Masons and Matilda

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I'm back after 4 days in the wilderness, chocolate in one hand and coffee in the other as I write this..it's a juggling act I swear!

Things didn't really start according to plan on Tuesday morning. Monday night was a nice surprise though! I decided to treat myself to some take away from the pub and ended up chatting to some friendly fishermen as I was waiting on my cod to be cooked. I was going to make some pasta to go with it. Anyway, I was chatting to the fishermen, who were their for a 2 day competition and the waitress from the hotel arrived in with my little bag of hot fish. The fisherman realised I was there to get some food and offered me a free ticket to the HUGE buffet that was being held for the competition. If anyone knows what i'm like with free food, they know I almost took his hand along with the ticket! I thanked him profusely and made my way towards the oodles of free dinner! There was everything - soup, bread, salads, all sorts of fish, pizza, chips, sausages and things I wasn't even sure what they were. I made myself up a lovely big plate, found a place to sit and tucked in. I sat next to Kenny, a plumber from near aukland who was down for the competition, his father was from Ireland. Once I'd got through my main I sussed out the dessert selection. I was not disappointed, more choice and to top it off, a whipped ice cream machine right there for your enjoyment (Tracey, I know you're jealous!) I could hardly move afterward! I popped into the bar to thank the friendly fisherman to gave me the ticket, and had a pint to wash it all down. I ended up chatting with more of the locals who I kind of recognized from the night of the pub quiz and one of them offered to take me out fishing when i returned from my masons bay trip, i might hold him to that, if I can find him again! (not that there's really anywhere to hide here on the island!)

Anyway, back to Tuesday morning. I had made a trip down to the DOC office the previous day, bought my hut passes (5 dollars a night, can't really go wrong - that's less than 2.50 euro!) and filled in an intentions form. I had also left a note on the notice board when I first arrived on the island stating that I was heading over to Masons and would anyone like to share a water taxi - the price is considerably less the more people you have on board! I hadn't had any responses but decided to add to the bottom of the note the date and time I was leaving, in case anyone was interested.

I packed up my gear, food and all the necessaries into my pack, which seemed heavier than I remember it from previous tramps and made my way down to Golden bay to the water taxi, in the rain, unfortunately! I had given myself lots of time and arrived early to see two feet dangling from the bench at the shelter at the bay. My first thought was that someone was waiting to go to Ulva island, but it turned out that the lady (Matilda) who had wanted to do the long 9-11day circuit around the north of the island was coming along to Masons. It was interesting, I was preparing myself to be alone for 3 days as I knew the huts off the Rakiura track would be very quiet this time of the year and all of a sudden, I had company. I quickly introduced myself and put my pack down, suddenly realizing that I'd lost my rain cover some where between leaving the backpackers and reaching the warf. Dammit! It was 11.25 and the taxi was due at 11.30! I decided to take a quick look for it and ran (like a lunatic) the loop I'd just come, which involved more than one hill! I should have known it would be pointless, my rain cover was black and the wind was quite strong so it was probably miles away by this stage! I huffed and puffed and hurried back to the pier to find the taxi waiting with Matilda on board. I grabbed my stuff quickly and we set off towards freshwater hut.

Over the next few days I would get to know quite a lot about Matilda. She was 58 years old, German, but lived most of her live in Australia, had two grown children and about 2 months ago had sold all that she had and went on holiday! The more people I meet, the more ordinary my life seems! She was confident, fit, strong and outgoing. She was amazing for a 58 year old, and she didn't look a day over 45! The walk from Freshwater Hut where the water taxi dropped us off to Masons Bay hut was 3-4 hours and it was flat. This sounds like quite an easy walk from the outset, until you realise that the majority of it was covered in a thick layer of steward island mud, a particularly sticky type that clings to your boots, reaches up towards your knees and weighs you down!

We started the walk together. Quite soon I realized I would be a little quicker on my feet than Mat, especially over the mucky parts. At times I attempt to avoid the muck, but more often than not I just plough straight through and hope for the best. Most times it works, some times the much surprises me! The plan was for me to go on ahead and if there were any parts where it got difficult I could wait for Mat and we could attempt it together. When we arrived at the landing on the water taxi we were informed that the river level was quite high. We were both a little worried. I had been told that at times the track could become heavily flooded, so much so that you could be forced to wade through water as high as your waist! Ickes! I didn't pack my togs!

