|
We woke up at 6 a.m., grabbed our stuff, and met Stan outside. He had a 12-person van (for just the three of us) and a very neat trailer that holds gear, converts to a table, holds "chilly bins" (coolers), food, a propane stove, etc. It was very clever and efficient. We got into the van and drove to Te Anau. This was my first bout of "van narcolepsy". The same thing had happened to me in Alaska; the trip was so non-stop that when I actually sat down in the van, I fell asleep immediately. I was a bit bummed because it meant I didn't have a chance to be in on Stan and Craig's getting-to-know-each-other conversation, but figured that rest was more important, as we'd have 9 days to get to know one another.
In Te Anau we did some food shopping. Stan had already bought most of the food (and had brought some organic fruits from his garden at home) but we needed to get some perishables such as meat and bread. Hiking NZ has a very detailed recipe book which lays out appetizers ("starters"), main course, and dessert for each night. It details what ingredients are needed and how to prepare the meal. Craig and I changed some money and went into the sporting goods store to buy myself a microfleece jacket. I found a nice light green one that I liked. We also bought pack liners, huge bright yellow sturdy plastic bags to place in our packs to protect all of our stuff from rain. After that we drove to Lake Gunn. We pulled up beside the lake in the light rain and made sandwiches (ham, cheddar, salami, hummus, tomato, and piccalilli), with tea and coffee to drink. Then we suited up in our wet weather gear for a tramp. We drove to the trailhead and started tramping to Lake Marion. It was a nice tramp - very steep at first and slippery rocks and roots due to the wetness. We saw many birds, such as kakas, wrens (known in NZ as riflemen or little greenstones), tomtits, and fantails. The forest was absolutely alive with the sound of birds. We saw purple mushrooms, beech trees, flax, ferns, etc. The hike to Lake Marion took about 2 hours. When we arrived, the lake was enshrouded in mist and it was absolutely pouring. We had taken off our rain jackets due to the warmth and humidity, so our shirts were soaked. The lake looked very eerie. Stan filled our water bottles with clear, clean, lake water. We ate muesli bars and banana chips while we admired the mist and rocks. Then I used what must be the Cleanest Pit Toilet in the World (brand new, wasn't even functioning when Stan was last there) and headed back down to the van. We had great conversations with Stan on this tramp. We got on quite well with him, and though we had known him for less than 24 hours, we felt like we already knew each other quite well. We arrived back at the van at 5:15, still soaking wet. We drove about 10 minutes to Murray Gunn's Hollyford Cabins. Murray wasn't around, but a woman named Andrea and her pug dog were looking after the place. We went into the office/shop, which was lit by candles (the power generator doesn't come on until 6:30 p.m.). Andrea told us that there was one cabin available (#1) but that the wood stove had some problems with smoke. She gave us a discount due to the smoke problem, so we got the cabin for NZ $8 apiece. We headed over to the cabin. It was rustic but nice. It had two bedrooms and a living area with wood stove, sink, table, and chairs. Stan immediately set about starting the fire in the wood stove while Craig and I changed out of our wet clothes. As soon as I started changing my clothes, the generator kicked in. Perfect timing! The fire was very smoky (the seals on the stove leaked), so we needed to open a couple windows. We hung up our wet clothes by the fire and began preparing dinner. We had chips, veggies, and dip as a starter, followed up by chicken curry with kumara, cauliflower, and rice. It was delicious. Craig and Stan had Speight's Dark and I had a hard cider. We cleaned up the dishes and planned for tomorrow. By then it was 9:15 (how time flies when you're having fun) and we were ready to start getting our gear ready for tomorrow. In the main building there was a real flush-toilet. Just as we were finishing up for the night (10:20) the generators turned off. Wow, were we in synch. |
 Craig and Stan packing the gear  Hike to Lake Marion  Lake Marion  Stan lighting the stove in the cabin 
|
|
 |
|
 |
