A day of Character building and stunning views


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Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Te Anau
March 8th 2013
Published: March 11th 2013
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As today was going to be a mega day, Motuora to Luxemore hut - 30.8km, with a considerable amount of steep up sections I wanted an early start so I wouldn’t feel under pressure to walk fast or rush any sections. The lights downstairs came on at 6am (but there are no lights in the dorm room), so I quietly dragged my prepacked bag, sleeping bag and pillow case with the clothes for todays walk, outside onto the stairs as not to wake people when I packed up my sleeping bag etc, and then headeds to the toilets to dress and get ready for the day – all a bit tricky by torchlight, but I survived. I utilised my cooking pan and spork again to eat my breakfast of museli with a small carton of uht milk and a banana. At 6.40am I was loaded up and on my way, sunrise didn’t occur until 7.30am, so I used my torch until then – it was a bit errie walking through the forest with no light but my torch but rather fun and felt like a proper adventure! It was an easy 16km walk with the exact same scenery as yesterday, through the beech forest to Iris burn hut – and if that was a supposed to be a day’s walking if you did it in four days I would have been a tad disappointed, as I arrived at 10.22am, and the same time as two ladies were setting off from the hut, heading the same direction as I. I however head off on a side loop of the track to the Iris burn falls, a lovely waterfall which would have been perfect for a swim despite the mass of sandflies, which is disappointing as I was hoping for a quick dip. Nether the less, I fill up my water bottle with the fresh mountain water, grab a snack and by 11am I am back from the falls and on the track heading from Iris burn hut to Luxemore – the hardest and steepest part of the track.

Literally from Iris burn hut it starts going up, narrow steep diagonal ‘switch back’ paths up the side of the mountain for around 2hours – by the end it gets pretty gruelling, especially as I am carrying my pack, and as the path is still surrounded by beech trees there isn’t much a view to keep you motivated. You can see where landslides in the past have occurred and wiped bits of the track out, and where rivers used to flow but due to the serve lack of rainfall – have now dried up, and I had to climb across boulders which were deposited by the river before it dried up.

When I eventually get out of the tree line the view of the basin and the surrounding mountains are amazing and well worth the climb. Above the trees it is another short climb to the ridge of the mountain, where I am presented with the most amazing 360 degree panoramic views. I stop for a quick chat with two elderly guys about to head down, and then start walking along the ridge line of the mountain, still in awe at the scenery…..until I meet the staircase! I am now faced with a series of wooden staircases, up along the ridgeline of the mountain as far as the eye can see, nooooooooo!!! I spent just under another hour trudging up the steps, which luckily have a handrail every now and again to pull yourself up with to give the legs a break, with the thought of lunch at the end of the climb where the emergency shelter is located keeping me going! My stomach is rather relieved I have made it, as despite a few snack stops of apples, crackers and cereal bars along the way I am rather hungry, but I guess I have been walking for over 6 hours, with three of them climbing. There is a couple of people having their lunch there including the two ladies I saw setting off from Iris burn hut the same time I arrived there this morning. I eat my lunch (the pasta and veg from yesterday) and chat to them, and try to ignore the pain in my feet and shoulders! After my pasta I feel really rather re-fuelled and head off again, along the ridge line of the mountain – the paths are so very narrow, just a bit wider than your two feet together with very sever drops either side. Luckily it didn’t bother me, but it did most, and apparently this section is impassable most of the year due to weather and high winds making it just too dangerous – Dad you would have been peaking out (my new phrase for freaking out).

I continued along the ridgeline, most of it sloping gently down until I reached the second emergency shelter, about an hour and a half later. After this point, the steep switch back climbs started again, and it climbed even further in height. After another hour of this, and the path stretching endlessly in front of you, the scenery was no longer so inspiring and with my feet really hurting I was ready for Luxemore hut to be round the next bend!

Nether the less I ploughed on, stopping and leaving my pack at the sign on the path like everyone else to climb the rocky peak to the top of Mount Luxemore. Once I was down, the two ladies (same as from lunch) and another girl, all going in my direction were at the sign chatting, and I joined in. I was rather glad to hear that they also were now rather fed up and ready for the hut to be nearing, and that it wasn’t just me because I had been walking for so long.

From this point at Mount Luxemore it was a very steep and at points scree descent down (hurting my feet even more) for around an hour, until EVENTUALLY the hut came into view, finally arriving at 4.37pm, after 10 hours on the go! Luxemore hut was even more luxurious than Motaroa hut, and I bunked in next two the nice two ladies from the walk – who turn out to be a mother and daughter from Melbourne. I prise my shoes off, not wanting to know what I will find, and find surprise surprise I have two massive blisters, one on each big toe and some rather sore other spots on my feet. In my old faithful walking shoes I am surpised this has happened, but apparently this is common – and is due to the fact it is warmer here than it is in England so your feet swell more, and most importantly, I have never hiked with a heavy pack before, and this completely changes your walking, pressure points etc.

Fiona and Susan are quite used to this and have come prepared with lots of blister paraphernalia (sterilising wipes, safety pins, gel padding, special tape etc) which they very kindly let me use to fix them up for getting down tomorrow. They also offer me a lift in their hire car from the end of the trek (control gates) back to the youth hostel tomorrow, which is fab, and I rapidly accept.

I spent the eve sitting out on the deck of the hut, absorbing the amazing views over the Lake Te Anau, the Southern Arm of the lake, the town beyond the lake and the fields and mountains on the hill side above the town – totally stunning. I cook the rest of my pasta and veggies up for dinner, and chat away to lots of different people. After the hut talk which was a total contrast to last nights with the warden going on and on in the most patronising voice, repeating the same thing about 3 times in different ways, I play cards with two German guys and Danish guy until the lights go out at 10pm.


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