Rakiura Track Stewart Island
Day 1
Got up at 4.30am! to get to school at 6am. Van ride down to Bluff with lots of story telling and singing! Ferry trip was very fun. Rosie, Olivia, Phillipa and I stood outside on the deck and got soaked by the water coming over the sides. The swell was absolutely massive and it was quite scary. When we arrived at Stewart Island it was really cold and windy but everything looked just the way I remembered. We sorted out our gear then went fr lunch at the Kai Kart, the best fish and chip store ever! About 40 min later we started our 4 hour journey to Port William Hut. It was amazing. The bush and scenery is spectacular! We walked along beaches and up mountains with beautiful native bush everywhere. We saw many deer running through the bush, it was fantastic. One we arrived we had a rest then went down to fish. Olivia caught one fish which we think was a Butterfish. Thankfully they let it go! Dinner - sausage and mash. Yummy! Then to bed. zzz
Day 2
Woke up this morning to the sound of rain rain rain! It is completely pouring. Breakfast - porridge and milo. I'm feeling a bit shy and not saying much so feeling a tiny bit left out. We start our 3 hour tramp soon! In gale force winds and torrential rain :o
Later...
Wow. Finished the three hours, mud galore! Walked most of it with Hayley who's really funny. We had a great yarn about everything and I don't feel left out anymore. It's great. Walking was hard and v. muddy, mud all the way up to my thighs! We ended up crawling up the hill through mud and roots. Arrived at the hut and stripped down, went swimming to get clean and fresh. Beautiful hut set just on the shore in a beautiful little bay. Met a group of hunters staying at Bungeree hut, they're really nice and shared all their blue cod they caught with us. So yummy! Just about to have dinner - pasta and bacon. The hut is small and cozy. Just great. Bit tired and uneasy about tomorrow - 6 hours!
Day 3
Well, what can I say. Today was muddy and haily and cold. Fell over and munted my shin (not funny). Had lunch by a nice waterfall. Got to Christmas Village Hut and really nice it is! Felt a bit sick, lay by the table and listened to stories people told.Went to bed early and managed to kick mum several times in the face through the night.
Day 4
Mud mud mud! Goodness the track said 'mostly dry underfoot', you couldn't tell a bigger lie! So much walking. So tired, had a wee nap before. We are now at Yankee River Hut which is actually situated on an estuary. Small nice hut. Today is Friday the 13th and we all told scary stories at night. Then we all needed the loo and were too scared to go all the way down to the toilet. In the dark we all went and peed in the grass outside the hut :o (sounded like a horse). It was so funny! Then we went to bed.
Day 5
Halfway through the trip! The walk today was one huge uphill and downhill then a big long beach. We had lunch at the end of the beach but had to move on because of sandflies. The next part was again one massive
uphill and downhill. We all walked together for the second half and I felt terrible. Aching legs, out of breath, I felt like giving up! Wondering why I ever went tramping. So I slowed down to my own pace and felt a bit better. Later on when we were going downhill I caught back up with he others and had a good talk/tramp. After a while we saw the hut! I was so happy. The view from Long Harry Hut is astounding. When we arrived it was really cold and we couldn't find any fire wood. We'd had a wash and were smelling rose-clean, then we went on a mission down to the beach to collect fire wood. It was quite fun and felt like we were really ruffing i. When we came back up with armloads of wood we found a pile already at he hut. Had some noodles and am feeling quite tired now. Today took us 3 hours 45 minutes. It was supposed to take 6 hours! Wow. Its about 4.30 now and I want to go to bed!
Day 6
Word of the tramp: Undulating!
Today was great! We got up quite early and left Long Harry Hut at about 10. We began a long uphill grunt to get over 200 metres. I broke away and walked in the middle by myself. The mud got deeper and the hill got steeper! I met up with Hayley and Olivia, but beforehand the MOST AMAZING THING happened! I was walking along going downhill and singing Les Miserables in my head, and I saw a KIWI! It was so
exciting. It was pecking away at the ground and waddling around. It was really big and first I've ever seen. I was so thrilled! I managed to get a few photos of it so I hope it turns out ok. I was kneeling on the track when Olivia and Hayley came along. I whispered to them what I saw and they got lots of photos too yay! It snuck away into the undergrowth and we walked off. We arrived at the beach to a have lunch and after lunch we did another 200 metre climb. That was muddy too but not that bad. I saw a few birds, a bell bird, fantails, and one bird that I
didn't know. It had a tiny white strip across its beak, it was minuscule and I'd never seen one like it before. We walked some more, this time all as one group. We had some interesting talks and I felt really tired after all that climbing and talking. We arrived at the second beach, it had quicksand! We continued on for about an hour of undulating and then reached the hut. Altogether I thought it was quite a short easy day. 5ish hours. Nice though! Tomorrow is 7-8 hours!
Day 7
Wow day 7 already! And goodness I hate mud.
