Birthday Weekend

Birthday Weekend

Blue Lake - St Arnaud 

So, we woke up to blue skies, of course. We toyed with the idea of going over the Pass instead of turning back but we decided we had no choice- if anything went wrong on the other side, we wouldn't have enough food to last us to wait a day or to back track. We had to go back to St Arnaud whether we liked it or not.

A few of the guys we'd stayed with in Blue Lake decided to go over so we said goodbye nice and early and headed back along the same track we'd walked along two days before. It was astounding. The huge waterfalls, the streams that we couldn't cross, the flooded tracks had shrunk so much it wasn't recognisable as the same track at all. 

We made the three hour journey from Blue Lake to West-Sabine in two hours and then from West-Sabine to Sabine in only four so we decided if we pushed really hard we'd be able to make it to St Arnaud all in one day. 

Having already done 26km though, we took a quick break for lunch inside Sabine. It was a really big 30 bed hut with big windows out onto Lake Rotoroa. We'd just unloaded our bags onto the table to make our Peanut butter and honey on Weetabix (all the shop had left) when a speed boat pulled up in the lake outside. A man stood up and waved at us offering us a lift to the other side of the lake. Of course, we threw the weetabix in the bag and jumped on the boat as quickly as we could! 

On the way to the jetty, the man and his wife explained that the track we were planning to walk was closed due to flooding and landslides. When we arrived at the campsite that we'd planned to camp at, we realised why the paths were closed- the picnic bench was underwater past the seat and the lake had risen over a meter so the jetty was completely submerged. 

Luckily, the guys who picked us up on the boat had a 4x4 and could take the four of us (me, Luke, Ned from London and Felix from Germany) 20 minutes out of their way to St Arnaud. We were very very thankful! 

Relieved to have arrived in St Arnaud sooner than we planned, we booked a night in the hostel, cooked fish n chips and planned a new route for the next few days. 

St Arnaud - Hanmer Springs 

New plan : to hitch to Hanmer Springs in time for my birthday and pick up the TA from there (only section missed will be the second half of the Waiau Pass)

There was no way we were going back into the Nelson Lakes to redo five days we'd already done just for the sake of one part, and we'd already booked accommodation in Hanmer for my birthday so the only option was to get to Hanmer by Sunday (today is Saturday). Only problem is, Hanmer Springs is over 300km from St Arnaud. 

We got up bright and early, grabbed a coffee from the overpriced cafe, and then searched for the most prime hitch hiking spot in St Arnaud. 

It was definitely prime spot because this time we were picked up within 20 minutes rather than 2.5 hours! 

The guy who picked us up had been on holiday in the Sounds and, thankfully, this was the only road open leading all he way to Christchurch (via Hanmer!!) 

We were in the car for maybe half an hour when Luke turned around and just said 'shit.' 

We'd forgotten our hiking boots!!!!! How do two people who are hiking the length of a bloody country just forget their most compulsory piece of kit!? 

The guy pulled over and let us out of the car. We shamefully crossed the road while cursing ourselves for being so thick, and then desperately held our thumbs out at the few cars that were passing us. We had no idea where we were and we're in the middle of nowhere! 

Aside for being so stupid the first time, our luck must have been in because we were only there for ten minutes before an old man drove past us and then turned back around to get us because he was worried we wouldn't get a lift otherwise! 

He dropped us back into the centre of St Arnaud- a place I hope I do not end up again for the sheer fact that I keep ending up there by default! And then we started hitching for a lift again WITH our boots! 

Within ten minutes we were picked up again and unbelievably the 18year old driving was going straight through Hanmer! 

It took just over three hours to get here. We had to find somewhere to stay because our accommodation wasn't booked until Sunday and we'd got here way quicker than expected so we went to the iSite to find somewhere.

It was the last weekend of Summer holidays so everything was booked besides for the 'ForestCamp' 3km out of the city so we walked the 3km and arrived at the camp by about 4pm. 

The camp was a school camp (like Barton Hall) but it opens over he summer to the public. There were rows and rows of little tiny cabins all the same with just two single beds in each. It reminded us so much of school camp that it was actually quite fun staying there! 

We went out for dinner in the evening and ate real food!! Then had a few drinks with Renee, Dakota, Brandon, Pia and Brian. 

We also bumped into Steve and Immile (who were with us at Blue Lake and decided to go over the pass instead of coming back) and they told us they couldn't cross some of the rivers and only managed to get here because someone managed to drive them over. So Luke and I definitely made the right decision to not go! 

Day off - Hanmer Springs 

("I'm feeling 22..")

Had a lovely birthday weekend! We moved from the school camp to our hostel, Kakapo Lodge, which is really nice! On the Sunday morning, we went to the hot springs with everyone from the night before. It was really nice to just relax and not be in a hurry to get anywhere but he best part was my birthday treat that Luke booked for me - my hour long full body massage at the spring's spa! I got to wear towel slippers, a robe, and got to drink green tea and read magazines in a special relaxation room and everything! 

The massage was so good- I found it hard not to fall asleep! The masseuse did point out that there was 'a lot of tightness' in my legs which was not unexpected given the last few months activities. 

