Day 14 – Lake Mavora Campground to Taipo Hut
Spent a chilly night in the hammock because I was positioned in it wrong, with my feet higher than my head and receiving insufficient blood flow. I also had the bottom closure wedged open for a while, letting in cold air. As a result, got out of bed and on the road as soon as the sun broke the nearby mountains.
The first hours of my walk were on a four-wheel drive track bordering North Mavora Lake. The track was slightly dull, but with the lake on one side it was more pleasant than the road walking from two days ago. I was passed by a family riding the trail on mountain bikes, and a pair of motorbikes. At one point I spotted a little golden tube of fur bounding out of the grass. It hopped out onto the road and stared at me for a minute – either a stoat or a ferret, but either way it was quite unafraid. When I stepped closer it scampered off in front of me, then down some hole. My excitement at finally seeing a cute mammal fought with an abstract fist-shaking at this harmful, invasive species. It was a busy day for animals – later on I spooked a pair of rabbits.
Just before I reached the head of the lake, it had gotten quite warm, so I stopped for lunch and jumped in the lake. It was cold, but my swimming in the San Francisco Bay has adjusted my parameters for what is acceptable, and I quite enjoyed a trip out into the lake and back to the shore, where I lay for a while and soaked up a few of New Zealand’s hyper-powered sunrays. The ultraviolet index is part of the regular forecast here, and their scale goes to eleven – literally.
Soon after lunch I was at Boundary Hut, built at the spot where DoC land ends and Ngai Tahu station land begins. The trail continues through their land with permission, and even has a hut inside it, but for some reason it was considered useful to have on right on the edge. I had the classic through-tramper’s choice. It’s still early, and the next hut is 4-5 hours away. Do I settle for what I’ve got, or push it to the next hut and risk getting caught out in the dark. I’d been making great progress, so I figured it’d be a cinch to get to Taipo Hut before dark.
Pretty soon I realized my mistake. Boundary Hut was a natural inflection point in the trail, because from there on the track standard fell significantly. It was still well marked with orange-topped waratah standards, but the trail underfoot became fainter and more boggy. My pace slowed quite a bit, and I found myself pushing hard against the sun and my own fatigue. I made it to Taipo Hut just as the light was getting low enough to make spotting the next marker difficult.
Inside I found a young Danish couple, out on the second day of a fishing and tramping trip. For the girl it was her first tramp, and the guy had done only a few before. They were having a bit of a rough time of it, and were quite glad to see some human company for the first time. They had their jetboil-style stove running nonstop for a surprisingly long time, and when I asked them what they were cooking, they said “Oh we already ate, now we are boiling our water for tomorrow.” Despite the standard advice to “boil or treat” your water, I had never before actually seen someone boiling water on a tramping trip. The costs in extra fuel weight are generally prohibitive, not to mention the hours they spent boiling a pot at a time, waiting for it to cool, and then pouring it into their plastic water bottles. I suggested to them they might try an easier chemical treatment technique like iodine or chlorine, although I have actually been drinking most of my water on this trip without treatment, since New Zealand streams are generally quite clean. I’ve only been treating my water when I am obliged to take water from a river or a stream that passes through stock land.