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.