So prepared for some pretty high water, and along with the heavy rain that had fallen the past few days we set off and hoped we could dodge the worst of it. It was quite a nerve racking journey. When you would tear yourself from the mud and come across some compressed wet sand it was like heaven (or concrete) or as close as you were getting on this track. At times it felt like I was walking through a woven basket as the manuka trees bent and wove themselves above and around you. It was a magical path. After crossing numerous wet patches and gulleys the path ended up between two very full streams, both of which were pretty much at the point of giving out and flooding the path! The rain had eased off as soon as we got off the taxi but about halfway along the path it started again, so i was also concerned that the levels could rise again, instead of fall! There was a section of boardwalk or wooden paneling that I'd seen in a picture that was completely submerged by water. I found it! You had to be very careful, slopping through the water (which was only about 5cm deep), watching for the path and trying not to slip on the wet wooden paneling. I held my breath as I tramped along, praying that my boots were at least semi waterproof. My feet felt really good today, but my early morning run in search of my pack cover had taken a little more out of me than I thought. I had decided not to stop for my first snack break and eat on the move. It was more a result of the terrain and the situation. Stopping on wet board walk or in the middle of a muddy path was not appealing. I think this was a mistake as I tired sooner than expected.

After about 2 hours the path wound over a large swampy area with a well supported boardwalk, which appeared at first to be floating. Surrounded by reeds and large flax plants for the first time I had a view. I could see hills and guess where the beach was, and possibly how far away it was. Everything was green and covered in shrub. It was different to other tracks which usually brought you through the forest, this was marsh land and it required quite a lot of concentration not to fall over the path and into the swamp!

On I marched, at this stage I figured I was about 10 minutes at least in front of Mat. The weather changed again to wind and light rain and out on the exposed flats I felt every bit of it. At the first point I could I found shelter and stopped for a lunch break. I'd been walking almost 3 hours without a pit stop. My body wasn't used to this! I sheltered under a big bush away from the wind and tucked into my nibbles, cheese and salami on bread (I found a bread that didn't squish easily and seemed to stay relatively fresh for quite some time, so decided to use it instead of crackers for this adventure!). As always, I had to eat quickly and start moving again before I got cold. If the sun wasn't shining I couldn't afford to sit around. No sign of Mat, I'm sure she wasn't far behind me though.

I put the head down and kept moving. The terrain had changed and the path turned sandy all of a sudden. This was a promising sign that the beach couldn't be far away. Little did I know how immense the system of sand dunes on the western side of the island was! In the distance I could see some form of buildings and I'd been told that there was an old home stead and wool shed on the track before the hut. It would tease me, giving me false hope that I was closer to home than I was!

I wandered over some small hills and dunes and noticed some small narrow holes in the ground next to the path. It looked like someone had pushed a pencil into the ground and wiggled it about. I knew what this was - kiwi digging for food! This was a brilliant sign and spurred me to keep walking. Leigh from Maud Island had given me tips on where to look for kiwi when I arrived at Masons, and this sounded like the place. I would have to come back in the dark to seek out the mysterious flightless birds!

I quickly passed the wool shed and home stead knowing the hut wasn't far. Eventually I found it, dropped my bags and headed in the direction of the beach. Although I had just walked 15km and every part of my was aching I needed to see the sea, it would justify my days tramp just to see the sea. I could hear it for kilometers away, all 16km of Masons Bay!

I left the forest and started making my way through the dunes. The sheer size and expansiveness of them baffled me. At one point I got a little impatient and climbed a small dune thinking I would see the sea on the other side, I was mistaken and had to descend to keep walking. I followed the river (duck creek) to the tide and slowly climbed a small dune to get some perspective. It was simply awe inspiring. The water was a tumbling mess of angry waves crashing over each other on to the endless golden sand. It was unbridled nature, beauty and wild. I collapsed into a heap in the long grass on the dune, which offered me some shelter. I cracked out a muesli bar I'd been keeping for this very occasion. All of a sudden it all made sense, it all was worth it, I was exhausted but completely and utterly happy. I stared out into the sea for a few minutes, my mind blank and my body wrecked. I was getting cold quickly so I decided to go back, grab a warm drink and return for sun set.

When I arrived back at the hut (20 minutes walk from the beach!) Mat was there. The walk had taken me just over 3 and a half hours, and approx 4 hours for Mat. I was impressed! We chatted and compared mucky boots and gaitors. I had noticed the lack of fire wood at the hut when I dropped my bags earlier, but decided I wouldn't worry about it. There was some small bits of dried bush which would be useful to start the fire, but nothing else. We could survive without a fire. It emerged that we decided to collect drift wood from the beach and creek which turned out to burn very well, allowing us to dry any wet clothes from our trip over and keep warm in the evening. We even moved 2 mattresses into the kitchen/dining area on our second night to be close to the stove. It was a nice treat, although my sleeping bag has never let me go cold!