Luke met me outside once I'd made full use of every single moisturiser, lip balm, skin toner etc etc that was available and we went back to the hostel to cook steak! We had a bottle of red like sophisticated people and then met everyone for birthday drinks and drank some less sophisticated sounding 'shooters' (shots that don't really taste like shots because they have loads of sugary liquors in them) over a few games of pool. 

The worst thing about New Zealand is that everywhere shuts before 10pm but we managed to find the only place that stayed open until midnight (even though we were the only people there). 

On the way home, while I don't know why, I suggested we try and see how many people we could fit in the telephone box- apparently 7 people but we think a few more weeks on trail and we'll fit 8. It was probably a sign that it was time for home! 

The day after we had a reaaaaally relaxed day not really doing anything! We resupplied for the next section in the morning and then just spent the rest of the day eating and wondering around the little shops. 

I am still waiting for my card to arrive from Donna and Mark but I did receive a card from Grandma and Grandad, a card from everyone at home including a little message from Nanny, two drawings from Rosanna and some little gifts that I am VERY happy to receive! (I'm wearing my hair ties now and will be using my body scrub this evening) - feeling very very thankful:)!

My birthday meal of request was a Spaghetti Bolognese so we cooked the biggest one ever with garlic bread and cheese and it was LUSH! We even have spare for tomorrow's tea which will be a real treat since we'll be back on the trail. 

Now, Luke is reading an actual book (Agatha Christie - Poirot) and I am updating all my blog entries since I'm almost two weeks behind! Think I am just about done! 

So all in all, I have had a lovely weekend with phone calls from home and voicemails of everyone singing happy birthday that I keep listening to and am feeling very very spoilt and loved and miss everyone at home so much but am having a ball. 

P.s - looked at map today. We're so far down the South Island already! 

Waiau Pass

Waiau Pass

St Arnaud - John Tait Hut (24.5km)

First things first, we went to the isite to check the current norovirus situation. Thankfully, we were reassured there had been no cases for a week and they'd confirmed it wasn't in the water - woohoo! 

The water started at Lake Rotoiti which is a gorgeous lake set infront of the Traverse valley so there are mountains all in the background. The walk takes you beside the river on Lakehead track for about 10km on a really well tramped track up to the first hut where we stopped for lunch. Aside for the ten of thousands of sandflies and the bubbling mud, it was quite a nice day with the sun shining! 

From that hut to the next was just as easy following the river through long grassy plains. The river was like glass - I'm not sure how many times I've mentioned the water but it is still so unbelievable that water could be so clear! It may have something to do with how quickly it flows down from the snowy mountains all around us. Yes- snowy! The snow level is above 1500m but so are most of the mountains either side of us so they all have little chunks of snow left on them. 

On the way to John Tait Hut where we stayed for the night, we walked through several 'Avalanche Zones' - there's no where near enough snow on them at the moment and the Avalanche risk only applies from May to November but it's still scary to see the huge slides and debris left from past Avalanches and John Tait hut is IN an Avalanche path- why!? 

Because John Tait hut is on a popular route, wardens often visit to check up on things and tonight it just so happened we were staying with one of them. He gave us a five day weather forecast that predicted winds of 100km for the Traverse Saddle where we were walking the day after - we contemplated the bad news over a huge bowl of couscous with our very own home-dried bacon and then resorted to a game of cards. We have started a championship whereby we record every win and at the end of the walk the wins will be counted to determine the almighty card game champion - I don't know what the prize will be yet, probably a whole tub of butter and a loaf of bread for toast or something. Toast 💔

John Tait - West Sabine 

A rainy start to the day. 

We packed up bags and ate breakfast but hung around for the DOC warden to radio out for his updated weather report - rain for today, torrential rain for tomorrow, snow as low as 1200m the day after. Oh dear - so we have rain for our climb over the saddle at 1700m and SNOW for our climb over the pass at 1800m and if what they say is right, we will not be climbing the pass in snow. 

Since the weather had cleared though, we decided we'd better get over the saddle today at least. 

We made it to the next hut in good time and the weather had mostly cleared for the climb up to the saddle so when we reached the top we had some wicked views of the mountains in front of us. We climbed the whole way up pretty much in one go which neither of us would have been able to do two months ago - it's really nice to notice we've actually got fitter from walking every day! 

The descent from the saddle was on rock to start with but turned to mud once we dropped into forest. 

It was fairly new track here so nothing was properly tramped and we slid most of the way down. Luke fell 6 times - of course I counted! He'd look up at me each time as though he might have got away without me seeing it. 

As we dropped down slightly and the mud gradually became a little less slippery, we came to a bridge over this huge crack between the mountains maybe 20m deep with water just crashing down through it. We tried to get a picture but it was too dark and the camera hut wouldn't do it justice. 

We carried on to the hut and arrived just as it started raining so decided to stay put for the night. 

