Day 62 - Havelock to Portage, 36.5km, 8 hours

I've definitely got end of track fever. I'd been intending to just walk through to Anakiwa today, but ended up doing tomorrow's intended route through to Portage as well.
The morning started with some unintended bush bashing uphill through blackberry.  As I followed a coastal track, it faded to a driveway, leaving me 100 meters or so from the road. At least it warmed me up - it was a very cold morning. After an hour or so I bid farewell to the Pelorous Sound.

Another hour of road bashing saw me through Linkwater to Anakiwa.  It was interesting watching the Outdoor Pursuits Center in action, but it seemed silly to stop for the day after having only walked for 3 hours, so I farewelled my last piece of road for the trail and hit the Queen Charlotte Walkway.
The first section, through to te Mahia Saddle, was a broad, flat and somewhat muddy highway of a track. The recent storm that I had sat out at Pelorous Bridge had taken a bit of a toll with numerous trees down across the track, but nothing particularly strenuous.

The walk along this side of Queen Charlotte Sound provided an interesting point of difference from the views I am used to along the Queen Charlotte Drive, on the other side of the sound. Opposite Momorangi Bay there was an extensive view along much of the Sound...

...and an interesting angle of a ferry about to enter Picton Harbour.

Past here the track became marginally more difficult, with some small climbs. Where the terrain was steep extensive switchbacks were always provided to make things easy though.
Verdant bush dropping to the water was the order of the day.

Looking back along the ridge I had traversed - Kenepuru Sound center and right, Queen Charlotte Sound left

Having climbed to a ridge I now dropped down towards Torea Saddle, enjoying views down to Kenepuru Sound on the left and Queen Charlotte Sound on the right.
From Torea Saddle it was a 5 minute walk down to Portage Hotel where I'm going to lord it up for an evening - I got a free upgrade to a swanky room with private balcony.

Day 61 - Pelorous Bridge to Havelock, 21.1km, 4 hours 30 minutes

As you can see, I've reached the sea, 1100+km after last having seen it.

That was the highlight of the day really. Apart from the first 15 minutes through the beautiful rimu clad forest of Pelorous Scenic Reserve, the rest of the day was either farm or road walking and not very exciting. I knew this going into the day - again I had walked this section shortly before starting the trail, as a warm up day.
About half way through I went through the 1200km milestone...

... and my first view of the sea away in the distance was very exciting.


Apart from that it was an uneventful day's walking. I have contented myself trying out a couple of Havelock restaurants - one for lunch and another for dinner. I'm feeling full!

Day 60 - Pelorous Bridge, 0km

I picked a good day for a zero day. The weather today has been atrocious, the worst since I started. Strong winds, very cold and heavy rain. The unholy trinity for hypothermia. Even if I hadn't been planning a zero today, I would have taken one.
As it happens I'm perched literally 10 meters from the door of one of the best cafes in Marlborough. So I've hung out there like a bad smell... hopefully not too literally. The rest of the time I've been chilling out reading, charging stuff, and planning the final stint; the charge to Havelock, on to Anakiwa, then the Queen Charlotte Track. I've decided to be a bit of a softy about this last stint and target the places that have accommodation and food; Havelock, Anakiwa, Portage Hotel and Furneaux Lodge. This will leave me with 5 days left in total; 3 short days, a long day from Portage to Furneaux, then another short day to the end at Ship Cove.
Sounds like a plan, I'm excited to finish!

OK, the lights here aren't working so I'm writing up my day here in the dark. Not so dissimilar from a hut really. Time to tuck into the Apple Strudel and Boysenberry Cheesecake I bought for dinner. It certainly makes a nice change from all that dehydrated!

Day 59 - Rocks Hut to Pelorous Bridge, 29km, 7 hours 20 minutes

I didn't start the day too well. Within a hundred meters I'd down an involuntary (of course!) somersault down a small bluff, landing on one of my walking sticks and bending it slightly. No other damage done, and the stick was re-straightened fairly easily. Some years ago I fell over a 3 meter bluff finding my way down into the Nina off the Lewis Tops via the Technical-Lucretia Saddle (not a route I'd recommend; it was very bluffy and dangerous). On that occasion I was extremely fortunate not to break my arm - my walking stick resembled a boomerang afterwards.

The first 90 minutes or so today were spent dropping down to the Pelorous River and Middy Hut. On the way down I disturbed a hind, fawn, and many goats (in total about 20 on track today). My first view of the river did not disappoint - a swingbridge over a fabulous swimming hole.

It wasn't long before the trail recrossed to the true left on another spectacularly located footbridge.

Setting off downstream every couple of hundred meters another world class swimming hole would reveal itself on the river.  Wanting to make progress I resisted most of them, but the particularly attractive and easy to access holes always had me in for a swim.  I think I finished the day with 4 swims in the river.  There was a particularly good spot 400 meters upstream from Captain Creek Hut.  Alas I didn't stop at that particular one, but it was a match for any other hole on this world class swimming river - hundreds of meters long and 6+ meters deep with visibility straight to the bottom.

The track was mostly very easy going, with a few quite difficult bits thrown in. At one point I found myself pushing my pack ahead of me through a fallen tree that blocked the path. Generally though I made progress without requiring any concious thought over route or foot placement. Walking, as it were subconsciously, for much of the day I really noticed when I came to a more difficult section to negotiate. I could feel my subconscious cut out and throw control over to my conscious mind to make a decision on route or footing. It was most curious. Usually it would result in no noticeable change to my gait, but for the more difficult sections there would sometimes be a slight check in the step to arrange footing, and for the hardest sections a dead stop while options were contemplated. I have noticed a couple of times when two equally uncertain routes presented themselves of having a state of mental lock, unable to choose between either. When this happens I'll stand there like a statue for 5 or 6 seconds until taking a mental flip of the coin to decide which way to go.