That evening we took a walk down to the sea to try and see the sun set. As it turned out were were too late but the following evening I would time it properly and manage to see the last of the suns rays across the sea before it retired to the night and allowed the moon to shine. Both nights we stayed at Masons we attempted to "kiwi spot". Masons Bay has the highest population of Kiwi per square kilometer, but sadly we were not gifted to the sight of any! We saw foot prints, burrowing holes, heard their calls and possibly say their droppings (i'm not exactly sure what these look like!), but alas no kiwi. I was slightly disappointed, but just being at the beach and around the area was a real treat!

This was the first time I've stayed at a hut and not had a journey or destination for the day. My day at masons started with a ly in, followed by a long leisurely breakfast before a walk to the beach. At the beach I wandered along the sand, took photos, and climbed the dunes. When the weather turned pretty crappy I hid in the dunes for shelter and made st Brigid's crosses out of dried grass. Then when ever I was returning from the hut, I would gather some drift wood to keep the fire going. A simple life that usually involved being caught in some freak weather, from blue sky to hail showers, but refreshing all the same! Numerous times it dawned on me how simple live in the hut is. There are no distractions. When I had devoured the book I borrowed from the hostel in a few hours and the wilderness mag that was left in the hut, there was nothing else to read. I quizzed Mat for a few hours and we discussed some topics close to our hearts. She gave me a book to flick through on sea shore life and I got through that quickly and learned about some of the creatures which live at the intertidal zone. Mat was intrigued by sea weed and told me interesting facts regarding bull kelp and mutton birds!

As the weather had been very changeable our first day at Masons I had thought about possibly walking over to Freshwater the next day and climbing the Rocky mountain track before the water taxi was due to pick me up. I mentioned this to Mat and we decided we would wait and see what the weather was like the next day before making a decision on it. We feared heavy rain might cause the already flooded tracks to be even muddier so if the weather was dry maybe we should walk in the good weather.

Again we attempted to find some kiwi that night but with no luck, finding lots of possum! We had a great fire going that night from the drift wood brought up from the beach so we moved our bedding into the kitchen and i slept next to the glass sliding door. The moon was illuminating the whole area surrounding the hut all night so I figured I could wake in the night and have a look out with the possibility of seeing a kiwi wandering around on the grass. Reports in the visitors book stated that they had seen them right outside the hut in the middle of the night on toilet trips! Alas, my sleepy attempts to see in the dark didn't prove successful!

The next day the sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky! We decided early to make a move and try and get most of the long walk under our belts in good weather. This time the track didn't seem to take as long to do, which was strange. I decided to stay with Mat this time, figuring the company might make the walk seem shorter. I think it did! We kept a good pace and stopped after 2 hours for a snack break. We chatted quite a lot and kept each other entertained. Thankfully the water levels had dropped in the two days since we passed and the muck wasn't as challenging. We made it back in 4 hours and went about settling into our home for the night. Freshwater hut was a strange design, again the individuality of each of the huts still amazes me! Soon we had a roaring fire going and a brew on. It was pretty cold and with little else to do but wait for dinner time I decided to go for a nap in my super warm sleeping bag to pass the time and keep me warm. I dozed for an hour and decided I'd better get up before the sun set and get myself set for the evenings routine. It funny how your life starts to rotate around the sun light hours and the two most important events in the day are indeed sun rise and sun set signaling the start and end of your day. It really should be that simple I think!

Between preparing meals and cups of tea I read through a hunting magazine which had been left in the hut. It was interesting to read some of the articles on the DOCs use of "1080", a poisonous substance which they drop from helicopters to eradicate pests such as rats and stoats. There seems to be a lot of opposition to is use due to the secondary effects it has on animals which it is not designed to target, and ultimately further down the line, humans. I am intrigued by hunting and would like to be exposed to it one day. I don't necessarily want to hold the rifel or kill an animal, I'm curious about the stalking process, finding the animals, following them through the bush, the harvesting of meat, the whole process.

The night passed quickly and myself and Mat got closer, chatting about our families, relationships and regrets in life. It always surprises me how close you can get to a complete stranger when you are effectively forced into proximity with them in a hut. We both opened up to each other and told some shared some pretty special thoughts and feelings. I didn't expect it, but at the same time I didn't hold back. I knew after tomorrow morning when myself and Mat would go our seperate ways, the chances of us seeing one another again was pretty slim.

Another moon filled night spent in a warm hut, staring out the window for long hours. Sleep didn't come easily that night and for the first time I craved a shower, my body seemed to be itching all over! Not long to wait!