We spent the evening with an American called JD who told us about outside play at school only being cancelled in -28C!!, an Australian called Tarli, a guy from the UK, and a kiwi called Colin - we call him Rope because he carries 30m of rope with him and uses it at every opportunity. It was a good night in the hut chatting away but I did spend an awful lot of time scrubbing my hands since there were notes in the book about the dreaded noro.

Upper Traverse - Blue Lakes 

Amongst all the mountain ranges, the volcanoes, and other incredible places I've mentioned, today has been probably my favourite day of all. 

It had rained all night. We mooched around in he morning hoping the rain that still hadn't stopped would eventually ease but it just kept coming and the mountains around us were no more visible than when we first woke up. 

By 9.30am we had seen two five minute gaps in rain fall so we decided now or never since our rations were already stretched. We suited up in coats and rain covers and set off across the swig bridge for Blue Lake Hut - the original plan for the day was to go over the Waiau Pass but weather, obviously, was not permitting. 

The track on a sunny day would have been fairly easy but since Luke and I keep complaining about 'easy,' the rain threw in a few extra challenges for us. 

First of all, the river we were due to follow alongside for the next three hours was completely swollen - it was deeper, faster, and flooding over the banks in places so we knew we had our work cut out for us from the word go. We crossed the swing bridge over it and took the path left to follow the river upstream. 

We'd asked Tarli and Mike from West-Sabine Hut if the path involved any river crossings and they explained there were just a few side streams to ford but when we reached said 'side streams' we realised just how much rain must have fallen over night. There were a few to rock-hop over, and one or two that Luke carried both bags over and then piggy backed me across so I didn't get my boots wet, but we came to one that just seemed to be a never ending cascade of water falling a meter at a time. I looked at Luke, he looked at me and for a second I thought we were turning back. 

Luke being Luke, however, told me to change into my sandals, took his bag across, took my bag across, came back for my boots and then linked my arm to help me across too! The water was up to our thighs  and freezing! But we made it across safely and I dried my feet on the other side. Luke, on the other hand, went back AGAIN to help Colin cross over - his shoes are currently upside down steaming on top of the fire. 

There weren't any more crossings quite like that one but there were a few more for us to balance or jump our way over.

Not long after the big crossing, we came across these huge boulders, some even as big as vans, that had just torn through the trees around them. We'd been told by someone a few days before that they had come down in the Kaikora earthquake and we hadn't quite believed hen until now. There was one huge one sitting in amongst a bundle of broken up trees and you could see where it had fallen from the mountain on the opposite side of the river, torn through the river bed and rolled back up the bank on this side. Very scary actually- glad we missed that one! 

From there we followed a completely flooded footpath. We were constantly stopping to look around because there were so many streams and waterfalls coming down from the mountains that it was too amazing to miss. 

We stopped for a moment to look around at the river but instead we spotted the huge waterfall shooting down behind the trees. We dropped our packs and walked as closely as we could to it - we were probably still 10m from it but we were soaked through from the spray - I can't imagine it is normally as impressive without the rainfall we had had. 

We were soaked through and decided it was probably about time to stop dillydallying around and so picked up pace a bit to get to the hut for lunch. Thankfully, some other people who had planned to walk over the Pass had too decided today wasn't the best day and so had already started a fire! We quickly detoured to the Blue lakes to catch a glimpse of the clearest water in New Zealand (which we decided probably look way better in sunshine) before returning to the hut. We took all of our wet stuff off and dried it above the fire while we drank tea and worked out a way to continue moving tomorrow should there be snow!  

While I think snow is great, I am really hoping we don't wake up to white mountains tomorrow. 

For now though, it is absolutely torrential and there are 9 of us all in one hut staring out of the window at it.

**have just been woken up by three hikers who left here this morning to go over the Waiau. They climbed the whole way over and then the streams and rivers had filled so much they couldn't go any further and had to climb the whole thing back the other way in torrential rain and have just got here in dark. Will not be hiking the Waiau tomorrow as a further 100mm of rain expected over night. So heading back through all the flooded track to St Arnaud.**

Blue Lakes Hut (Rained In)

We hadn't really realised the severity of the rain until those guys turned up soaked through last night. They'd walked for almost 10hours straight with no food and nothing but solid rain. Luke jumped out of bed and boosted the fire for them and they sat in the dark huddled in front of it eating their tea and feeling quite relieved they'd actually managed it back to the hut. 

I couldn't sleep after they arrived- I was either listening out for any of them shivering in their sleep or half dreaming of flash floods and terrible river crossings. It didn't help that the rain was STILL pounding against the roof and continued to do so throughout the night and all through the morning.

It was a weird feeling once everyone was awake- we started the fire back up and everyone just kind of looked around wandering whether or not we were really stuck here. The rain didn't give until about midday when two of the guys tried to hike out back towards St Arnaud but within an hour they were back again because the track had been swallowed up by the river and the crossing we had made the day before was not even an option today. And of course, the Waiau pass was not a possible route either! So instead we drank tea, warmed by the fire, and played 'code names' (a board game of sorts) all day long. 

It is now 9pm and still raining and everyone's stuff is hanging from rope because there are mice everywhere!! - wondering how long it takes for mum to notice my 'Spot' hasn't moved...

