Ewww... the rats ate a hole in our tent!

Based on previous weka experience Peewee decided not to leave the food bag under the fly of the tent. There seemed to be dozens of weka patrolling the campsite at Heaphy Hut just looking for an opportunity.

About three in the morning there was a scratching sound on the tent wall. Thinking it was a cheeky weka pecking at the fly a well aimed kick was administered to the tent wall. The noise stopped. Great that seemed to work. The noise came back so the same solution was used and again the noise stopped.

Unfortunately the noise started again and Peewee got up to investigate. Turning on the light Peewee Pulled  the bags from the foot of the tent. There, to his horror was not one but two holes in the floor wall of the tent! On further examination it was discovered that there were also holes in the dry bags that contained the food for the next day and spare food!

The weka were not to blame, it had been rats!

They had got into the powdered milk and the OSM bars! Some quick repairs will be necessary before we set off on our next walk.

Heaphy Track

After a night in Takaka to rest up Peewee was back on the bus heading for Brown River and the start of the Heaphy Track in Golden Bay. It was a steady but well graded climb up to our first night at Perry Saddle. Peewee decided to make a quick detour on the way up to the highest point on the track at Flanagan’s Corner.

That night Peewee drifted off the sleep listening th the call of the Ruru, his cousins the great spotted kiwi and of course the ever present Weka,  

Peewee was up bright and early the next day as it promised to be one of the most exciting. To get to the James Mackay Hut ( named after the same man as as Mackay Street in Greymouth) Peewee had to cross  Gouland Downs, a big tussock area where Takahe have been released. The views were awesome. Great rolling tussock lands for as far as you could see.

Sadly Peewee did not see a live Takahe but he did see where they had been ripping the tussock up and lots of Takahe poo! Did you know a Takahe poos between 2 and 9 metres of poo out every day! Maybe nxt time we will get to see a live bird. 

Instead Peewee had to make do with the post at boot corner. He needs both his boots so didn’t add to the collection.

At James Mackay Hut Peewee took the time to investigate the Powelliphanta snails that live along the track. Their empty shells are quite easy to find but most have holes thanks to the weka!

The next day Peewee dropped down through the forest to Heaphy Hut. On the way he passed a huge Northern Rata. It has a diameter of 3.9 metres and the roots extend 11.7 metres from its base. It was a massive tree. Nikau were also appearing in the forest. Did you know nikau means ‘ no coconuts’? I imagine it would have been pretty disappointing for the first inhabitants to find these great big palms did not grow the coconut they were used to seeing on other palms.

Brazen Weka

Peewee’s last day on Abel Tasman started with a pleasant walk in the blazing sun from Totaranui to Whariwharangi. After all walking in the sun is what Abel Tasmanhas been all about. The hut at Whariwharangi is one of only two homesteads left on the track. It has lots of information about it on the inside walls of the hut. So after setting up the tent and getting gear out to dry Peewee went to read up on the local history. Returning to the campsite he decided it was time for a quick shower to freshen up. But where was the soap? On the table came a reply from the tent. A close inspection of the stuff on the table reveals the soap is not there and more importantly why is there only one of Peewees socks?

Whariwharangi Homestead

An intense search of the surrounding bushes located bags of food, pieces of paper, empty packets and thankfully Peewees sock.  The soap, however, was gone. So if you see a Weka blowing bubbles he will be the culprit who stole the soap!

Another brazen Weka at Awaroa, no doubt a cousin of the one who stole Peewees soap.

Abel Tasman

Abel Tasman National Park with its golden sands and sea views beckons Peewee so he boarded the shuttle bus from Nelson to Marahau and he was off. After entering through the paddles he crossed the lagoon and on to the track. The first thing he noticed was how dry everything was. As he made his way to Torrent Bay campsite for his first night a thin layer of dust covered  everything.

Torrent Bay campground view

Next day we shouldered our packs and headed for Onetahuti. A number of the campsites were closed because of the drought. Along the way Peewee made friends with the guardians placed at viewpoints aroundAnchorage. The view from Onetahuti was great. It looks out at Tonga Island and the marine reserve. At low tide Peewee explored the beach. There were scallops and strange marine animals. Tonga Island marine reserve is doing its job.

Peewee with one of the guardians

Rock sculptures 

Viewpoint at Stillwell inlet

The next day it was on to Totaranui. We had to wait for the low tide at Awaroa Lagoon before we could cross. So Peewee had a coffee and entertained the friendly weka at Awaroa cafe. Once the tide had gone out Peewee crossed to make camp for the night in the biggest campground in Abel Tasman.

Cheeky weka eating apples

For his last night on the track

Old Ghost Road Part 2

After leaving Ghost Lake Hut Peewee dropped down into the head of the south branch of the Mohikinui River, then started the ascent to the Skyline Ridge. On the way up Peewee past places with names like Heavens Door and Tombstone.  The names seemed very adept. Peewee certainly felt very exposed and was grateful for a calm sunny day.

Then came the Skyline Steps. There were 302 steps down the ridge. Peewee was glad he was carrying just a pack and not a bike! Before travelling through the Graveyard Peewee passed by Lake Grimm and Lake Cheerful. These were delightful tarns high up in the Earnest Valley.

