Starveall hut - Old man Hut

Nu var vi endelig kommet over trætoppene, og vi forventede de kommende dage nogle flotte udsigter. Man hører meget om, at det newzealandske vejr kan skifte meget, specielt i bjergene, og det fik vi afprøvet i dag.

Morgenen startede meget kold og blæsende, så vanterne blev fundet frem for første gang. Afsted gik det mod flotte udsigter og bjergtoppe. Efter en kort pause kom mørke skyer tættere og tættere på. Først så vi dem drive væk, hvorefter de kort tid efter kom meget hurtigt imod os, og hvad vi først troede var regn, viste sig at være haglvejr. Vi søgte lidt ly imellem de få træer, der var.

Efter haglvejret gik vi videre, og en halv times tid senere gik vi igen i solskin, og vinden havde igen aftaget. Herefter gik det over flere forskellige toppe, inden det gik meget stejlt, mudret og klatrende over væltede træer mod Old Man Hut. De knap 250 højdemeter, som vi gik ned, skulle vi op ad igen næste morgen. Wuhu!

I Old Man Hut mødte jeg en vandrer, som jeg mødte tilbage på Timber Trail, og som jeg ikke har set siden Whanganui-kanoturen, så det var et godt gensyn.

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Now we had finally made it above the treetops, and we were expecting some stunning views over the coming days. You hear a lot about how changeable the New Zealand weather can be, especially in the mountains, and today we got to experience that firsthand.

The morning started off very cold and windy, so gloves were brought out for the first time. Off we went toward beautiful views and mountain peaks. After a short break, dark clouds started moving closer and closer. At first, we saw them drift away, but shortly after they came rushing toward us, and what we initially thought was rain turned out to be hail. We sought a bit of shelter among the few trees that were around.

After the hailstorm, we continued on, and about half an hour later we were walking in sunshine again, with the wind having eased. From there, the route crossed several different peaks before dropping very steeply, muddy and with some scrambling over fallen trees—toward Old Man Hut. The nearly 250 metres of elevation we descended would have to be climbed again the next morning. Wuhu!

At Old Man Hut, I met a hiker I had previously met back on the Timber Trail and whom I hadn’t seen since the Whanganui canoe trip, so it was a great reunion.Læs mere