Richmond Ranges

Richmond Ranges 

Havelock - Pelorus (24.5km)

The walk today started on road but we chatted most of the way which made it a tad easier. 

When we reached the turn off into fields, it was a bit like hiking in England, only with a billion more electric fences to contend with and styles between every single field! 

Nonetheless, we had another lovely day of sunshine and the entire walk was flat so it made for a fairly easy day. At one point we walked through a turnip field and it smelt just like Grandad Ken's garden - was a nice reminder of home actually. Luke picked up one of the uprooted veggies and stuffed it in his bag for tea. 

We carried on through fields until we got to the reserve where we picked up forest track until the campsite. We crossed Pelorus Bridge over the Pelorus river where the Hobbit barrel scene was filmed which was cool but the actual river itself was amazing. I wish I had a camera good enough to capture it- the water was bottle green and as clear as you could possibly imagine. In places, the water could have been 4 meters deep and yet you could see the bottom. People were jumping in and swimming - while I wasn't up for swimming, it did look inviting! 

We took a little walk from the campsite to a waterfall but Luke doesn't walk particularly well in flip flops on muddy track so we headed back to camp and cooked our turnip and pea couscous! Yum! 

Pelorus Bridge - Middy Hut (27km)

Starting with 14km of gravel road, the forest track that followed was a pleasant surprise. It followed an easy track beside the river to the 'Emerald Pools' where we had lunch. There was a family of five at the pools and Luke and I both thought how lovely it must be to be able to take walks and just go for a swim for free in a place like this... and then jump back in the car and have a shower rather than have to camp!  

After lunch, the walk got a bit more challenging. We followed the track up river bank and back down to swing bridges which are challenging in their own right anyway- I realise why they are called 'swing' bridges! 

We passed the first hut 'Captain Creek' reasonably early so decided to carry on to Middy Hut where we stayed for the night. 

Middy Hut - Hackett Hut (24.5km)

The walk from Middy to Hackett was mostly straight forward aside for me desperately needing to use the loo half way through and having to race to the hut to get there. 

When we arrived, there were two children staying at the hut with their mum for the night so we decided we'd do the polite thing and give up the remaining beds to the Germans behind us since they had to camp the day before. 

We pitched a tent outside the hut but had to army roll every time we wanted to go inside to avoid the ten billion sand flies that accumulated inside the outer. 

We had a 'swim' in the river (dipped our feet in and splashed water at our armpits while gasping for air from the cold), and then mentally prepared ourselves for our first proper climb of the Richmond Ranges that was due to come the morning after...

Hackett Hut - Slaty Hut (11km)

For the first time, I realise what all the fuss was about. Up to now, the tracks we have been taking in the South, besides for being hilly in parts, have been fairly simple and nowhere near as interesting as in the North. However, today we spent the first kilometre crossing the creek from one bank to the other eight times, then we had a very steep climb through forest all the way up to Starveall Hut where the views of the Richmond Range were just incredible, and then we climbed up and over Rocks to summit Mt Starveall, and along the ridge line through mossy forest to Slaty Hut. The ranges look incredible- I can't tell you the number of times we just stopped, despite being wind blasted in the face, to look at the views around us. 

Although we probably could get to the next hut this afternoon, we have decided we really don't want to rush this section. Tomorrow is supposed to be the most challenging day yet but also the most rewarding in terms of views so I'm really hoping the weather holds out for us another day. 

For now though, Luke and I are about to have a game of cards before tea. 

Slaty Hut - Mt Rintoul Hut (14km)?

Blue skies and zero wind - hooray! I woke up several times last night thinking of razor back edges and slopes of loose rock leading to impending doom so when I woke up, I took about an hour to pack my bag while I prepared myself for the walk ahead. 

In the gorgeous weather though, the first climb up to the first summit was incredible. We were above the tree line so in every direction their was a new view of another mountain - we'd only walked for three days but it seemed as though we were in the middle of nowhere and it would take weeks to find our way back out again. 

When we reached the turn off to Old Man Hut before the climb to Mt Rintoul, Luke admitted his hasty walking was due to being absolutely desperate for the loo - how did we do this two days in a row? 

We had to drop down 200m to get to the hut, where we stayed only long enough for Luke to do his business, and then had to climb back up the steepest 200m I've ever known before we'd even started the main ascent to the peak of Rintoul!! It's safe to say we were both incredibly sweaty and probably should have settled for digging a hole on this occasion. 

We stopped for lunch just before the main climb where we were passed by another walked who, like everyone else, warned us about the razor back edges. So we decided we'd better get a move on while the wind was still holding off and finished up lunch. 

Believe it or not, we first had to climb 'little rintoul' which should more suitably be named 'big rintoul' and Mt Rintoul maybe just 'bigger Rintoul.' We had to scramble upwards on boulders and loose rock to a high point where we first caught a close up glimpse of 'Bigger Rintoul.' It looked so daunting from where we were but even more daunting once we realised we had to drop down 250m via a steep scree climb to the saddle. 