At the head of the Stern Valley there were the most friendly weeks. One in particular was keen to join Peewee for our morning break.

We then dropped down into the Stern River and the sandflies. After a cool swim in the river and a quiet night in the hut Peewee made his way over the slips made in the 1939 and 1968 earthquakes. The track narrowed and there were bridges across the faces to make the route safer across slips with names like Suicide Slip , old earthquake lakes, and deserted mining townships.

As Peewee made his way down to the end of the track he past the remains of the Rough and Tumble bridge which was the original route to Karamea. The stone supports collapsed in the 1929 earthquake.As a result the route through the Glasseye to Karamea was replaced with the current route over the Karamea bluffs. All that is left is the iron work in the riverbed.

Old Ghost Road Part 1

To avoid some of the issues around Nelson, mainly a lack of water and overcrowding Peewee has decided on taking the scenic route across the top of the South Island. Our entry point was the Old Ghost Road, a biking and tramping track starting at Lyell. After beating off the sand flies while we organised our gear and the car Peewee was off.

The track to Lyell Saddle is gently graded through the bush.  On the way Peewee made friends with the robins . In fact some them were keen to have him come and stay!

Peewee  making friends with the robin

The next day Peewee travelled on to Ghost Lake Hut. Now the place is not as scary as it sounds. It is
 in fact one of the most scenic huts Peewee has stayed in. It is situated on the edge of a hanging
valley with views across Kahurangi, we could see the smoke from the fire in Nelson , and all the way across to the inland Kaikora Mountains .

We had a view down to the tarn called Ghost Lake and there was a friendly kea that acted as an alarm clock the next morning.

Ghost Lake

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Rangitata to Rakaia

It was a case of picking the least horrid weather... by the time Peewee had arrived in Methven the forecast didn’t promise a four day weather window for our trip. So instead of battling forecast raging northwest winds Peewee chose to wait it out. We ducked back to Hokitika to take in Driftwood and Sands while we wait for better weather

A day at the beach

We finally got four fine days! Yay, we were off! Uh, oh... now it is forecast as the three hottest days 

of the summer so far! What to do? Peewee decided heat was better than being blown off the face of the planet. We were off.

Canterbury high country

We set out early for Double Hut to avoid the worst of the heat. Peewee and his mates had already decided to start north of Rangitata River to avoid the southerly change forecasted. Travelling across the Ashburton lakes we met the most people we had seen we had so far. Lots of south bound Te

 Araroa travellers heading for Bluff and a kiwi mum with her children making the most of the last week of the school holidays.  We had Double Hut to ourselves, which was a bit of a surprise. Above the fire place Peewee found graffiti left by a very famous New Zealander in the 1940’s. Sir Edmund Hillary had scratched his name in the board above the fireplace before he had climbed Mt Everest!

The next day it was over Clent Hills Saddle. Peewee left at 6am to beat the heat but even then it was

 pretty warm. It was nice to watch the sunrise as we climbed to the summit. The views across the Hakatere Basin was amazing, although the seating left a bit to be desired!

Peewee on Clent Hills Saddle 

Then it was down hill all the way to Comyns Hut. Easy as! Not so fast .. it was 4 hours down a rocky riverbed. There was no chance of Peewee keeping his feet dry. He lost count of the number of river crossings. At on stage the walking pole went for a swim. Luckily we were able to retrieve it further downstream. 

It was an early start again the following morning as Peewee made his way out to the Rakaia River. There were two more passes to cross. Mulling  Saddle was a breakfast stop and Peewee had bagged it before 8am. Then it was on to Turton Saddle after a quick coffee stop at the A  Frame Hut. The tussock was short,  and the track along a four wheel drive route. The travel was quite quick. Peewee had made Tritons by 10 am. The day was already very hot, but the views breathtaking.

Breakfast at Malling Saddle

Takitimu Mountains

Weight adjusted we are trying another four day expedition. Peewee is heading into the Takitimu Mountains. Entry is through the Mount Linton Station, Peewee was confronted with conflicting information. Everywhere he looked there was a different distance, route and time. Oh well all we could do was get going and be prepared for what would be. The DoC sign at the beginning of the track said 19 km, great we could cut that out by early afternoon. This was good because the weather was overcast and looking like rain.

Peewee quickly struck up conversation with two walkers from Costa Rica and Virginia, USA. We had walked through a paddock of Angus heifers. Now these guys are pretty black. The girls were concerned that these beasts were the bulls they had heard tales about. Peewee assured them ,that these were just babies!

After 33km of up and up, down and up Peewee was glad to curl up in the tent at Telford campsite. It was to be an early start with a long ridge walk, 624 metres up! It was ideal weather, cloudy with just a little wind. The downside being that when Peewee reached the summit instead of being rewarded with views across to Rakiura and Bluff Hill we got to see the inside of a rain cloud! Then it was a steep descent to Lower Wairaki hut.

