Kiwi Tramping!

With fear and trepidation, a little bit of misty drizzle, enough food to attract bears and nullify the hunger pangs of children in growth spurts, we strapped on the packs and set off.  Doesn't Dave look excited??  Pretty sure it was his idea  . . .

 So, kiwi tramping family style involves a one night stay in a Department of Conservation Hut some 8.4 km away!  Carry in all your own gear, sleeping bags, food and clothes.  We made the kids take their school bags with their sleeping bag in it, water bottle and granola bar.  Dave and I shared the rest (thanks for the packs K&L).

Since it was already 3pm by the time we got started, we were seriously hoping that the time estimate of 3 hours was do-able with kids in tow.  If not, we were going to be tramping in the dark.  The sun was due to set around 5:30pm.  Of course you might ask why we were starting out so late?  It involved a 3.5 hour drive from Karamea with a short stop at the amazing skatepark in Reefton for exercise.  There was also a petrol stop and impulsive candy purchase to use as incentive / blackmail for one and all.   It had rained on and off for nearly the last 2 weeks, so we really only decided to give it a go at the last minute - weather dependent!   

This is about 20 minutes in to the hike.  Xavier was still trying to come to terms with exactly how long 3 hours was . . .  while I kept reinforcing that we were not taking a break until we had walked for 1 whole hour.  

 lovely South Island Robins and Fantails greeted us here and there

Finally!  Actually pushed it to 1 hour 15 minutes then found a great log to rest awhile and break out the Pineapple Lumps (thanks Nana!)

 

5:45 saw us breaking out of the forest at Lake Daniells.

 

The hut was occupied with 2 other families also enjoying the school holiday, so the children were not out of place and there was plenty of room on the sleeping platforms, a spare table for us to use and a fire in the log burner to keep the chill off.  Long drops out back, but there was running water in a sink inside the hut.  Still safer to use purifier tablets though for drinking water.  Of course, there's no electricity, so we ate by candlelight, as is tradition out here.  Actually I have no photos of the evening.  The boys were trying to lie down on the benches instead of eating their dinner, they were soooo tired.  We managed to shovel some food into them and play a quick card game, then I read a few chapters of Little House on the Prairie until they dropped off to sleep.  We didn't hesitate to follow.   

 So, Jackson signed the guestbook in the morning!  We dropped our hut tickets in the box.  ($15 per adult, since it was a "serviced" hut and kids were free).  The boys will complain about getting woken up early by a young British boy and his dad in our room.  But they got over their annoyance quickly enough and were keen to start the day. 

Then so we were off again.  Funniest comment came from one of the little girls in the hut, who responded to her mother's comment of "Hurry up, it's almost time for us to go!" with "Go where?"  Gee, when you walk 3 hours into a hut, sleep overnight . . . what do you usually do the next morning??   Often it's Xavier who comes up with the truly blonde comments, but this girl set me off in peals of laughter. 
  

Coolest toadstools ever!  Yes, we sometimes do have to tell them "smile or else!" for the camera. 

 We had left the hut around 8:30am and made it back to the van around 11:30, all in one piece and uninjured . . . until the boys started horsing around at the edge of the parking lot and Jackson had a misstep in a pile of scraggy bush and turned his ankle, falling down into a small ditch.  :-)  Very good thing he only had to limp across the parking lot and not a few kilometres.  LOL

Another couples hours drive and we were arriving in Hanmer Springs, a quaint village set in a valley, with heaps of mountain bike trails in the surrounding forests, nearby ski fields and most importantly, a thermal hot spring complex!  A great reward after our kiwi tramping experience.   Dave's buddy Merv and his wife Noeline were meeting us there for the weekend.  A relaxing time for all.  The little boys were teaching the big boys all about Beyblades and Rugby. 

I have determined that I'm not really a backpacking kind of girl.  At least not in the "travel the world with only a backpack kind of thing".  I just don't need to be that extreme.  Two days, I can handle, then I'm ready for a hot tub.