Day 52: Kiwi hut to Hurunui no. 3 hut

The weather from a week and change ago has returned. Clear skies, and sweltering heat. The day began with an easy going 8 km hike along the river's side to get from Kiwi hut to Locke Stream hut. Along the way, a small river presented Emma with a chance to take an overly cautious and slow crossing. So I decided to do some laundry while I was waiting for her to make her way across.

Soon we would arrive at our lunch spot. Locke Stream hut was the fourth of four huts built along this section by the government with their first forray into huts and tracks for recreational purposes all the way back in 1939. It was supposed to be their answer to the, even then, burgeoning Milford sound track. It never achieved much success in that ambitious goal. The hut itself was restored in 1993 after a bequest. It was in a very presentable state, though it has become known as Rat Stream hut, because it is somewhat plagued by the critters. Plenty of traps and baits around. But being a little older it's not fully isolated from the environment, so the rats find ways in. They're more present around the immediate area here than in other parts. I nailed up the sign from Bill, and we had lunch before moving on.

The track climbed steadily at first, then all at once, up toward Harper's Pass. Part way up we were presented with good views back through the valley that we'd come through. We were constantly being harried by hook grass on the ascent until they thinned out around 900 m. The grasses would not be so present on the downward side of the saddle however, which I was quite thankful for.

Not long before we reached the saddle top.

Then it was down the other side passed the Harper bivvy which had just received a new lick of paint to arrive at Cameron's hut. Here we stopped for dinner and... other... facilities... around 19:30. The hut had just had a birthday a week ago with some volunteers giving it a new roof, bunks, and other various bits and bobs.

Then we pushed on to get to Hurunui No. 3 hut (the third of four originals) to stay the night. It was only 3.5 km, and about an hour, down the track. Along the way we found our first 3-wire bridge of the TA. Emma crossed it while I walked through the river instead.

Not long after we arrived at the hut. It had been well maintained through the years. Immaculate throughout. A very comfortable stay. Out the back is a DOC staff research / trapping logistics hut. The whole area here forms an 'inland island' similar to Maungatautari in the Waikato, or Zealandia in Wellington. Only instead of pest proof fences they rely on the natural geography of the mountain ranges for huge swathes of its perimeter. Inside are the ekpected intensive trapping operations. The reward is an area home to orange fronted parakeets (they only otherwise still exist in the Pureora forest in King country I recall), Great Spotted Kiwi, Whio, Kaka, Kea, etc. A worthy project.

We were only just in the hut before dark. There we found a south bounder, so we had a good yarn with him while we made second dinner. He'd escaped a large and noisy crowd behind him by force marching some 50 km from Boyle today.

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