The day started slowly, my eyes wouldn't open properly. Walked for a few hours down to a beach which we walked along and I found a nine legged starfish. Then we headed inland for about a half hour, then began our ascent up to 350 metres, the highest on the whole trip. I was missioning on ahead and did the pass in under 30 min. Arrived at the top and waited for the others to catch up. We went p to a lookout which wasn't very spectacular but a nice place to have a rest. The sun was shining! We began our descent and finally after a lot of sore knees we reached the beach at the bottom. Stopped there for lunch at about 2 pm. The sun was still shining and we sunbathed for about 30 min. It was lovely. But the wind changed and the clouds arrived. We had to leave I started to get really really really tired and we still had two 200 metre climbs! We all pushed on and I was walking in the front and had to slow down... then came the mud. It was hell! It was coming up over my gaiters and I was stumbling and slipping and swearing! It was cold and pooey.
Finally after many hours I reached Hellfire Pass Hut. The smelly German man had already stunk out the hut! (I know I haven't mentioned him before but I was trying to be positive, he's been tramping the whole track at the same rotation as us and he's a German law student studying in Wellington. But his body odour is terrible and absolutely disgusting! It makes me gag)
Anyway got to the hut and collapsed. I'm so tired and sore. Yay, tomorrow is a rest day. We get to sleep in late and do down to the beach and relax. Very excited.
Day 8
Wow what a lovely sleep in!
Got up really late and had noodles for breakfast. Yummay! Slept around all day and relaxed. At about 6 pm three other people arrived; Frances - French, Curtis - Canada, and another man who I wasn't introduced to. We tried to go outside to watch the sunset but it was too cloudy and cold. Played the vegetable game, the musical instrument game and the name game all afternoon. It was so fun. Pudding time now! Woohoo!
Day 9
Oh my gosh! I can't believe that it's day 9. It's all gone so fast!
Tonight is our last night. So many mixed emotions. Today was so much fun. It started at 7 am when I woke up (p.s thank God for Rosie who helped by supplying bonbons). Got up and had breakfast. Porridge (dry and yucky), and left Hellfire Pass Hut to walk up to 399 metres - the highest point on the entire tramp, not the one I said previously (I stand corrected). I was walking and talking with Hayley. The view from the top was mind blowing! You can see for miles around! Mountain ranges, East Ruggedy Range and many others. We then descended downwards (it was undulating) to Little Hellfire Beach. We stopped there for scrog and headed along. We then climbed up and over another 260 metre pass! That view was spectacular too. We then descended again to Murray Bay Beach where we had lunch - pita bread, salami and cheese. Walked along the beach for 6 km. It took about 2 hours. It was a beautiful walk, the sea was fantastic and the rock formations looked stunning. Finally we reached the end and walked the one kilometre upstream to Mason Bay Hut. It's really big but has only a few beds and some of us are going to have to sleep on the floor.
I'm a bit sad that this is all coming to an end. I feel so privileged to have such a great experience!
Day 10
I'm writing in pencil today because I seem to have lost my pen.
Well, day 10.
This morning was lovely, I woke up at about 8 am after the best sleep ever. I had my own bed and it wasn't too hot or cold. We left Mason Bay Hut at 10ish and started walking. The walk was long, flat and boring. Some scenery was ok but on the whole there was a lot of scrubland. After trudging for three hours I finally reached the site opposite Doughboy Hut where we were to be picked up. I was second person to reach the spot. Then we sat and waited for about an hour and more people arrived, I went and had a look at the hut across the river which was small but v. nice. At 2 pm, after we'd eaten, the boat arrived, but Phil, Jaya, and Mum still hadn't arrived because of achillies injury and exhaustion. So we waited a few minutes and Rosie ran back down the track to see how far away they were (God knows how she had the energy). They soon arrived and off we went on a half hour boat ride back to Oban. The boat ride was lovely but I could barely keep my eyes open! We reached Halfmoon Bay, the wharf where we used to fish! We then walked over the hill to Oban and went to the foursquare. We bought shampoo, oranges, nutella, icecream, bread, beer, soap, cereal, milk, and other luxuries! We then went to the backpackers and each had our first shower in 10 days! It was amazing. We then went down to the pub and had a pub meal. I got lamb shanks and chocolate torte Yum! Trip Mum paid for us all which must've cost a fortune but was very nice of him. We all sat round for ages talking and laughing. At last we got back an watched Grey's Anatomy in the lounge. Now I'm off to bed, in a REAL bed with sheets and everything! This has all been so lovely, the people, fun, talking, games, and tramping! I feel so privileged to be given such a neat opportunity. I'm so greatful to Mr Todd and Bex for making it happen, and I'm sad its nearly at the end. I've had such a fantastic time, completed the ten day challenge and had so much fun! Life changing!
Tomorrow we are hanging round Oban fishing, swimming and eating at the Kai Kart. The catching the ferry to Bluff and driving home. It's going to be weird to be home again. Nice though!
But now I get to snuggle up in a real bed. Night!
P.s Long Harry Hut definitely had the nicest toilet!
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| Authors anatomical sandfly drawing |
Day 6
Word of the tramp: Undulating!
