The fact we did the tour clockwise meant we faced the three day hut to hut mountain hike near the end of our journey. All the day hikes, aches and pains, relearning to use poles semi efficiently and new found NZ knowledge would, in theory, be valuable information.
The day began by leaving the west coast and heading inland, back into the mountains and Nelson national park.
There we were assigned bedding, dry sacs, a portion of the group’s food, cup/bowel, utensils, etc and in Mark’s case, a two person tent in addition to our own three days of clothing, rain gear, cold weather attire, lots of water and so on. All told we were now expected to carry about 20 kg (44 lbs) in very large backpacks.
The hike was divided into three days with two nights accommodation in hikers huts (more on that later). Day one began at Kerr Bay and travelled along the west (right) side of lake Rotoiti on the Lakehead Track to the Lakehead hut. A 4 – 5 hour warmup, if you will, of just 650m (2,150 feet) elevation change through the forest. Warmup should have been a warning sign.
The track was tricky as it combined roots, rocks, mud, running water and forest undergrowth, sometimes all in the same area. Adapting to carrying the pack was hard enough without worrying about stumbling in the deep shadows or crossing small creeks.
At times the path was hundreds of feet above the lake in the forest and at others, we walked on the beach.
Finally we arrive at our accommodation. Hikers huts in NZ number in the thousands and are extremely popular so space can be hard to come by. We carried a few tents to the first site because we couldn’t get confirmed space in the hut. Spartan would be an apt description. Thin plastic mattresses shoved side by side on communal bunk beds for sleeping and a large open room for cooking/eating. Huge plaudits to our guides, Nic and Brogan who, despite the circumstances, managed to create an incredible meal with the aid of a propane cooker that had been stored at the hut.
Despite the cacophony of noises in the night, a veritable chorus in fact, we did manage to sleep given how tired we were – from the warmup! Tomorrow is the big climb as we turn east into the real mountains.
The Bennetts On Tour 