We walked along the ridge and then another climb up to the summit - it always feels so good to stand on top of the mountain you've spent the last few days worrying about! 

We set the camera to timer so we could get a quick picture of ourselves on the top and then had a quick chat with the 60+ year olds that were just casually having a picnic at the top!! Crazy people! 

The climb back down to Mt Rintoul hut was one of the most fun descents so far! It was all loose scree and the only real way to go down was to 'scree-ski.' I hadn't quite mastered the technique but luke had it down to a tea and had skied the whole way down in seconds - notice we'd made it all the way over Rintoul with no razor back edges? Maybe the other walkers were trying to put us off doing the route for some reason. The track was tough but not razor back! 

When we reached the hut, there were four Americans already resting. They asked us where we came from and when we left and we explained we'd walked from Slaty. They all looked at us in amazement and said 'You've come all that way in 5.5 hours!?' We hadn't realised how quickly we'd done it and they'd come from Old Man in 6! It felt pretty good to have done one of the hardest parts of the track so quickly but my knees were definitely paying for it! We decided to stop at that hut with two of the Americans while the other two pushed on to the next. 

We had a lovely evening just chatting and playing cards as usual and we all fell to sleep VERY easily after such a tough but probably the best day yet!

Mt Rintoul Hut - Mid Wairoa

Today was another beautiful view 

day but was tormenting knowing we were climbing down to 300m only to go back up again tomorrow. 

The track was really cool - it was all through forest and kind of rolled up and down gently so we had to work hard but not enough so that we were struggling. We stopped at Tarn hut along the way which is right on the edge of a lake - I wouldn't have wanted to swim in it but it looked pretty cool anyway! 

We carried on to our hut for the night, Mid-Wairoa; as in mid-way up the Wairoa river, only to find ourselves climbing down so steeply on mud and gravel that our knees were practically giving way come the end. 

We were there reasonably early and although it was raining a little it was still warm so we had a swim in the water to wash off. 

(When I say swim, I use the term very loosely. Luke dunked his head and then had a fight with a swarm of sand flies, and I washed my pits, then lay on a rock and dunked my hair under while trying not to be eaten alive by them.) 

I'm not sure Zoe would really approve of my hair washing technique and I'm also not sure it's really that effective since it dried greasy anyway - we can't use soap in the water obviously and the river water is hardly warm enough to loosen the grease. So I'm basically a gross greaseball who can't wash her hair.  

Anyway, we had to spend the evening barricading the door and keeping the windows shut to stop the flies coming in, and the hut was full so Luke and I were sharing a bed. Sure you can imagine the heat! 

We played cards for a while and learned how to play Eucher with John and Phil until the heat got the better of us and we pulled our bad apart to find a solution for the bug/heat problem. 

Phil had a big mosquito net and some filing clips, we had some medic tape and a shoe lace so we managed to make a half useful bug screen for the window! We opened the window as far as it would go but Luke and I are still sweating in our less-than-a-meter-wide bunk. 

Mid Wairoa - Top Wairoa

Very annoying day but wonderful come the end.

We read in the track notes about the 8 river crossings in only 7km so I decided to hike in my sandals as opposed to stop and start all day switching shoes or getting my boots soaking wet. However, it wasn't until we'd reached our first proper river crossing after what felt like over half of the way through that I actually needed to be in my sandals! The track just followed beside the river which meant sidling on the bank so my feet were sliding out of the side of my sandals and had no real support what so ever. It was a beautiful walk as are the rest but I just wanted the crossings to hurry up so I wasn't uncomfortably walking in forest wearing sandals for no reason. 

Eventually we did get to cross several times and the river was exceptional. It was the same gorgeous crystal clear water I've mentioned countless times but since we were moving up to higher altitude, there were more falls and cascades of white water flowing down into huge bottle green pools. 

Just as we were coming to the last few crossings though, the rain came in and the rocks were getting slightly more slippery. Luke stepped onto the top of one in the river bed and fell a meter down onto another. From where I was standing it looked as though he'd just disappeared! I rushed around to check he was ok and he was laying face flat against the rock ... but he was ok!! 

We hurried across thankful to have finished the crossings and even more thankful that we could see the Top Wairoa hut just 100m above us! We climbed up the scree slope to the hut, ran inside and stripped all of our wet gear off before we got too cold, and started chopping and gathering wood for a fire. 

It was only 11.30 but to continue and go over the saddle in the rain seemed ridiculous so we sat it out while the fire dried everything out. 

The German boys decided to push to the next hut once the rain had passed but Luke, John, Phil and I decided we'd rather stay and enjoy the river while the sun was shining! We went out to collect and chop more wood to replace the stuff we'd used and learned how to play Eucher (an American card game.) we had the best afternoon and we're really pleased we decided to have a chilled afternoon - something we didn't do much of in the North. 

Top Wairoa - Porters

Maybe we should have taken advantage of the sunny afternoon we had yesterday since we woke up this morning to grey sky and clouds covering the hills we were about to climb. 

