| Submitted by: Thomas Brown , New Zealand |
| Submission Date: 26 February 2006 |
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Heaphy Track
The bus that goes to the start of the Heaphy Track arrives in Collingwood from Nelson at 9.15am I think that is a bit late as it will be 10.30am--11am before we start walking, it will take us at least five hours to walk to the first hut as it is all up hill.
The day doesn't look to bad a bit overcast but quite warm, there was a young girl up the street, looked like she was waiting for the bus as she had her rucksack and was obviously waiting for a ride.
Snow in his "Shy" way! Sidled up to her and introduced himself, it turned out she was a twenty three year old German girl Leonie who was on her O.S.E She had been working on a Horse Trekking Farm for three and half weeks and now it was time to move on doing the Heaphy Track on her way.
The bus finally arrived, it was a small bus packed with people and rucksacks, we were not to know it then but these people all became our good friends as the trip went on.
It was a lovely drive up the Aorere Valley a beautiful farming area at the top of the South Island.
Gold was found in the early days and was a scene of great activity with thousands of people travelling to the area to seek their fortunes.
Kahurangi National Park
We arrived at the start of the 82km track just as it was starting to rain, a misty sort of rain but not to heavy.
We all got out of the bus sorted our gear out split into our different groups and headed for the hills.
It appears the German girl has adopted us I could tell this, as she was only two paces behind.
The first hut on the track is called the Brown Hut, which is practically where the bus drop's you off.
The hut we where heading for is called the Perry Saddle Hut and sleeps twenty-six and is 17km away at a height of 880mtr's.
Halfway between Brown hut and the Perry Saddle hut is the Aorere Shelter, this is going to be are first stop for lunch.
These Shelters are specifically designed for the tramper to rest between huts; they are pretty basic but are a haven if you are wet and feeling cold.
They give you a place out of the wind and rain to make a hot drink and a change of clothes should it be necessary.
The track is very good, winding for ever up, but not to steep it was first crossed in 1859 by a gold miner called Aldridge and surveyed as a Bridal Path in 1886 to link the Collingwood area with the West Coast.
I was glad when we finally got to the shelter it wasn't long before we had the Billy on and was having a tuna cheese sandwich and a cup of hot soup followed by a cup of tea and a muesli bar.
It is surprising how these short stops rekindle your enthusiasm to carry on; it also gives you a chance to get to know the other people you are sharing the trail with.
The next interest was a lookout point called Flanagan's Corner the highest point on the track at 915mtr's, by the time we got there it was getting quite cold and we stopped to put on some warm clothes.
How can you explain the joy you feel when you have reached the top of anything, it is not very high but it felt like Mount Everest to me, the view was looking across vast acres of forested hills and valley's, apparently on a nice day you can see Mount Taranaki but not today.
It was all down hill from here to the hut.
We eventually came out of the bush into open type tussock country interspersed with patches of beech trees.
You have good views here of the Douglas Range across the Aorere valley.
It is important that you get to the hut in good time as you have the choice of place you wish to sleep, preferably a bottom bunk for me.
It did not take long to settle into this hut and after a cup of tea I decided to have forty winks I must be getting old or something.
The hut was buzzing with people arriving from both ends of the track.
It looked like it was going to be a pretty full hut by nightfall.
There is a good cross section of countries represented Americans, Germans, English, French, Australians, Israeli's, New Zealander's, and probably others I didn't get to meet.
We were all sounding each other out on this first night together, its surprising the people you meet I was talking to one German called James who is a Physicist working on safety in Nuclear Power stations.
Another David from Manchester had given up working at the bank and was doing as many tracks as he could in NZ.
There was a young American from San Francisco in his twenty's I did not catch his name, he had walked from the Heaphy Hut to the Perry Saddle hut in one day he was a real character, everybody gave him a hard time about President Bush and what was happening in Iraq.
I found him very likeable easy going young man, he was eyeing up our Leonie but he didn't have a chance, our good looks and charm won the day and she cast him aside like a dirty towel!?
("I am sitting in a room in the Perry Saddle Hut, the second one on the Heaphy track from the Collingwood end, it is 6pm, dinner time! There must be at least thirty people staying here tonight, some sleeping on the floor.
We are all sitting in the common room talking to each other and trying to make a scrumptious dinner all at the same time.
Its hard to make a nice dinner with dry food packs but all sorts of recipes are devised and consumed under difficult circumstances, it is a wonderful gathering of people from all over the world all getting on together sharing and helping one another it is brilliant.
It is just getting on dark there is no electricity here and the candles are coming out so that we can stay up a bit longer, the camp fire is going and the whole scene is of warmth and good company what more can a man ask.
Snow and I have brought up some gin mixed with a little Limejuice other people have brought up different drinks like whisky, port wine, vodka etc. Not very much as you have to carry it all on your back.
