Last time we walked it, the kids were just 4 yrs & 6 yrs, so they required a lot of help and we had to carry all their gear. This time it was different! We gave them backpacks and made them carry all their clothes, shoes, sleeping bags, books, toys, etc! Leaving us to just carry our own gear and a couple of days worth of food. We also brought another family along with us this time so we had 5 kids (and a dog) in our group who all motivated each other to walk all day without any grumbling at all. Nice....
So, after a picnic lunch in the bush, we set off. Here we are at the start of the track, all refreshed, happy, mud-free and sweat-free. Note Freddy Gawn (the dog) who was the only one who had no idea what was in store for him at this point - although he probably had the most fun out of all of us in the end!
The first day's walking went brilliantly, with just one brief stop necessary for some afternoon tea and a refreshing paddle in the river....
The track is relatively flat (by NZ standards) but the last half hour was a bit challenging with a lot of uphill along narrow rocky paths. I think we were all quite pleased when we found our hut!
The Department of Conservation maintains a number of these huts around the country which you can book out to sleep in when you're tramping, and they do such a great job. There's no electricity so you need to bring your own candles, but other than that all you need for the night is there - some mattresses and bunk beds, a gas cooker, a wood fire (with wood and an axe) and a table and chairs to drink tea and play endless rounds of cards at...
...while the kids occupied themselves playing outside with sticks and torches and stuff.....
After a very, very broken nights' sleep (Freddy kept pacing the floor of the hut and kept us all awake!), here we are setting off in the morning for Day 2's walking.
For the journey back we decided to take a different route, and travelled the first part along the (mostly dry) river bed instead of along the track. We thought it would be nice and flat and easy. How wrong we were!
The little water there was criss-crossed backwards and forwards across the river bed, which meant countless river crossings for us. Shoes off, shoes on, shoes off, shoes on, numb feet from the cold, numb feet from the rocks. Only two of us complained though...!
It did mean that the journey out took much longer than the journey in! So long that the boys/men couldn't hold on any longer....(!) ;)
And a couple of lolly breaks were necessary to keep the kids going this time...but we all made it out in one piece with only one tiny blister between the 9 of us, a few muddy items of clothing and lots of smiling faces....!
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