The climb up to Mount Ellis wasn't so bad but once we summited and had the task of edging across the ridge line with barely visible markers, the wind started up and the rain came in. We geared up in gloves and waterproofs and fought the weather until we made it to the forested section and were slightly more sheltered. Typically, though, as soon as we were climbing down and covered by trees, the weather decided to change and we pretty much had glorious sunshine for the rest of the day! 

We had lunch at Hunters Hut but pushed on for another few hours to get to Porters where we stopped for the night. The route from Hunters was all alongside the river which was beautiful but if I ever see the word 'undulating' in the track notes again I might cry. Although the route wasn't difficult, it was a fair bit of up and down considering our legs had already taken a beating from the Rintoul Scree-ing. 

When we reached Porters, we worked out what food we had left and scoffed everything and anything that wasn't needed for our last day's hiking tomorrow. 

When Phil and John caught up and dibbed their beds, we had an America vs England Chmpionship game of Eucher - the outcome isn't important. 

The last two hut beds were taken by a French couple walking North Bound. They had passed the German boys,who had gone ahead the day before, earlier in the day and seen one of them fall three metres from a rock and crack his head open. The French girl just happened to be a nurse and so put six stitches into the German's head on the track with no anesthetic or anything! I'm never amazed by what happens on this trail. 

Porters - St Arnaud

Another day following the river but Luke and I were just ready for a shower and some proper food. 

The path wasn't too bad and there were some amazing views of the Red Hills and the 'Mineral Belt' which is where oceanic and continental crust have collided and formed patches of really green rock - luke and I both took a small chunk and we've challenged each other to carry it until Bluff. 

The track then leads onto a gravel road that takes you all the way to the main highway into St Arnaud. Since the other roads have been closed to trucks because of the Kaikora earthquake, they are all using this route through so there were tons of trucks driving beside us and there was no hard shoulder so three km in we decided we'd hitch into the village.

It took 2.5 hours. 2.5 hours of standing hopelessly on the side of the road in 25 degree heat. It was not fun at all considering we thought it would be an easy hitch with all the traffic! 

When we eventually did arrive in StArnaud, though, we booked into a hostel, put our washing on, and went for Fish n Chips at the chippy that only opens for 4hours a week! That is how small this place is- only  4 hours! 

(Oh - we got free soap when we checked into the hostel too! Win win!) 

Rest day - St Arnaud

Lush day doing nothing today! 

Had the best breakfast in the Lodge, went for a little walk and wrote Rosanna a post card, then had to resupply for the next section. 

The resupply was in a little tiny local shop that had nothing but charged five times the price for whatever they did have- that wasn't fun and killed our mood slightly but thankfully we had agreed to meet John and his daughter Kelli for dinner so we had an all you can eat BBQ at the lodge and spirits were lifted again! 

 

Black Rock - Smiths Farm (30km)

Woke up at 6am just as the rain was starting. I nudged Luke and asked him if he wanted to get up before the tent got wet... we woke up again at 7am with a wet tent. (Outside, not in- waterproof repair tape seems to be working).

We had rain all day so no glorious views but we did get a few valuable glimpses of the sound that I won't forget.

There were a few climbs up and down along the way but we walked the track really quickly and wound up in Anakiwa way quicker ham we expected. We had a coffee from the Green caravan cafe before finishing the remaining 5km walk beside the seafront to get to our camp site for the evening.

I hadn't expected much from the camp site but when we arrived, we walked into a big farm surrounded completely by hills covered in pine forest. The sun had finally decided to come out so everything looked even better but we decided to opt for the cabin option anyway - it wasn't expensive and we still had kit to dry out so it was excusable!

When we checked in, we were given a basket of fresh out-of-the-oven banana muffins which were delicious! They also gave us some feed for the sheep and goats, and a map to their very own bush walk that led to a waterfall and glow worms!

We spent the afternoon just relaxing before heading for the waterfall around 9.15pm as the sun was going down.

It was a lovely little walk at dusk but once the sun had completely gone, the walk back to the campsite was even better! The pathway was just lined with these star-like spots of light. Under every crevice their were strings of web that hung down from the rock and a bright blue light that attracted the bugs- if you turned your torch off and looked at the rock with no other light, it looked just like the nights sky- absolutely bonkers! Who'd have thought I'd love a worm so much... and even more so for not paying to go and see them like we'd planned but seeing them for free with no queues or guides telling us where to look. Lovely evening and lovely camp site!

Furnaux Lodge - Black Rock Camp (28km)

Another miserable day but we started it out inside a warm, dry cabin so it wasn't all bad. We had some catching up to do from he day before so we headed for the DOC camp 28km on.

Again, track was fairly straight forward - every now and again we'd hit a clearing with a picnic bench facing the view but all we saw was fog and rain - we seem to keep taking the weather with us to the view points!

We took a ten minute detour to Eatwell's lookout which was a steep climb but well worth it for the views we finally got! It was still miserable but we could see right across the Sounds in almost every direction. It was beautiful.

Other than that, the rest was as usual- we walked, we ate, we camped.

Ship Cove - Furnaux Lodge (13km)

We had a huge curry, played the 'who am i' game, and watched the live music and firework display for New Years last night.

