AOTEAROA, Land of the Long White Cloud: A Tour of the Lakes

Looking north on Lake Rotoiti from Coldwater Hut.

 Nelson Lakes National Park is fabulous for car campers and lovers of water activities. The two picturesque lakes Rotorua and Rotoiti are surrounded by large mountains covered in dark beech forest and filled with birdsong, which is almost unusual in certain parts of NZ. *tears* Kiwi crossing signs abound and the Rotoiti feeds the Buller River, the most popular white water river in the South Island. The true lure of Nelson Lakes is the backcountry of course, but having made plans to hike the Great Walk the Heaphy Track, we were on a bit of a tight schedule.

Our track, in the top right corner.

We determined that we had time for a three day, two night trek and decided to hit up the Angelus Hut and Robert Ridge. First day, we parked Sparky in the lot and began the easy Lakeside Track around Lake Rotoiti to Coldwater Hut. We arrived with plenty of daylight left and began hauling in a lot of brush for a fire. The hut faces the lake, and there were tons of Paradise ducks and gorgeous black swans with cygnets!

Whiskey Falls

LOOK AT THE BABIES! LOOK AT THEM!

SO VERY, VERY FUZZY!

Looking up the Travers River.

While we explored the area, a huge group of Kiwis showed up and started up the fire. They were kind of annoying because they didn't allow much space for us at either the table or the fire, and went off to shoot their rifle, which was loud and pointless. They were also rather awkward, so Captain and I just played cards the entire night. For dinner, we splurged and had burritos, with avocado, tomatoes, onions, the whole shebang and all of it fresh. After we gorged, we realized that we did not plan accordingly, and would not have enough food for the whole trip. Much chagrin was had.

Most impressive beech tree.

More birdies!

And now for some fog.

The next day we started early and began climbing in elevation to the Angelus Hut. The climb up was one of the most beautiful, due to the waterfalls, the pristine forest softly carpeted in beech leaves, and it was a clear, cold day. You go up the Hukere Stream on the Cascade Track, which ended up in a series of waterfalls falling from deliciously clear tarns.

One of the many falls along Hukere Creek.

Getting above the tree line.

I do love me some views!

A gorgeous series of waterfalls. I believe Hukere means Cascade.

Finally, after climbing with our hands, feet, and knees, we reached the top of the crest. Suddenly the clear day misted over and a bitter wind picked up. We kept walking and discovered Lake Angelus - small parts of it appeared for a second only to disappear in the fast moving clouds. After a few minutes, a blustery wind kicked the mist out, and one of the most beautiful scenes materialized before us. A calm tarn, surrounded by steep hills and low lying tuff emitted an aura of serenity - something that I'm always searching for.

Lake Angelus.

A few quick steps and we were at the cold Angelus Hut. Fitting 28 bunks, it was very spacious, which meant cold. We entered and grimaced at the lack of coal and wood - barely enough for a conservative fire. But you have to book Angelus Hut in advance, and it was a more expensive one. When we entered, we encountered another backpacker that we had met on our first tramp, the Rees-Dart. It turned out that this was her last tramp and she was heading back to Wisconsin. We exchanged info, since fate brought us together for our first and her last trip. Then we had a short discussion with the friendly warden, who informed us of gale-force winds, and no hope of wood resupply in the next couple days. We checked the map and determined that we could make it to the Bushline Hut over Robert Ridge, thereby avoiding getting stuck at Angelus, and insuring that we would make it out without starving overmuch. :)

"Far over the misty mountains cold..."

But that meant putting the backpacks back on and heading up the mountain to the ridge. The wind was fierce, but that meant that every once in awhile the mist would get lifted up and we could see the valleys. It was mesmerizing.

Captain leading the way!

Glorious views!

My knee was acting up again, so we took it slow. With relief, we finally made it to Bushline Hut, and met a rather entertaining family. With our usual dinner, we were soon fast asleep, or would be if THE SNORING WOULD STOP! The next day, we had no breakfast, but it only took about three hours to get back to Sparky, food, and civilization.

Lake Rotoiti!

My only regret is not being able to explore the Sabine-Travers wilderness. The problem with backpacking is that you want to keep going, keep exploring. What's beyond that hill, that mountain, the pass? No wilderness is big enough to hold back the spirit of exploration. Except maybe space. Space just might be big enough. But I can't explore it yet *tears*!

Cpt with a delicious peanut butter, nutella, and banana sandwich.

MUSSSSSHHHHROOOOOOOOOOM!

It's hard to photograph trees.