|
We got up at 6 a.m., ate muesli, yoghurt, and tea, and washed the dishes. We packed up, leaving the hut at 7:30. Stan called Mt. Cook Salmon to order two fresh salmon for dinner at his and Shona's house tomorrow night. It was misting when we got into the van, but it soon cleared and Mt. Cook was visible. We sorted our gear for tonight's overnight hike in the van. We stopped at the salmon farm and Stan collected the fish. After that we stopped at Lake Tekapo (site of the Mount John Observatory) for gas. While Stan was filling the tank, Craig and I got hot chocolate and oven-fresh apricot chocolate chip muffins at the quaint, alien-themed Observatory Cafe. We chatted with the really nice guy manning the counter who would be moving to Finland soon. Then we stopped at the Church of the Good Shepherd. It's a gorgeous little stone church, and the altar faces a picture window that overlooks the lake.
We drove to the Mt. Somers trailhead and ate leftover chicken satay for lunch. As we started the tramp, there were a bunch of older Kiwis just finishing it. We have to hand it to the Kiwis; they stay fit to a very old age. They put us to shame. Stan's backpack popped a buckle early on in the tramp, but he was able to repair it sufficiently. Stan and one of the older Kiwis pointed out the sap-like substance on the beech trees that we had noticed at Pelorus Bridge. Stan said that it was honeydew, and urged us to taste it. We licked the bark of the tree, and then he and the older Kiwi laughed, saying that it was bug excrement. Hey, it tasted good! We continued hiking through the forest (where we heard bell birds galore) and up the miner's trail which led to the old Blackburn Mine - a coalmine from the 1920's and '30's. The ground was black and volcanic-looking...all coal. It was lightly raining and the southerly winds were blowing. Because of this, we couldn't really appreciate the views, so we took the quickest way to the hut (a 4 wheel drive road). As we noticed that the hike wasn't as deadly as we had anticipated, Craig regretted not packing a couple beers in his pack (and not for the last time!) We arrived at the Mt. Somers Hut on Woolshed Creek. The hut was divided into two halves. In the half with the fire were a mother, father, and 6-year-old son. On the other side were two Kiwi women drinking wine (Tara was a teacher from NZ, and Anita was a teacher originally from England). We chose the latter, and thought again about the beer and Bacardi's back in the van. Craig and I staked out the top bunks, and Stan laid claim to the bench. The hut had no electricity, so as the afternoon grew darker we lit some candles. A Scottish woman (Kate) and her husband Jonathan (from Northern Ireland) came in and settled into some of the lower bunks. It was a bit awkward at first. It was chilly and rainy, so everyone just stayed in the hut. But soon we felt more comfortable. The Scottish woman offered us Toffee Pop cookies, which we had heard so much about from Stan. They were yummy. We started making food (Stan's African Beans which consisted of black-eyed beans, rice, veges, red peppers, chilli, etc.). Just as we were about to eat, Stan asked Craig what kind of beer he'd prefer. Stan had carried a bottle for each of us in his pack, and hadn't let on at all. It was such a nice surprise!! A very touching moment. Stan always took such good care of us! We had chocolate mousse from a communal bowl for dessert. We offered to share, and only Anita took us up on our offer. We told her she had to take turns eating from the communal bowl as well. She thought we were crazy, and her friend took photos of us eating together, but she was a good sport. I wrote in the journal and we all chatted. It seemed that the other half of the hut was now full; we could hear a bunch of kids. We wanted to stay up a while, but the rest of our hut was ready for bed, so we turned in as well (didn't want to keep them awake the way the family had kept us awake the night before) at 9 p.m. |
 Church of the Good Shepherd, Lake Tekapo  Former site of Blackburn Mining Company  Mount Somers Hut  Craig, Steph, and Stan: dinner at Mount Somers Hut 
|
|
 |
|
 |