It was difficult to make the most of it since I was still feeling woozy from the boat and we had to be up early the morning after, so come 12.15am we were in bed!

I was glad to see the new year in anyway - I text home which was nice but it was too warm to feel like a proper New Year!

We caught the ferry from Picton to Ship Cove at 9am. All was going well until the rain came in and the waves quadrupled in size - I had to hold on to the seats and keep my eyes shut so I couldn't see the sky appearing and disappearing out of the window.

We pulled in beside the jetty and I jumped out as quickly as I could - for once I was thankful for the cooler weather.

Luke followed me into the shelter where we had to make an emergency repair to his pack cover which had somehow lost its elastic and would no longer stay on his pack. We managed to just about fix it before braving the wind and rain - Marlborough is known for being the 'sunniest region in New Zealand and yet we arrive to start its famous Queen Charlotte Track in the pouring rain!!

The track is one of the Great Walks so the path was easy to follow and the short climbs that were at the very start were easy considering we had a fairly light pack. BUT when we reached Furnaux Lodge just 13km in, we still felt as though we deserved a nice hot coffee to take shelter from the rain for a while.

We took off our waterproofs and hung them up to dry (inside out since they were more wet from sweat than from rain!) and then headed inside for a drink... the fire was roaring, the lounge was heaving with people like they do at home in the pub on a snow day, and the hot chocolate was just perfect.

We couldn't help it. We were going to stick to our guns and enjoy the South Island as best we could... we booked a room! The dorm beds were quite expensive but since we had some money left over from Bumps' New Year curry, we thought it ok to indulge.

However, our luck was in. When we went to find our beds, they had already been slept in so we headed back to reception. The receptionist apologised and moved us to a cabin instead with a private bathroom, lounge and kitchen area for no extra cost - thank you, Bumps!!

We spent the evening with views over the water and card games in the bar with a baileys! I love how we've started the South - it feels like a holiday!

Ngaio - Island Bay (22km)

We walked the first part of the track with Lois and Rowan through Tresillic Park. When we reached the steps climbing up and over the hill, Rowan and Lois turned left, we went up!

The track dropped down through pine forest until we caught our first sites of Wellington - the stadium is the first thing you spot on the harbour which isn't the most beautiful of views but the further South you move, the better the views get.

We walked into the city where we met Kevin and Ollie for coffee and to take shelter from the rainy weather that had followed us from the Tararuas into Wellington.

We hung around until we really thought we'd better get a move on and finish the last of the North island track, so Kevin, Ollie, Renee, Luke and I made our way to the end. Unfortunately, Robert and Anna (slovaks) who are the other two people I've hiked with a fair bit on the North island had to go back home due to work opportunities so we didn't get to finish with them- they did it a few days before. Nonetheless, it was nice to have most of the team together!

The track was quite hilly, as is most of the track we walk, but it was bike  track so was fairly straight forward walking.

We did a little detour to one of the filming locations of Lord of the Rings where we posed the famous picture, as you do. (Posted the picture on Facebook- knew Ellie would love it - she commented straight away!)

About a km away from the end of the track, you walk down a country road towards the sea. The waves were crashing just like they do in a little seaside town in Cornwall and to the right, there was a little sign that read 'Honey Wine, Free Tasting.' We went into the brewing room and tried some very stingy tasters of their wine - it was disgusting!! I was very glad she poured so little into the glass actually!

The track ends in a park in Island Bay. It's not the farthest north on the island you can go but it is conveniently positioned near a bus stop so you can get back into the city for the ferry!

We found the stone marking the end of the North Island Te Araroa Trail and touched it with both hands. WE WERE DONE!

Over half way, 1702km completed and a whole island travelled. I felt amazing- if I think back to when Luke and I were on the bus up to the Cape, I'm not sure either of us thought we'd make it this far... and now we have the beastly calf muscles to prove we did!

We took our pictures and sat around for a bit before catching the bus back into town and enjoying a nice cold gin and tonic!!

Paramata - Ngaio x3nights (Wellington) (28km)

Graham cooked bacon and eggs for breakfast (I stuck with cereals for a change - lots of left over Christmas food had filled me up!) and then he kindly drove us to the PAC and SAVE to restock and then to the start of the Colonial Knob track. Again, we couldn't believe how much people want to go out of their way. Graham and Marilyn didn't even know who we were and yet wouldn't take no for an answer when it came to helping us out - they even offered to have us on our way back up to Auckland after our walk.

The Colonial Knob track is almost all steps to the first look out and then a short climb further to the trig point. We all struggled with the steps due to over eating and spoiling ourselves over the days before but we did make it to the top eventually!

You drop down over fields and then rough pine forest until you hit a road that passes through a small village. We had our heart set on the cafe half way along the road but soon realised a cafe in the middle of nowhere wasn't going to be open on Christmas/new year week so we trudged on disappointedly to find somewhere for lunch.

We eventually gave up and ate on the side of the road before picking up the track that zig zagged up and around the hills all the way to Ngaio just outside of Wellington.

