunctious teenage ducklings. I'm not too sure mother duck was particularly happy about this, quacking warnings to her progeny unceasingly. I decided they'd had enough of my lunch when they started nibbling at my toes, and one even had a go at a nipple! (Ow)


I had expected the whole day to be hot and exposed, so was pleasently surprised to have partial shade for much of the day from extensive kanaka along the lake edge and down the Clutha River.

This ran out close to the road bridge over the Clutha, and all of a sudden I was in true Central Otago, exposed country.


After crossing the bridge itself, time for another swim, before heading up the Hawea River. Generally this had little shade, but it's a very pretty river.



There are quite a few white water features on it; one of those Olympic style gated courses, and some man made rapids created by a power company as a "sorry, we dammed all the real ones, have this make believe one instead".

Crossing the Hawea River I met a big American bike party on the bridge coming the other way. Que lots of interested questions in what I was doing and how far I was going.  All very convivial, until one of the last in the party who merely had this to offer, "Get a job, ya bum", said with a full on sneer. Unfortunately for Americans, I'll remember him more than all the lovely people who preceded him across the bridge.

Back to pleasant things. The end of the walk into Hawea was along a water race, supplied from the Hawea Dam. Nice easy walking, and fascinating to watch the water explode into the race under pressure after being released from the lake.


... and so to the lake itself.

I'm staying at the Hawea Hotel, 50 or so meters above the lake. This didn't stop me immediately returning to the lake for a swim though. I was rather cautious as I was swimming within a couple of hundred meters of the inlet for the dam. And then I noticed a bunch of people jumping from part of the inlet apparatus itself. Total nutters.
The day was finished with a burger and chips and a couple of quality beers in the hotel's beer garden. It really hit the spot, and has set me up nicely for another 4 days of dehydrated food.

Hiatus 3 - Wanaka 1 day

Not much to say about this one.

A short stop in Wanaka to resupply.
I've made a couple of alterations to suit my new pack. The old one had an internal money pouch, which this new one doesn't, so I bought a pouch I can attach via carabineer inside the pack.
Also, because this new pack has a much wider, better hip belt, it didn't work so well with the auxiliary belt I was using to hold a water bottle. I searched high and low for a bottle holder that I could clip to either the pack or attach to the waist belt, but couldn't find one. I've made do by buying a chalk pouch that rock climbers use, which seems to be pretty secure. We'll see!

Today I'm off into the mountains again for about a week, next to be seen in Twizel, back in Canterbury!

Day 20 - Highland Creek Hut to Wanaka, 28.8km, 8 hours 12 minutes

Early morning shadows on the climb up towards Jack Halls' Saddle from Highland Creek Hut

I was late out, not donning the pack until 8am, figuring I'd earned a lazy start the day before.
I started the day with all my clothes still wet from the previous day. This is when merino comes into its own. Nevertheless it's never pleasent putting on damp socks and undies.

The morning consisted of climbing up to Jack Halls' Saddle, at a touch under 1300 meters, a fair haul from Highland Creek at about 600 meters. My legs still hadn't fully recovered from the day before, so it was quite hard going. The relief when I got to the saddle, the last sustained climbing on the Motatapu, was considerable.


Then down, down, down to Fern Burn Hut, the last one on the Motatapu. This was easy going, although steep and requiring care in many places. Not far above the hut I spied Lake Wanaka, still many kilometers in the distance, but where I hoped to have a swim in the afternoon.















Then to the hut itself for a morning tea snack and a sustained break.


The walk out along Fern Burn was fairly up and down, but vastly easier than the previous day and a half. I'd be curious to know where the name comes from. The Burn seemed to me conspicuous by its lack of ferns.

Further down the river I came to the Stack conservation area.  This is astoundingly beautiful, well worth a day trip in to see.  Higher up the valley is the most spectacular, albeit also more difficult going, but a steeply cascading stream plunging through a high gorge filled with mature bush rewards those who traverse through here.

The lower valley remains very beautiful, if not quite so spectacular, with a still lively river bubbling merrily through the bush.















Close to the carpark the track exits onto farmland, so time to stow the boots, and out with the sandals again.

Arriving at Glendhu Bay mid afternoon I indulged in a quality late lunch of a Coke, picnic bar and chips, before taking a quick dip in a very choppy lake.

Then it was off on the 15km lakeside walk to Wanaka, during which I passed the 400km marker.
Not all 100km sections are created equal!  I had measured progress through from Macetown more in altitude gained or lost, rather than distance or time traveled.


In Glendhu Bay I had started with fine views up the Matukituki Valley. However rain set in over the mountains, and a violent wind sprang up across the lake, conditions that are always worrying in alpine areas. I was concerned I may not get to Wanaka before I was caught up in the change and increasingly worried that change might be a thunderstorm as very dark clouds streamed out of the Alps and over me.

