Ball Hut and Return to Wanaka

---

After packing up we headed on the 4x4 track towards Ball Pass hut. It was great fun in the 4x4 If not rather bumpy going over the boulders. After a while the track ends and you have to walk the remainder which was a fairly easy walk over mixed terrain which took about an hour. The views alongside the track were quite bizarre, almost like the terrain of the moon, grey dust with what looks like craters. In actual fact in was the Tasman Glacier which is covered with layers of rock and deposits – as in places the grey was no longer present and you could see the ice below. We checked out the hut when we reached it – a tiny little hut sleeping three people, and admired the views of Mount Cook, Tasman Mountain and the Tasman Glacier and observed the height of the glacier in previous decades by the markings on the rock, which was significantly higher than current levels.

We had a picnic on the way back to the village, and then headed back to Wanaka, arriving about 5pm and then settled in for a quiet evening. I especially enjoyed having a room back rather than a dorm!

---