Thanks to Facebook, we'd managed to find some free accommodation for the next few days. We'd been instructed by our host, Lois, to meet her two boys underneath the railway bridge, which we did.

Stirling and Quinn met us and walked us to the house where they gave us some squash to drink while we waited for their mum to come back home.

Lois and her husband Rowan came back with arms full of shopping to stock the fridge full of food for our stay - we stayed three nights and despite our offers to cook or buy ingredients, they cooked every night and gave us breakfast in the mornings.

Luke and I slept on an air bed in the lounge so we tried to be up and out as early as we could so we weren't in anyone's way, but it was so comfortable compared to our usual mats that getting up was near impossible!

From their house we could jump on the train and be into Wellington in 15 minutes so we did our resupply for the first South Island stretch and bought Luke a new waterproof ready for the somewhat unpredictable weather we were expecting!

Paraparaumu - Paramata (26km)

For breakfast, Andrea had home made toasted muesli that we had with yogurt, fresh fruit and a filter coffee... was looovely!

We made some rolls up with chutneys and hams left over from Christmas which were all delicious too, and then we headed off for Marilyn's house!

We left some things with Andrea and Graham so we'll be visiting them again on our way back up to Auckland which we will look forward to - it would be nice to go back and thank them again for their help!

The walk for the day started back on the beach and followed track through Queen Elizabeth Park via the sand dunes.

It was a very windy day but thankfully the rain was still holding off as we met back up with Renee and approached the escarpment track that headed up 200 meters on coastal track. The track, although a little steep on the way up, was reasonably easy apart from the wind! At times I had to rest into the rock to stop myself being blown around too much.

It took us just over two hours to finish the escarpment track and then we just had to make our way into Paramata via the walkway that followed beside the main road.

When we arrived at Marilyn and her  husband Graham's house, we were shown upstairs to our rooms - their house was a very English kind of cottage (but way bigger) right on the coast with views of the sea from almost every room! We had tea in the conservatory once we were showered and then relaxed until dinner.

Graham had cooked stuffed chicken breast with new potatoes and a fresh salad with bonus grapes in it! We all had wine and chatted for ages until we finally called bedtime!

Rekorangi - Paraparaumu (22km)

(Boxing Day)

We didn't get wet- hoorah! We did have to pry Renee's rain skirt off the bottom of the tent from where the glue had started to dry but we were dry, our stuff was dry and that was good enough. 

The walk into Paraparaumu was mostly on road but we finished with a section over the estuary and then a few km on beach - it turns out everyone that lives even a little bit close to a beach here has a boat and they all tow it to the beach on the back of their mini tractor on Boxing Day!

We stopped for a drink in a cafe on the front and had a cooked breakfast before making our way up to Renee's friends house to collect our parcel sent from home- they told us it wasn't much to be excited for but I was very very excited nonetheless! 

When we arrived at the door, Shaun called us in and got us all a beer each. He and his wife had some family over so we went outside to the decking area and helped them finish off the left over pavlova and fresh fruit (probably didn't need it on top of the breakfast!) 

Shaun brought me the gift from home that he'd had to rewrap for us because on receiving it he opened it unsure of who Daisy and Luke were! 

We opened it up to find a pair of Christmas socks each, a drawing from Rosanna, Christmas cards from everyone and a little message in a bottle! Was so lovely to have something to open and see I hadn't been totally forgotten yet!! 

While we were still scoffing pavlova in the garden I had a phone call from Graham and Andrea who had invited us to stay with them - Jayne  (Emma's mum) had passed us their details before we left. So turns out Andrea is my best friend, Emma's mum's cousin's ex-wife! I'm not sure we really knew what the connection was until we met! Graham (Andrea's partner) came to collect me and Luke from Shaun's house where Renee was staying and he took us back to his house where we dumped our bags in the spare room and left again - we were going for a Boxing Day picnic on the beach! 

We got to the beach about 3pm and stayed there until almost 9... we were greeted by probably about 20 people all from England- most from up North. They had made salads to go with hams and turkey rolls and cooked fresh meat on the BBQ. They were playing cricket on the grass - Luke made a crazy dive and caught the ball before it crashed into the salad table which got him some extra brownie points! 

We ate like it was Christmas Day all over again and had a few beers as we sat on picnic blankets in the sun ... I don't think Andrea and Graham realise how thankful we were for the company and how much we appreciated the festivities after having not been around many people on Boxing Day and Christmas Day. 

Almost everyone we met gave us both a cuddle before we left and wished us well on our walk. One lady, Marilyn, also went out of her way to offer us a bed for the night the day after! It was like being part of their big family and we'll never forget our first ever roasting hot Boxing Day on a beach! 

On the way back to the house, Graham drove us by the start of the track and Andrea told us about the walk we'd be taking - is always nice to have a tip or two from locals.

We had showers and then settled on the sofa with a coffee, a mince pie and a bloody good view of the sun setting on the sea out of the lounge window. 

We chatted for a while with Andrea and Graham, did a little bit of washing, and then head for a good nights sleep in a bed! 

Merry Boxing Day to us!