We´ve just finished one section and jumped to the next one right away. We almost didn´t even catch a breath :) Quick burger in Arthur´s Pass and we kept walking to the next range. In the hut in the evening we exchanged our experience with two NOBO´s and wished them good luck for the next day as there were big clouds forming above the Deception - Mingha valleys.
Our day started with a fresh shower that dissapeared as fast as it appeared and after a while walking through the forest we entered the tussock plains and could admire the... view. Morning in Arthur´s Pass valley we were again surrounded by serene morning beauty with clouds slowly evaporating in the overpowering quiet.
Další etapa nám začala, ani jsme se nenadáli. Byli jsme fakt šťastní, že můžeme opět jít a ráno jsme byli plní energie. Okolí bylo prostoupené klidem a ranní mraky rozpouštějící se v údolím, na které jsme stoupali, tomu pocitu ještě přidalo. Tyhle chvíle se nedají moc dobře popsat, ale jednoduše prostor = volnost. Asi na tom něco bude :)
Tahle etapa nás opět zavedla do trochu jiné přírody, přehoupli jsme se do dalšího údolí plného kamenitých roklí a tady jsme opravdu hodně cítili, jak nás příroda úplně obklopila.
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| Arthur´s point and the morning |
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| Den 33 |
We remembered climbing the Bayley spur with Roman´s dad and Avalanche Peak with Zuzka and Petr and we could only admit how time flies. But there was a great peace with the nature and we just enjoyed this moment. We were alone in the hills again and so we climbed up to the saddle, crossed it and went down the valley.
Today we were heading to the famous Hamilton (Hilton) hut. We heard stories how beautiful it was, so we were quite looking forward to see it. The nature was different again. As we went down to the valley, it started to be narrower and narrower and soon we were standing in the river surrounded by rocks. This day was also crosing the river many times day, so we followed downstream into wider valleys and meadows out and back into the forests.
We were really "alone" except for meeting some hunters at one hut on the way and one lady and in the afternoon we reached the famous "Hamilton Hilton" where we found a group of friendly hunters, so we had really a great company, drank whisky and wine with them (true Hilton!) and had a great evening. AND SHOWER! Those guys had a solar shower and they happily let us use the hot water. Wow. This kind of tramping experience was truly unexpected :D
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| anybody home? |
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| Hut life |
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| after 38 crossings...a bridge? :) |
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| great company and whisky time! Hamilton Hilton indeed! |
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| the Hilton |
The next day was a long day ahead of us. We knew we´d walk along Harper river downstream all the way to Lake Coleridge. We weren´t sure where we´d end up for the night, so we just decided we´d walk and see.
In the morning we were given so many food presents by the lovely hunters party - even peaches in syrup :) ! We decided it would be our treat at the end of the day after the long walk :) This was the first time we left the hut with packpack heavier than the night before :D
It was a long day with long path stretching in front of us with long winding river with many crossings and the views were stunning. We saw the pinnacles, some awesome geology stuff - rain eroded rocks sharp as teeth that looked like Sagrada Familia from distance. The clouds went slowly up and eventually they melted again so we saw the mountain tops.
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| keep rollin´ |
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| ta daaaa |
Then we crossed the Avoca river and saw Avoca valley! Wearing Avoca merino we made couple of cheeky awesome poses photos :) Avoca valley looked awesome and was really inviting us but we decided not to take a 30 km or so detour. Maybe next time ;)
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| Avoca river |
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| The Avoca valley inviting us... |
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| Avoca valley before |
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| Avoca valley after |
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| cool guys @Avoca |
The weather became warm as we were getting closer and closer to lake Coleridge and by the time we reached the village it was almost hot. But we decided to keep walking to Lake Selfe because we were told by the hunters there´s good fishing there and we wanted to check it out :)
And there the gravel road begun. It was long last few kilometers, but we knew the next day we´d walk much more on it, so there was no space for despair. After all, the nature around the gravel road was just woderful.
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| on the road again! and sausage fingers |
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| Lake Selfe |
And there was also The River. (This is not THE river on the photo :)
Yes, there are people who have crossed it and it is possible. But also being a large (around 7 km wide) braided river on unstable shingle bed, Rakaia is not reccomended to be crossed even for people with experience and she took many lives. So it was pretty obvious we wouldn´t try to cross it.
So we needed to walk to Lake Coleridge village, hitch to Metheven, resupply and hitch on the other side and keep on walking. So we decided to stay at Lake Selfe for the night and continue walking next day.
Lake Selke was beautiful little lake, but just after we pitched the tent a big wind stated to blow, so we went straight to bed without fishing attempt :(
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| Byla to švanda ve větru :) / fun night with our old friend Wind! |
...and what a fun night it was! In the middle of the night it almost blew us away! So first we had a BIG argument and Roman moved out and then we moved the tent and he moved back in. He actually suggested we´d move the tent in the evening but I was stubborn as, so I had to learn the hard way at midnight :) See the cartoon above, it speaks for itself. Anyway, I had to eat the humble pie, but we could sleep which was quite essential :)
Next morning, loneliness on the gravel road. Literally. We walked for 2 hours with not a single car passing. We met some chatty horsies though. We knew we had to hitch from the village (which is quite remote itself), so the fact there was absolutely no traffic made as...a bit nervous :)
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| typical morning :) |
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| willow and autumn |
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| where to go, where to go... |
When we had last 4 km or so to be walked, we heard a car approaching, so we gave him "thumbs up" and he took us! Although it seems like we made our walking journey a bit shorted we actually walked southern than Te Araroa continues on the other side. And it turned out we walked some extra kms the next day on the Double Hill road, so we "paid the small debt" :)
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| Lenka´s impression of Lake Coleridge and Rakaia river |
In Metheven we treated ourselves again and during the hitching trip and hanging out in the cafe he heard "horrible rumors" about "horrible snow storm" coming to the Clent hills - our next destination. And guess what. When we woke up the next morning after a big rainy night, we saw....
The snow.
