There was no hurry to leave on our adventures so we got ourselves ready in a leisurely fashion and first headed to Greymouth for our last supplies. Countdown for wraps, cheese and snacks; The Warehouse for a baseball cap and hand sanitiser. Then off through the charming eccentric Blackball to the Smoko-ho road end and the start of our adventures.
The first smart decision was to have brunch in the car park. All the less to carry! Still, as we set off around 11am, my pack felt very heavy. It was something north of 20kg I think. Maybe all the cheese and snacks, and the steamed pudding desserts, weren't that clever after all.
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| And off we go |
The track was wonderful. Even and well formed. A perfect Great Walk and shared track for bikers too. We wandered along up a gentle incline in lovely weather.
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| Like a highway |
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| Wonderful track |
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| Lots of sturdy new swing bridges |
Our first stop was Garden Gully Hut, a historic canvas-sided hut from the gold rush era (though I suspect like Grandfather's axe, little of the original structure remained). Right beside a wonderful swimming hole that had Angela sorely tempted.
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| The water's so clear! |
We dropped our packs and followed the signs to the stamping battery. An impressive structure it was too. We didn't continue on to the mine as other walkers had told us not to bother.
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| Stamping Battery |
Reunited with our packs we continued on. It started more steeply uphill from here, but still a comfortable gradient. Long thin beech grew over the track at first, but soon we were in subalpine scrub. A small marker showing 1km to the hut was a welcome sight.
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| Onwards up the track |
Ces Clark Hut loomed in the distance as we grew closer. We arrived, around 4pm, to the sound of happy trampers. Suzanne from the walking meetup group was there, and her tramping buddy Trevor. There was also an older party revisiting a past trip where they saw nothing but murk, and a third group of friends that we followed the whole way.
The hut itself is wonderful. It's got an old school charm and a quirky design that follows the contours of the hill it's built on; but it's been done up nicely with new double glazed windows and a new roof and a huge deck and fresh paint inside.
The deck immediately attracted me, especially since the hut was hot and we had upper bunks. I found a nice space for my mat and sleeping bag, to the amazement and dubious looks of my hut mates.
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| Nice deck. Long but with good girth too. |
Dinner was of course, a backcountry meal. Tonight's delight was Creamy Carbonara and it definitely hit the spot. Especially with a tin of tuna quietly mixed in. Creamy Carbonara al pisce. The steamed pudding that followed, not so good. Stodgy and dry. Janine's golden syrup version much nicer.
As it got dark, around 9pm, we crept off to bed. I tried my best to sandfly-proof and weka-proof myself and tucked up on the deck.
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