Legs and Borders

Weather was still bad in the morning after the rainy night. I've decided to make a move around 8:30, it was foggy but the rain and wind stopped almost completely. Trail was overgrown and full of water all the way to the Browning Hut, the views were getting better and the weather cleared completely with sun showing up every now and then. From here it was the stream crossing gamble. Normally the eight crossings ahead would be an easy task but today after 40mm of rain, they all turned into a roaring monsterosities. Few hikers decided to wait for a day and let them drop down at the Hacket Hut just before this section. I've decided to push on after meeting a Nobo hiker who told me that the water was around waist level at most. The streams were daunting nonetheless, trail was jumping across the same stream several times with only short intersections between. I took it slowly and eventually managed to go through all of the crossings. I changed socks...

First day of a traverse through one of the main highlights of The Araroa, Richmond Ranges. After leaving Pelorus Bridge trail was going on the road and the bicycle path for the first few hours until it eventually turned into the bush and went its own way. Track was pretty well maintained and not muddy which was a welcome change. We went past first few huts and it looks like they will become a staple on the trail from now on. People on the GPS app I'm using are posting the times to get from one hut to the other which is quite handy. Huts vary in size and facilities they provide. Smallest ones so far were 6 bunks with a toilet and river water access. The Rocks Hut I'm staying in tonight is bigger, it can fit 14 people with more space on the floor if needed, it has big kitchen area and a flushing toilets which is unheard of, especially at this elevation! And we are quite high already at over 800 metres, with the highest point in this section bei...

Second day on Queen Charlotte Track winding its way around a plethora of bays, heading towards Havelock. Weather was perfect, trail well maintained and quite busy. Many section hikers were using their Christmas break to hike this 80 kilometre scenic path. There's not much to be said about today which is a good thing. When I woke up the shag sleeping in a branch above the tent was still there, cleaning it's feathers. Trail didn't have any difficult sections so I managed to cover a long distance. The goofy birds I encountered yesterday were still present and tried to steal various things from me. I know now that they are called wekas, here's a short info about them: I ended the day on a pretty campsite at Davies Bay which allowed hikers to camp by the beach. Tomorrow will be the resupply day at Havelock, the trail is heading towards Richmond Ranges next. Weather looks like a mixed bag but it will hopefully get be...

"If you want to run cool, you have to run on a heavy, heavy fuel." Mark Knopfler Day of the jump from the North to South Island. I've woke up at 3 in the morning to catch 6am ferry to Pickton, I got to the port just as Interislander's departures opened up. The travel between the islands took 3.5 hours. I had a 'full cooked breakfast' on board, which was basically English breakfast without baked beans. We docked in Pickton with short delay at about 10am. I collected the backpack and went to find my next ferry operator, E-Ko Tours. E-Ko wasn't leaving until 1:30pm but in the email they asked to come and check if the drop off is happening as sometimes they would cancel it if there wasn't enough people. This cruise was going ahead. I sat down in El Cafe by the beach, ordered a coffee and what seemed to be the worst bacon and cheese toastie I have ever had, I ate it but it didn't make me feel any less hungry. Boat left the port on time, it w...