However I only had the northern coast of Australia to negotiate before I was close to Wanaka (you'll know what I mean when you look at the map).


This section had some magnificent little beaches, albeit it wasn't so attractive for swimming today with oceanic sized waves, thrown up by the near gale force winds, crashing onto them.





Fortunately the weather change came to nothing, and I arrived somewhat tired, but dry, into Wanaka. 

Too tired to drag myself into town for dinner. I doubled down on quality cuisine for the day by using the only delivery service I could find in Wanaka - Domino's Pizza. Yuuuuurgh....

Day 19 - Macetown to Highland Creek Hut, 19km, 9 hours 30 minutes

The dawn chorus woke me this morning at 6.  Here that constitutes the cry of a lone gull.
Unfortunately, even though the sun wasn't yet up, a quick bathroom break was all the invitation the sandflies needed to renew their offensive.  Tent went down with all long clothes on and sandfly net hat in place.


The threatened rain hadn't yet come through, so over my standard breakfast of coffee and porridge I made the decision to once again break from the trail and head straight up the river, which looked an easier route.

I was about to set off just after 7, having only incurred a comparatively parsimonious 20 or so bites, when I realised, with no small regret, that I had packed my snack food somewhere down near the bottom of the pack.  Some people may be able to climb the 2000 meters that was in the offing for today without snack food, but not I!
10 minutes and another 10 bites later I was off!

With fords every hundred meters or so it was futile trying to keep my socks dry, nevertheless the boot/gaiter combo did a good job of keeping most of the mid calf high water out.  Nevertheless an enforced trip up the river itself within the first kilometer settled the matter of dry socks.

The river bed was choked with matagouri and wild rose.  I opted for high sidles to avoid this, but should probably have just kept to the river bed.
As with the saddle a few days earlier, I prevaricated and ended up in the worst of both worlds, stuck between the river and the high track.  A quick climb up a ridge back to the main track soon sorted that issue.


I still had a couple of kilometers to go before the proper climbing started for the day. There were a number of very hairy sidles, the track passing above big drops only just wide enough for my platypus feet.  It was the kind of terrain that would have been much better with only one stick, leaving a hand free for grasping foliage, but there was no safe place to stop and stow my second one.



At least the 4km or so up the river was enough to warm my muscles (if not my feet) before the first climb of the day, 600 meters to Roses Hut.  But not before a last fill of the water bottles before leaving the Arrow River behind.

The weather conditions were just perfect to do some climbing - overcast and cool, with an occasional light shower.  The showers intensified to proper rain just as I began climbing.  With little wind around, I decided to ignore the weather and leave the jacket off.

The first climb was pretty easy in the overall scheme of things, characterised by fairly gentle zigzags to lessen the slope.



Close to the top of the climb, at Roses Saddle, it clagged in and I lost my views, only for them to reappear as I dropped down to Roses Hut and my lunch break.



I had a big break at Roses hut over a very leisurely lunch. While this was done to give my legs time to recover for the more serious climbing to come, it was somewhat counter productive when the rain set in properly. Worried about footing on the steep terrain ahead I settled in, resigned to spending the night at Roses.

In the early afternoon a pair of SOBOs came through. They assured me that the track was well formed and not slippery, which was all the prompting I needed to pack bags and head off.

The second climb of the day was pretty much straight up from the hut. It wasn't as kind as the first - straight up a very steep hill.  Hard yakka.

Having previously found and documented the world's most useless cattle stop, I was delighted to add the world's most useless stile to the collection.



The afternoon consisted of a lot of up and down along ridges, all of it extremely steep and all of it clagged in, requiring vigilance to stay on the route.  It was pretty bluffy country with some extremely gnarly bits thrown in to keep things interesting - boot wide, slippery track with a bad camber above precipitous drop offs.  I could feel the fatigue in my body, so deliberately slowed myself even further than I was already going.  Granny mode was engaged (sorry mum!), making sure of each step before taking the next one.

As I walked I Passed many SOBOs, all anxiously enquiring about hut space.  This doesn't augur well for accommodation in the near future.  I may be taking to the tent a fair bit.

Eventually, after an extremely hard afternoon's walking I spied the hut. Cruelly it had been located halfway up the next hill, requiring one final, exhausting climb.

2000 meters climbed, and most of it given back again! I would say that's easily the most climbing I've ever done in a day, with or without a pack, so this evening I'm pretty pleased with myself. I'm also pretty pleased with my feet, which were wet all day, with the heels and toes receiving a real workout from the constant climbing/descending, yet have no new issues at day's end.
So that's the back of the infamous Motatapu broken. I still have a bit of climbing tomorrow, but nothing like what I did today.


As you can probably guess from the photo we have a full hut tonight. I'm the only kiwi in residence. Disturbingly there is a lot of talk in the hut of guerrilla walking the Milford track. Good luck with that one.