The next morning we were heading for Aparima Hut. Peeweee enjoyed the mild temperatures as he travelled through the forest. The early morning mist hung in the trees. As we came out on to the tussocklands we could see the the hut in the distance. Before crossing the bridge over the Aparima 

bridge Peewee was lucky enough to see skinks skittering across his path and then galaxid in the river.

Southland tussocklands and beech forest

Crossing the headwaters of the Aparima 

Tomorrow’s walk

As the weather was good and the travelling fast we decided after an hours rest and a lack of water at the hut made Peewee decide to push on. We found a great little campsite a couple of hours on and pitched the tent. Peewee was not keen to spend too long outside as the sandflies were pretty diabolical. Peewee was then treated to chest high tussock. Good thing he is good at jumping so he could find the next track marker!

We appreciated being a few hours ahead the next day as Peewee had another 220 metre climb before we made it to Princhester saddle. It was a case of the never ending ridge. Everytime we thought we were at the top it kept giving. And if Peewee thought the going up was never ending going down was the longest 2.5 km that he had ever done! It might have been 2.5 km as the crow, or should I say Karearea flys but not ground distance. The track was super muddy, and not at aexactly well maintained. Luckily it had been a dry week and we avoided the worst of the mud and the ground trail was pretty obvious.

Coming out Prichester Rd after a wash and quick change of clothes at the Lower Princhester hut

The short ridge tussock. We saw a four Karearea wheeling in the sky close to here.

The Longwoods

Peewee has returned to Southland to fill in the gaps. These are two sections we missed as we travelled north.

Our first adventure was a brisk day walk through Island Bush and Woodlaw Forest. Peewee was dropped off early in the morning by his support crew. It was going to be another 25km day so he would be finished mid afternoon. Peeweee is meeting more walkers who have taken on the TA challenge.

Thankfully most of the day was mostly in Peewee’s favourite place, the forest. Southland was turning on a summers day and it was hot!

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Views over Southland

Looking north to the Takitimu Mountains

A cool lunch spot

Tekapo here we come

The day dawned cloudy and cooler after a nights rain. Peewee was all set for a cycling adventure. Our main reason is because there was a 42 km hike along the canals that needed to be completed in one day! Needless to say that is a long way with a heavy pack in the South Canterbury heat.

The cycle of choice is a electric bike. Another first for  Peewee.  We rocked up early at Cycle Tours to collect our bikes and drop of our packs.

The Te Araroa route follows the Alps to Ocean cycle trail. There was a fast section over the Pukaki Flats with several rabbit proof gates. Then a short but steep climb on to the Tekapo B power station. There is were we first appreciated the electric bike. Yes Peewee did have to pedal but the electric motor meant you did not arrive at the top puffed.

Twizel

Peewee spent a few days living the high life in Twizel at Homestead Lodge Bed and Breakfast. After checking out the  Black silts in the town centre Peewee enjoyed a hot shower, and a chocolate on the pillow.

 Peewee’s hosts Jane and Peter made sure there was access to a great library and we were able to clean our gear. The hot weather is taking a toll and we needed time to think. Weight is becoming an issue.  There has been no improvement in Peewee’s ability to carry weight on a dodgy back.  We have decided to bike the 60 km to Tekapo. 

Queenstown to Arrowtown

The day dawned cloudy and windy. The norwester funnelled down the lake. The original plan when Peewee left the hostel was to walk to Frankton and catch a 🚌. The walk to Frankton was really nice along the side of the lake especially once we turned the corner into Frankton Arm. On reaching the bus stop we decided nah we can walk this😜. So after dropping some stove spare fuel with the lovely Christie to pass on we headed up the Queenstown trail. It looked shorter than the official walk, and avoided the road walking that Peewee does not enjoy. All was sweet... we had it sorted. We walked past the events centre and through Frankton shopping complex. Peewee discovered he has a sensitive nose as we passed by the water treatment ponds. We stopped just past the Shotover bridge to slap on some sunscreen as the weather had cleared. 

Then it was on to the Edith Carell bridge to watch the jet boats. Peewee thought cool 😎 only another 13 kms to go, we will have that cut out in three or four hours. As we continued the weather continued to clear and little did we know this was the last time Peewee would see water until Arrowtown. It was pleasant mouching along. A few cyclists passed us as we sauntered through subdivisions and along grass verges. It just kept getting hotter, then there was the steep but short climb into Millbrook. To say the least Peewee was pretty parched. There was still another 5 km to Arrowtown. 

On arrival in Arrowtown Peewee could have drunk the place dry! So after stopping for some water and a 2 litre bottle of lemonade Peewee headed of to the campground ⛺️ to make his bed for the night.

Queenstown Bound

The trip out from the Greenstone Hut had Peewee in heaven. We woke to a showery morning . Made the decision to put on coats and regretted it in the first kilometre or two. It was like being in a sauna! So off with the coats and we put up with the light showers. It took just a shade over 3 and a half hours to make it out to the carpark. There was little incentive to stop as the sandflies were atrocious. At the carpark we put on overtrousers in order to stay sane. There was time for a coffee before the lady from Glenorchy Jouneys picked us up. Once back in Queenstown Peewee experienced his first pod hostel, it is sort of like camping in a small tent.  You just get used to climbing over everything.