Today was great! We got up quite early and left Long Harry Hut at about 10. We began a long uphill grunt to get over 200 metres. I broke away and walked in the middle by myself. The mud got deeper and the hill got steeper! I met up with Hayley and Olivia, but beforehand the MOST AMAZING THING happened! I was walking along going downhill and singing Les Miserables in my head, and I saw a KIWI! It was so
Day 7
Wow day 7 already! And goodness I hate mud.
The day started slowly, my eyes wouldn't open properly. Walked for a few hours down to a beach which we walked along and I found a nine legged starfish. Then we headed inland for about a half hour, then began our ascent up to 350 metres, the highest on the whole trip. I was missioning on ahead and did the pass in under 30 min. Arrived at the top and waited for the others to catch up. We went p to a lookout which wasn't very spectacular but a nice place to have a rest. The sun was shining! We began our descent and finally after a lot of sore knees we reached the beach at the bottom. Stopped there for lunch at about 2 pm. The sun was still shining and we sunbathed for about 30 min. It was lovely. But the wind changed and the clouds arrived. We had to leave I started to get really really really tired and we still had two 200 metre climbs! We all pushed on and I was walking in the front and had to slow down... then came the mud. It was hell! It was coming up over my gaiters and I was stumbling and slipping and swearing! It was cold and pooey.
Anyway got to the hut and collapsed. I'm so tired and sore. Yay, tomorrow is a rest day. We get to sleep in late and do down to the beach and relax. Very excited.
Day 8
Wow what a lovely sleep in!
Got up really late and had noodles for breakfast. Yummay! Slept around all day and relaxed. At about 6 pm three other people arrived; Frances - French, Curtis - Canada, and another man who I wasn't introduced to. We tried to go outside to watch the sunset but it was too cloudy and cold. Played the vegetable game, the musical instrument game and the name game all afternoon. It was so fun. Pudding time now! Woohoo!
Day 9
Oh my gosh! I can't believe that it's day 9. It's all gone so fast!
Tonight is our last night. So many mixed emotions. Today was so much fun. It started at 7 am when I woke up (p.s thank God for Rosie who helped by supplying bonbons). Got up and had breakfast. Porridge (dry and yucky), and left Hellfire Pass Hut to walk up to 399 metres - the highest point on the entire tramp, not the one I said previously (I stand corrected). I was walking and talking with Hayley. The view from the top was mind blowing! You can see for miles around! Mountain ranges, East Ruggedy Range and many others. We then descended downwards (it was undulating) to Little Hellfire Beach. We stopped there for scrog and headed along. We then climbed up and over another 260 metre pass! That view was spectacular too. We then descended again to Murray Bay Beach where we had lunch - pita bread, salami and cheese. Walked along the beach for 6 km. It took about 2 hours. It was a beautiful walk, the sea was fantastic and the rock formations looked stunning. Finally we reached the end and walked the one kilometre upstream to Mason Bay Hut. It's really big but has only a few beds and some of us are going to have to sleep on the floor.
I'm a bit sad that this is all coming to an end. I feel so privileged to have such a great experience!
Day 10
I'm writing in pencil today because I seem to have lost my pen.
Well, day 10.
This morning was lovely, I woke up at about 8 am after the best sleep ever. I had my own bed and it wasn't too hot or cold. We left Mason Bay Hut at 10ish and started walking. The walk was long, flat and boring. Some scenery was ok but on the whole there was a lot of scrubland. After trudging for three hours I finally reached the site opposite Doughboy Hut where we were to be picked up. I was second person to reach the spot. Then we sat and waited for about an hour and more people arrived, I went and had a look at the hut across the river which was small but v. nice. At 2 pm, after we'd eaten, the boat arrived, but Phil, Jaya, and Mum still hadn't arrived because of achillies injury and exhaustion. So we waited a few minutes and Rosie ran back down the track to see how far away they were (God knows how she had the energy). They soon arrived and off we went on a half hour boat ride back to Oban. The boat ride was lovely but I could barely keep my eyes open! We reached Halfmoon Bay, the wharf where we used to fish! We then walked over the hill to Oban and went to the foursquare. We bought shampoo, oranges, nutella, icecream, bread, beer, soap, cereal, milk, and other luxuries! We then went to the backpackers and each had our first shower in 10 days! It was amazing. We then went down to the pub and had a pub meal. I got lamb shanks and chocolate torte Yum! Trip Mum paid for us all which must've cost a fortune but was very nice of him. We all sat round for ages talking and laughing. At last we got back an watched Grey's Anatomy in the lounge. Now I'm off to bed, in a REAL bed with sheets and everything! This has all been so lovely, the people, fun, talking, games, and tramping! I feel so privileged to be given such a neat opportunity. I'm so greatful to Mr Todd and Bex for making it happen, and I'm sad its nearly at the end. I've had such a fantastic time, completed the ten day challenge and had so much fun! Life changing!
Tomorrow we are hanging round Oban fishing, swimming and eating at the Kai Kart. The catching the ferry to Bluff and driving home. It's going to be weird to be home again. Nice though!
But now I get to snuggle up in a real bed. Night!
P.s Long Harry Hut definitely had the nicest toilet!