There are other people sitting around with torches strapped to their heads reading books seemingly in another world.
I am still sitting at the table here, most of the trampers have gone to bed the place is dark looking, only a few candles to give a bit of background, the fire is still going and there is clothing draped around all over the place people trying to dry things out for an early morning start.
I love the atmosphere the wind and rain screaming outside and the contrast of the people in the hut some trying to get to sleep others determined to be the last into bed, the chinks and noises of dishes being washed and the quiet voices muffled in the background, wouldn't be dead for quid's!")
("I will try and explain the average track hut, controlled by the Department of Conservation.
The huts are mainly one story split into two, a room for sleeping and a room for making meals and enjoying each other's company.
The bedrooms are usually one or two long benches with mattress butting up to one another there is no decorum here no segregation of the sexes and the beds are allocated on a first come best served bases, some huts cater for up to sixty people.
The kitchen come common room has some form of wood burner, gas rings for cooking, several sinks for washing dishes large wooden tables and bench type seating I suppose you could describe the complex as Spartan or utility.
The toilets are all outside and are of the long drop variety but are now housed inside a fiberglass enclosure with lots of light and are well maintained, also the place were you wash and clean your teeth etc. are also outside and usually consist of a sink with only cold water and are exposed to the elements apart from a small roof structure.
All rubbish that you bring in you must carry out.
There is not much scope for drying our wet clothes apart from hanging them over or around the fire if it is going!
In my opinion the huts are adequate for the purpose, although I would like to see more nails or hooks around the walls to hangs items of clothing on, the explanation I have from one of the wardens for a lack of hanging space is that the damp clothes might denigrate the structure of the building [Rubbish I say!]
The huts are a great asset to the outdoors and can only encourage people from all ages and backgrounds to enjoy the wonderful experience of travelling into NZ's Vast and beautiful and varied countryside keep up the good work D.O.C.")
It is the second day, we woke up to a brilliant morning it had been snowing over night and it was truly a lovely sight, everybody was thrilled.
We are not in any hurry as we only have thirteen Kilm’s to travel over easy country; it should take us about four hours mostly downhill.
The landscape is so different today passing through rolling red tussock clearings and patches of beech and pygmy pine.
We came across a pole on a bend in the track near to Cave Brook it had obviously been there a long time, over the years people passing this way and having trouble with there footwear had left there boots shoes Jandels etc. behind! And tied them to this pole, it looked quite unique standing in the middle of paradise! A colorful monument to people who have passed this way the pole surely has a lot of stories to tell.
Our first stop for the day is the Gouland Downs hut which has eight bunks, it will be lunch time when we get there we will relax have something to eat and drink, take in the scenery and try and solve the problems of the world.
The modern gas cooker that each person carries with them is a big improvement on the old Primus that we used to use.
The one I carry is tiny it is made from Titanium so it is very light, it has a built in piezo lighter for ignition I can only marvel at it's size and the big job it does.
The next couple of hour's will take us towards the Saxon Hut the newest hut on the track and is named after John Saxon who re-surveyed the crossing in 1886 as a pack horse-track the hut sleeps sixteen.
I found it quite hard walking and talking to Leonie on the track and as much as I loved her company and conversation! It was ok when there was space to walk side by side but most of the time it was single file.
I find it difficult enough to hear at the best of times but when you are trying to concentrate on your feet and straining to listen its easy to fall over.
The Gouland Downs area is vast area of limestone caves rocks and underground water, covered in tussock, swamps, hebes, a large variety of shrubs and trees mostly of the stunted variety it is very beautiful but very easy to get disoriented in misty weather if you wander off the trail.
We will be walking through this kind of country for the next twenty kilometers.
The ground and trees in this area are covered with thick luxurious green moss and we came across stunted stumps that looked like people out of fairy books someone had placed pebbles in appropriate places for eyes etc. they looked very good.
We arrive at the Saxon hut; it took us about four hours of very pleasant walking.
I really enjoyed it here; the hut is nicely placed and has a great outlook of low hills in the immediate surroundings and of higher peaks in the distant.
There is a short walk down to a mountain stream with some nice pools for swimming and washing when the weather is good.
Some people obviously thought the weather was ok as they went bathing the next morning I was not one of them.
When the sun started to go down I went to sit on the bench seat outside to listen hopefully to the call of the Kiwi.
It certainly was a lovely night sitting outside there in the dark listening to the calls of the Morepork, the Weka, the scream of the Possum and other noises I coudnt identify.
The stars were out, glistening in the night, it was also a full moon, you could just see the snow on the tops. ("Have you ever been out in the great alone when the moon is awfully clear and the icy mountains hem you in with a silence you most can hear?")
At last everybody went to bed, but Snow left instructions for me to give him a call if I heard anything. |
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| Copyright © - "Thomas Brown" |
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