The next morning we had an early start. Mat had a 7-8 hour tough walk ahead of her but I had opted for a different route and was taking a 3 hour track to the top of a near by mountain to get some perspective on the island. We started out on the same track, negotiating our way through the mud again and shortly we parted ways. After a quick hug I wished her luck and I was on my own. I had been prepared to be alone for the whole trip and in a way I was happy to be on my lonesome now. The rocky mountain track was estimated to take 3 hours. The climb started very quickly and very steeply. The path was narrow, winding, wet, muddy and unformed - mainly exposed tree roots and large boulders acted as stepping stones. The going was tough, but I was glad to have only a light pack on my back. I had left all the none essential items at the hut, as I would be back there before catching the water taxi that afternoon. I climbed, slipped and stopped quite frequently for rests. At quite a high altitude I came across what appeared to be a kiwi party, footprints and little hole everywhere! I was surprised that they were this high up! The path leveled out after about 30 minutes climbing and I was over the worst of it. I had made it above the taller trees and started to get a taste for the view from the top. I kept trundling along and after about an hour reached the summit, where as I expected there were rocks, hence "Rocky Mountain." I hadn't noticed but there was a huge amount of low lying cloud on the island and from the height I reached I had a perfect view towards Masons Bay and along the flat track we had walked the previous day. For the first time I had some idea of the size and terrain of the island. Towards the north I could see Mt Anglem the highest point on the island, which had a small covering of snow this morning. Looking north I could also see the cliffs of codfish island and towards the south the gutter off masons bay. When the sun came out it illuminated the sand hills next to masons and made them shine. I could have waited there all morning!

I got cold rather quickly and after a bit of exploring I made my way down. This involved a lot of concentration as it was slippy and wet, and a mis placed foot on a root going the wrong direction meant you took a slide in the mud. Thankfully it was usually soft and I didn't hurt anything on my few slippy adventures! I was down in 20 minutes!

I arrived back at the hut and made myself a warm lunch, a little treat! I then decided to do a blitz clean up of the hut. I had an hour to spare before the taxi was due so I went about sweeping, cleaning, removing the ashes from the fire and generally tidying things up. When it was time to cross the swing bridge for the last time, I packed up and carefully made my way to the landing to wait for the taxi. It was a lovely place to be leaving.

When I arrived back in golden bay I felt different. I'd been on the island almost 2 weeks and was starting to recognize faces and know people. I went about my post tramping routine which revolves around removing dirt and feeding myself up! I was en route to the shop when I recognized one of the guys who'd given me a lift to the start of the Rakiura track. There was a group sitting in front of the bar enjoying the sun and the calm day in Oban. I sat down for a quick chat and before long I was drinking cider. It was far too early for this and I came looking for food and coffee! I have to say it was nice and relaxing sitting there looking out over the bay and not thinking about anything. I dragged myself away from the drinking and found some food. I would call back later, Friday night is the social night on the island!

Another night in the bar with the locals didn't disappoint. I got chatting to a man from Galway who has just moved over and started working on the island. He even tested my limited Irish! Messy games of pool, free drinks, dodgy music and all the typical island antics continued until 1am when I had to leave, or was kicked out! I had arranged to go fishing the following day with Jack, well oyster dredging so it would be an early start. I could feel the hang over as soon as I lay down! Ickes! Hopefully I wouldn't be sea sick!

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Photos

Kiwi footprints
Although we searched, saw the prints and burrow holes where they eat and even heard their calls late in the night, we never saw one of these mysterious birds!

Facing the weather at Masons Bay
It was cold and windy, and you could literally see the fronts coming in on the water - time to run for cover!

Masons Bay
16km of beach just goes on and on and on

Leaving Masons
A rare moment, sunglasses, shorts and NO RAINCOAT!

Stewart Island Mud
This wasn't a deep section, I wasn't going to stand around too long in the deep stuff for a picture!

Out on the flat
On the "floating boardwalk" between Freshwater and Masons, you had a good view all around.

Matilda leading the way
Her pace and determination impressed me

Manuka grove
Like being inside a woven basket I thought!

Finally at Freshwater
With a light covering of stewart island mud and tired aching limbs!

At the top of Rocky Mountin
This peak allowed me to see across the low lying cloud and follow the track I'd taken the previous day - it was far!

Masons Sand hills in the distance
The sun came out and lit up the sand!

Rocky mountain track
Ferns and trees everywhere...lovely stuff!

Freshwater Warf
Sad to leave..waiting on my water taxi