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26km, 8 hours
I went to sleep last night listening to the rocks slide down the cliffs a hundred or so metres from where we're camping. At least it was a good night's sleep..I'm finding every night in the tent now a good night's sleep and i think it has to do with the tent being your one bit of private space. Everything is in its right place and it's like a little safe haven. I've also acquired a daddy long legs spider during the night who now hangs out in my storage net but I figured he can help eat the sandflies. To fear being labelled crazy like Tom Hanks character in Castaway and naming his volleyball Wilson, Ive named my spider, Derek. I didn't even get Derek out of the tent I just packed him up into the stuff sack.
The fun thing about camping next to cliffs is also realising that you have to climb them first thing to get out of the valley. This was a steep goat track! One of those tracks where you're climbing soft dirt and you've just got to keep moving up quickly because as soon as you stop, rational fear creeps in and you start to doubt yourself and your foot placement. I ended up choosing not to go up the path at one point because i just had the feeling I'd slip all the way back down so went wide of it and made a new path up. Got there eventually. Heart rate up in the first 5 minutes.
Out of the Ahuriri valley I had left behind Canterbury and was into Otago. The Lindis Pass not too far to the south of where we hiked across.
The next part of the day involved hundreds of cows who were more than happy to make it known you were on their turf. They were everywhere. It made for lots of deep muddy patches and fun trying to go around them. Meanwhile David had chose to walk up on top of the ridge which only meant he scared all the cows up there so they ran down into the valley. As i walked i thought what do i do if a cow charges at me. i was to probably jump into a matagouri bush. Upon asking the group later, Laura and I had the same thought but the Austrians, David & Conny were like 'noooo you use your poles as horns and moo back and charge'. Clearly experienced with the cows in the mountains in Austria.
Surviving the cows unscathed, It was then a matter of just wandering the 4wd track through a gorge over private property to arrive at Tin Hut. It was just a cute Backcountry hut. So nice of the landowners to let it be used. How nice would it be to have so much land you have huts on it in incredible locations.
We all met up at the hut: Laura, Conny, David, Sam, Ivan and I. We were all starving!
Of course right when we leave the hut it starts to rain. Right when we are to climb up the valley to summit Martha's Saddle. It didn't dampen our spirits however in fact it only seem to make it more fun and exciting. The higher up we climbed the colder and wetter it got. I think because we hadn't had rain in weeks it was novel. I didn't even bother with my rain jacket until I got to a point where I started to freeze and was in the clouds. It had a touch of the Waiau Pass about it. I quickly stopped, took off my wet shirt, threw on my rain jacket and continued up. My hands were freezing!!. It was one of the most interesting landscapes and it all looked so moody and mystical in the rain and clouds.
I was smiling trying to take it all in and wanting to stay at the pass longer but I was seriously cold i needed to get down. Down went on for quite some time, razor backing down rocky scree slopes until finally opening out into an incredible valley and the sun coming out again. I was so happy here, so amazed. I ditched the path and just walked across all the dried up snow melt stream after stream. The valley was so dark with black rock and brown grass and as I walked I just couldn't believe that it was just me there. No one else. No one else is coming here unless they're walking the TA. How cool is that.
I took my pack off and sat on a rock in the sun looking back at where id come down from and my music on shuffle, Midnight city by M83 came on and could not have been a better soundtrack as i looked around the mountains towering above me.
This valley gave me another one of those moments where you are just proud of yourself for what you've achieved that day. When you look at a mountain and think, I've come down that.
I was a few kms from Top Timaru Hut so thought I should carry on. By the time I'd got there the 6 bed hut in the most amazing location perched above a river with views up and down the valley, was full. That was no problems at all as it meant i got to camp in the best spot possible on a cliff top looking up at the mountains.
In the hut we met Zac and Steph an Aussie couple from north west Tasmania. They were so lovely! Instantly you just warmed to them. What i was, was so impressed with is Steph. She had never hiked in her life prior to coming and doing half of the TA. Andrew in Tekapo had told me about another Aussie couple he has stayed with in a hut on the Two Thumb track (one of the toughest up hill climb days!). He couldn't believe that they had chosen that day to be their first day on trail.
When i found out Steph hd never hiked before I put two and two together and realized this was that couple. I told Steph how incredibly proud of her I am and happy i am to hear that there's girls out there like her just willing to give it a go!
There were so many sandflies at top timaru hut which meant we all crammed in the hut during the day but as it has been baking in the sun it was boiling hot. Sam and Ivan did nothing but annoy me in this hut as this photo clearly reflects my frustration. I'm so glad I'm in my tent tonight.
Ren x.
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