Day 28: Ahuriri to Ōhau

From our advanced campsite we had a relatively easy day ahead. The track was good, there was not so much undulation... just a slow gradual increase in elevation up to the saddle. It got slightly steeper toward the saddle, before flattening out into a little bit of a swamp.

The view from the top, at around 1420 m.

Coming down the other side we were met by great views over lake Ōhau.

The bush line would begin at around 1000 m, and the track conditions would steadily improve as we got down to lower elevations, eventually becoming a walking highway. Abruptly we were tossed out of the beech forest, into the grave of what once was. Bush fires had ravaged the surrounding area, and especially the foothills, leaving behind blackened tree carcasses. The track met up with a 4wd road, and it was quite interesting to see the ferns winning the battle for the new undergrowth... outcompeting the gorse.

The fire had been right over the road where the Te Araroa comes through, the pole markers were left in a sorry state.

We eventually got down to Lake Ōhau, showing off it's glacial hue. We decided to push on a little bit around Ōhau to find a campsite for the night, as the DOC campsite had met the same fate as the forest.

We found a good spot on the lakes edge and set up for the night. A short 30 km flat walk into Twizel from here tomorrow.

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