 
Towards the end of the Pelorous Track the route went up away from the river. I was disappointed to lose my beautiful river views, but pleased to reach the road end. From here I just had 14km of road walking ahead of me. From having walked the road as one of my last Te Araroa warm-ups late last year I knew it would take a little under 3 hours.  Given it was already after lunch time it was touch and go if I was to get to the cafe in time!  After a week on trail I can't emphasize enough how important it was to me to get to the cafe before closing - important enough that I eschewed at least a couple of easily accessible swimming holes!  I Pulled into Pelorous Cafe at 3:30pm, half an hour before closing.  Plenty of time to liberally order and chow down on just about one of everything!

This evening I've been put up on the floor of an old, disused TV room. I'm pleased to avoid having to use the tent tonight because the rain has started pouring harder than at any other point on track so far. Never mind - I'm having a zero day here tomorrow to rest, recuperate, shower, swim (hopefully, the Pelorous is known for prodigiously flooding rather easily) and eat!

Day 58 - Starveall Hut to Rocks Hut, 17.8km, 6 hours

After a rainy night I awoke in my tent to a bitterly cold morning with a biting wind. So it was on with all my cold weather gear and on with the walking early.



Bizarre then that 90 minutes later, having dropped over a thousand meters to Hacket Hut, that I should be having a swim. Quite apart from this being my 5th day without a wash and needing it, there was no wind and it was much warmer lower down.
I was interested to see Hacket Hut. Last year, when I was in Nelson for work with my family, I brought them up this valley to within only 2 kilometers of the hut to see a very pretty waterfall and a very strange hill - a full river runs down its side yet runs over grass and does not cut out channels like you would expect a river to do. It's very strange. Hacket Stream, which runs past the hut, also has some fantastic swimming holes down closer to Nelson.

Having spent four days traversing north on the tops, the bush looked pretty exotic as I dropped down, the forest filled with silver ferns, much different to the Beech forest I had left behind in the Nelson Lakes.

Not having looked at the map closely enough I was expecting an easy day of it, having finished with the Richmond mountains yesterday. The difficult 800 climb to and past Totara Saddle came as I little bit of a shock therefore. After so many climbing days I really didn't feel like any more. Fortunately my legs responded well enough one last time. Once over Totara Saddle I was in the Pelorous River catchment. I'll now be following my favourite river all the way to the sea! 

The afternoon consisted of some fairly easy ridge walking, although the forest looked something like a tree graveyard in places. At some point a wind storm has decimated the bush along here. Parts of it were cleared, but there was a fair bit of trunk negotiation to be performed.

The track was also well and truly rooted, which made the going more difficult than the flattish topography might suggest.




So the sight of Rocks Hut mid afternoon was a sight for sore eyes. I was intending to get closer to the road by going an hour downhill to Middy Hut, but couldn't turn down what I've termed the Hamilton Hut of the north. I can give a hut no higher praise. It even trumps the Hilton in one respect; it has the almost unbelievable luxury of flush toilets! With this likely to be my last hut on trail I stopped to take advantage.

It was also a chance to dry out all my damp gear from the night before.


Tomorrow I have a choice of two routes. The first is a very historical gold route from Nelson over Maungatapu Saddle and past Murderers Rock, infamous in New Zealand as the spot where a band of brigands accosted and murdered a couple of prospectors and a shop keeper in the late 19th century (if memory serves they weren't too clever, started spending their ill gotten gains, were caught and hanged). I've already been this way though - Eli and I ran up to Murderers Rock a few years ago, so I think I'll stick to the normal TA trail so I can see more of the upper Pelorous River. In either case tomorrow ends with me at Pelorous Bridge. I hope I can make it while they still have the cafe open!

Day 57 - Mt Rintoul Hut to Starveall Hut, 17km, 7 hours 15 minutes

Well that was a rather epic day. 5 mountains climbed and the most phenomenal views along the way. 

The day started with a jaunt up Mt Rintoul. I was rather nervous about this - it's supposed to be very difficult and in parts extremely exposed.

In practice I found it difficult and don't recall any undue exposure at all. Within an hour of leaving the hut I was at the summit. The views were probably the best on trail, with 360 degree views of mountains ranges - too many peaks to count.  Queue lots of photos, although it was cold and windy, so I didn't hang around too long.

Then down to the bush line, but in little more than an hour I was back up on top of its not so smaller sister, Little Mount Rintoul.  More photos of prodigious views in all directions.

Then up and down along a ridge until reaching my third peak for the day, Old Man, followed by more ridge climbing, over an unnamed peak, then skirting just under the top of Slaty Peak for lunch and a longish rest at Slaty Hut.


One more mountain to climb for the day, Mt Starveall, very close to Nelson.

Then down to Starveall Hut. Being the weekend and close to Nelson, the hut is full to overflowing, so I'm out the front in my tent.

Week 8 summary

A full 7 days walking, with 1 day off trail in St Arnaud not counted. 124km walked.
The start of this week saw me about to go over Waiau Pass. Since then I've also done Travers - Sabine and half the Richmond Ranges, so I'm pretty confident this is my biggest climbing week.
I'm coming to the end, there isn't much more than another week's walking left to the finish.