Day 54: Hope-Kiwi lodge to Hanmer Springs

We woke in Hope-kiwi lodge, emphasis on the lodge word. An apt description. We're not sure what it's doing masquerading as a hut, but we'll take the free fancy accomodation all the same. It had again snowed up in the hills overnight. Falling as rain down here in the valley.

The day consisted of a very easy walk through grass and bush. All the rivers at this point were bridged. Perhaps they could consider some of these for the Deception. Fresh snow in background put on a good show. We stopped at the hope halfway hut for a brief lunch, and caught a few SOBOs coming through out on the trail. We'll soon see the last of the SOBOs coming through, and will miss the regular information swaps.

The track continues in the bush up 10 km further into Boyle village. But there was a 20 minute bailout option to get down to Lewis Pass which we took instead. We were now 8 days deep on a 5 day food supply, so we were ready to engorge ourselves on food in Hanmer Springs. One last swing bridge over the Boyle river and we got to Lewis Pass, where it did not take long to get a hitch across eastward to the Hanmer turn off. A bloke who'd just bought a disability van at auction, with intent on converting it into a trip get away vehicle.

Back in reception, I received a txt from my Father's wife, Susan, saying he was having a heart problem and had been taken in to hospital. Frantically I tried calling her, to no response, then my brother's to find out what was going on. The txt was two days old. Dad was fine. They'd anaesthetised him and put the paddles across him to reset the rythym. A bit of a scare all the same.

We found a hitch into town in no time. A lady just moving down to Hanmer with her husband and son from Hamilton. We booked into the YHA for the night and went out to re-feed.

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