HOT POOLS!!!

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The weather was clearing for a while so we thought we would try the Copeland Track, an overnight trip to what every guide book said were amazing hot spring pools. The walk was over 17 km (10 miles) each way through a spectacular river valley (the water was such a brillant blue it looked fake). The valley began to narrow and huge, snow covered mountains appeared over the tree tops practically right above our heads. There were also plenty of waterfalls to admire.

We arrived at the hut and set up camp under a huge rock overhang that explorers in the 30s used to keep dry up until they built the hut. The black flies were incredibly horrid, but the hot pools were so excellent I could have been missing a few limbs and still enjoyed myself. They were the perfect depth. The hottest one was 80*C, which is quite hot. Brian could handle that, but me, I stuck to the none scorchers. And what a scene being surrounded by freshly snow covered mountains! We used them that night and the morning before we left. It was hard to leave, but the sand flies helped motivate a little bit. Somehow Brian never becomes itchy but they devastate me. Medical mystery.

On our way down to Haast Pass to spend the night we stopped at a small hut for some whitebait patties. (A fish in the baby stage still when it is caught. It has gone our to the ocean and is coming back to the rivers to live until it mates and dies. They are maybe 3 inches long.) Brian really wanted to try them and I was sport even though I was apprehensive about crunching on bony fish. Surprisingly they aren't bony at all and can see why the Kiwi's love them. YUM!!!!

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