Humpless Humpridge: On the "Rail Trail" to Waitutu Lodge

I don't know what you think of when you  imagine a rail trail but I envision a wide, flat track with a gravel base fit for cyclists or hikers walking two abreast. Not that anyone ever mentions "cyclists" when they describe the rail trail part of our second-day hike up to Waitutu Lodge.

That should have been a clue that this track was only faintly related--a very distant cousin, in fact --of the usual garden variety rail trail. 

Lest we not quite understand what we were going to be dealing with on the radial track section of our walk, the Port Craig hut manager provided details.  She pointed out that rails on this ancient logging rail-road had been removed but the ties and spikes were still intact so it might be difficult to "find our rhythm".  She was right, although the mud, ferns and running water on the path--such as it was--were more of a nuisance.  Finding our rhythm was the least of our worries.  We just wanted to keep our boots dry.

The rail bed, ties and all.

The wet rail trail

What "rail trail"?  We are slogging through mud and water!

Almost hundred years ago, logging was big business in this part of New Zealand and such was the confidence of those long ago investors that they not only constructed the railroad through the bush in order to remove the timbers, but they also built sturdy viaducts over the rivers (or "burns" as they are known in this part of the South Island)

This 16 km walk makes four river crossings so that walking across trestles became almost mundane. These are big trestles, too.  The Percy Burn Viaduct is still considered the longest and highest wooden trestle in the southern hemisphere. Make that the longest, highest, impassible trestle;  Percy Burn is closed to traffic because parts of the deck are missing.  Pedestrians would fall through.

So, no bridge then? Huh?

One of 4 trestles on the rail trail.

 Percy Burn Viaduct: picturesque, but not passable

 The descent into the gorge begins.

Never fear.  The anticipated scramble into the gorge did not materialize.  Carefully placed steps zig-zagged down to the river and up the other side.  The steps looked pretty permanent to me.  I don't think that particular trestle is going to get an upgrade any time soon.

The other trestles were sturdy and fun to walk across until the rail trail abruptly ended.  We were spat out into the bush on a muddy, rocky uneven track that had us clambering down tree roots with the help of ropes.  Then we were suddenly at the Wairauahiri River.

The Waitutu Lodge was presumably somewhere on the other side, but first we had to cross on one of those suspension bridges that threatens to collapse unless only ONE person crosses at a time.  There is a possum gate in the middle of this bridge and solo pedestrians are required to CLOSE THE GATE!   It was a very bossy bridge, but we all knew that evil possums are a threat to native birds and trees.  We closed the gate.

Possum gate, here I come. 

 

On the Humpridge Track: Tuatapere to Port Craig

Hiking in the New Zealand bush is one of our favourite activities but our unfit Canadian winter bodies were not really ready for major tramping.

We had a plan, however.

Knowing that the NZ Department of Conservation (DOC) rates their tramping tracks, we considered our options: Walking tracks, Easy Tramping tracks, Tramping tracks, or Routes.

Plain Old Walking seemed a bit tame even for a first outing so we sought some Easy Tramping on the flatter bits of the Humpridge Track,  We discovered that it is possible to combine a walk along the South Coast Track (from Tuatapere to Port Craig) with the bit of the Humpridge that goes from the hut at Port Craig to Waitutu Lodge, and in the process, skip the hump.  It would only take two days and we could return on a jet boat.

That all sounded like fun, but I was anxious. There would be a lot of tramping:  18 kms the first day and then 16 kms.  And we had to carry packs.  I hadn't carried a pack since last August.



Those packs look manageable!

Our friend Ian (who suggested this route) pointed out the "easy" aspects.  There was no major climbing -- just some up and down.  Part of the first day was on along a beach. The second day included major parts of a rail trail and several long trestles. Easy tramping for sure. Yes, we would be carrying 2 days worth of food, but the huts had well supplied kitchens.  We could leave the pots and pans at home!  We only had to stuff our backpacks with clothes, rain gear, toiletries, sleeping bags and all the dried pasta, soup mix, tinned meat, bread, peanut butter and teabags that we could find room for.

I was glad that Ros and I had purchased our supplies, carefully hefting each food item before declaring it small and portable enough to carry.  No hearvy food was coming on this trip!  No fruit cake!  No blocks of cheddar!



Off to a great start...how easy is this?

Our 18 km first day was relatively easy.  So far, so good. But our extended walk along the beach did not materialize because eventually the tide came in and pushed us up into the bush.

This was probably just as well because the beach, though beautiful, was swarming with sand flies, minuscule biting insects that are a scourge to NZ hikers.  We did have a bottle of insect repellent but it was empty.  Phooey!

As I grumped along the first bit of buggy beach I met a hiker coming the other way and grimly told her about the sand flies. But she didn't need the warning; she was prepared.  She swore by a half and half mixture of Dettol and baby oil and she gave me an extra bottle.   "You will be needing this", she assured me.  "It works, but be prepared to smell like a dispensary for the next couple of days."


Quite so.  Her concoction was soothing and it even seemed to repel the flies. (Bruce found the scent a bit repellent, too, but I was unmoved. I was the itchy one.)

There were fewer sand flies on the track above the beach, but it was hardly easy going.  The path deteriorated and became extremely muddy. We slogged on.

Just us and the sand flies.

Our squelchy track

By the time we reached Port Craig we were tired, bug bitten and dirty, and ready for a cup of tea. (NZ trampers have been know to drink other beverages, but tea is a recognized favourite.)

The harbour at Port Craig is home to dolphins

Welcome to Port Craig!.

Port Craig Hut is privately owned and more upscale than the usual DOC huts, so I should not have been surprised that tea things were ready and waiting when we arrived. Other luxuries were also on offer -- hot water, china and cutlery, pillows on the beds, and upholstered furniture in front of a gas fireplace.  The toilet block was, however, outside. One would think that for $90 we should not have had to leave the main building in order to pee and brush our teeth.

I found out the cost of this pricey accommodation after we had finished the walk.  Had I only known, I might have spent more time relaxing on that couch.  I might even have said yes to the offer of a cooked oatmeal breakfast.  But having eaten our own food for breakfast, we at least had less to carry.

On the upside, we were the only people staying at the Port Craig Hut.  Perhaps $90 for a whole house and our choice of beds wasn't too bad.



Our breakfast view at Port Craig: a tree festooned with hiking boots.

New Zealand...... Again!

In 2012 Bruce and I spent 6 weeks in New Zealand, and I wrote enthusiastically about our memorable visit.  We went hiking, visited friends and escaped the Canadian winter.  It was our longest visit since living in Wellington in the 1970's.

And now we were back again for exactly the same reasons, except this visit was 2 weeks longer and it seemed more urgent.  We are now both in our 70's. We are older and our friends are older too, so we need to do the things we love while we can.  And we love exploring this country.

On our last visit, the weather did not measure up.  New Zealand was cold and grey for much of our stay, and while the chill did not spoil our holiday it was maddening to discover that back home Ontarians were enjoying one of the balmiest winters on record.  There were days in February 2012 that were warmer in Guelph than Dunedin.

No complaints this year, however! The South Island where we were starting our visit was gloriously sunny and summery.

Dunedin is beautiful!   What a great view..

We explored Dunedin and the Otago peninsula in shirt sleeves and sun hats with our friends the Smiths and the Gibsons.  We had dinner on the deck.  We passed around sunscreen! This was not the weather we expected, but we were not complaining.

We had some South Island hiking planned and we were happy that, while we might be bit concerned about our fitness, we had no
worries about weather!


 Pre- hike training on a tussocky windy hill above Boulder Beach