Richmonds - Porters creek hut

15km in about 11hrs stinking hot!

The trek to hunters hut started off beautiful. We climbed to the ridge behind the top wairoa hut which had more stunning views and a traverse across a long scree slope. Then we had a lovely trek across the tops of some smaller ridges before descending slowly down a steep rocky slope into a river valley.

By the time we had descended it was so stinking hot there was nothing for it but to a soak hats and t-shirts in the streams we passed to try to cool us down.

By the time we were climbing to hunters hut it was so hot we had to stop just to cool down and prevent heatstroke. We arrived at hunters hut a little later than planned, probably due to the steep decent and the heat, nevertheless we decided to have a good break and press on to the next hut.

At some point during the day while rock-hopping across a stream I managed to step on a greenstone rock which was super slippery and completely land on my pack in the stream. Luckily the only think to get wet was my toilet paper despite it being in a zip lock bag.

Heading on to the next hut was a bit more of the same, bouldering and blistering heat in very little shade. The copper and black little butterfly's were really cool though as were the massive striped dragonflies that zoom around with there wings seeming to be in superposition. Every time we stopped the bellbirds would come down and peer at us.

We were just heading up a steep gravel slope at one point when we saw the reason for the kennels at the huts... a couple were taking their dog with them, he had his own pack and looked to be struggling with the heat every but as much as we were. What an adventure for a dog!

On the advice of the dog owners we washed up in the stream before we got to the hut as there wasn't any closer. We finally arrived a bit before 7pm, Louisa and Mario were the only other ones in the hut again which was nice, though there was another couple camping with a dog.Read more