Leaving Fox Glacier, a shot of the milky river from the glacier melt.
Following Route 6 southward, the road hugged the edge of the hills across the flatlands and climbed into the hills to make our way further south. We stopped briefly at Bruce Bay before resuming our southward travel.
Eventually we reached the wide spot in the road that marked the northern trailhead (and car park) for the Haast-Paringa Cattle Track. Our goal was the Blue River Hut (2 hour walk) rather than the southern car park, which was listed at a 19 hour walk. Kicking of the walk at 1030, we plunged into the forest. This track was just the opposite of the Matheson Lake Track with its paths so well tended and bridges and elevated walkways above the wet spots, where the trail was typically 5 feet wide.
The cattle trail (blessedly not used for cattle anymore) was a wet, sloppy, and wild track - one that once we were done with, Nicky told us “now you’ve been tramping.” This trail, in addition to the primordial forest loaded with ferns, tree ferns, and other ancient species, featured a lot of mud, steams crossing the trail, streams flowing along the trail, numerous obstacles either biological (fallen trees) or geological (rocks to climb up, down or around).
The track, which did not rise or fall drastically, edged along steep slopes of the valleys as we wound our way through the wilderness to the Moeraki River, then followed it upstream to a swing bridge, arriving at about 1230. We went across one at a time, swaying above the rushing blue water below. I was second to last to cross, and I wasn’t going to be comfortable due to my vertigo.
I made it across with no mishaps, but for some reason I started whistling on my way across - “A Bicycle Built for Two” – don’t ask how I chose it, I didn’t, it just came to me and helped me across. The hut wasn’t much further up the trail although there was seriously muddy spot that Nicky warned us that a previous guest had gotten all the way up to his neck! Reaching the hut, Nicky scouted a path down to the river, and we perched on the rocks with our lunch at 1245.
Leaving Fox Glacier, a shot of the milky river from the glacier melt.
Coastal forest at Bruce Bay.
Jonathan looking out over the beach at Bruce Bay.
Mt. Huxley put in an appearance in a break in the clouds.
The trailhead of the Haast-Paringa Cattle Track. The sign said it takes 19 hours to walk to the southern end.
Jonathan rounding a bend in the trail.
Tom leading Pat and Jim through the thick vegetation.
Nicky crossing the swing bridge made of chain link fence.
Tom pauses mid-way to take in the view. (*gulp*)
Nicky, ready to lend a hand, stands on the rock that we had to scramble at the other end.
Jonathan crossing. I made him wait so he could take snapshots of my crossing.
Another view showing the river we were crossing.
There was a plan to build a more conventional bridge, but the river flooded leaving the twisted steel on the banks.
Nicky approaches the Blue River Hut.
Jim taking his lunch by the riverside.
The blue waters of the Moeraki River tumbling over the boulders.
I liked the color and patterns of the lichens on this rock.
Jonathan in his own thoughts.
A flower finding shelter among the boulders.
Pat and Jim's hiking shoes needed some drying out after today's walk.
After lunch, Jonathan and I both packed our cameras in our bags - as this was an in-and-out hike we generally don’t take pictures on the way back. We also stayed right behind Nicky so she could help Jonathan through some of the more challenging obstacles on the trail. There was one rock he was especially dreading, but when we got back to the bus, he wanted to know if we took a different route as he didn’t remember encountering it on the way back. (I did remember it.)
We reboarded the bus and drove about 15 minutes south to the Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge where I’m currently running a load of laundry including our muddy hiking pants.
While the laundry was in process, we repaired to our room where we both took naps - very sound ones at that. I roused myself a little before 1900 to retrieve the laundry from the dryer and folded it.
After getting Jonathan up, we went to dinner where the proprietors of the lodge, Ann and Gerry, joined us. I had an appetizer of salmon with corn fritter, gazpacho salsa, and greens; a main of New Zealand lamb, and a dessert of mini pavlova with berries - all very good!
The sky overhead had totally cleared, and the lodge was offering a stargazing walk, so I went back to the room to get my VT fleece and Jonathan’s sweater. Our host, John, lead us up the drive to Route 6 and we walked up (north) on the road to Lake Moeraki where you get a good open look at the sky across the lake.
One of the attractions was to watch the international space station go by - it looked like a reddish star moving steadily low across the horizon at twilight. As the sky got darker, John pointed out the stars as they emerged. Jupiter was conveniently in the sky, useful as a reference point, and Alpha and Beta Centauri was visible soon thereafter, followed by the Southern Cross. As the darkness grew, more and more stars emerged and I was able to see the larger and smaller Magellanic Clouds. We saw a couple of shooting stars just to make things complete.
John also pointed out a more terrestrial constellation on the cliff-side along the road, the light of glow worms casting the faint pale blue light into the night. Gazing long enough, the hillside looked like a starry sky, or a fairy landscape out of a Disney animation. The glow worm, Arachnocampa luminosa, lays down a set of vertical webs coated with glue and a paralytic agent that other insects fly into attracted by the light of the glow worm. Very much like a spider, hence the genus Arachnocampa.
We walked back along the road, narrowly avoiding stepping on the road kill - a possum (Apparently, the New Zealand possums are no brighter than their American cousins) and returned to the lodge to turn in for the evening.