Wednesday 25th March: Misty overcast and cold. 10°C all day on hihe. 10°C in Te Anau
McKenzie Hut to Te Anau: 12K: 10.00am to 2.30pm: 4hrs 30 mins
Accommodation: Lakeside Motel Te Anau
Dark rain forrest
Lichen hanging off trees
Time to stop and look
Waterfalls in the mist
Too cold to stay long
Howden Hut and coffee
Rat and stoat traps every 100m
There's movement in the hut at 7am, but it's still pitch black, even though this Bunk House has many windows. Time for a snooze til 8am when we get up, pack, then go across to the dining room for breakfast of hot tea, rice cakes and meusli.
It's 10am when we leave and it's uphill for the first hour through dark rain forrest, then a slow descent past numerous waterfalls. It's noticeable now that it's been pointed out that there are so few birds, and now we know what the long wooden boxes are - rat and stoat traps. It's amazing to think how these rats, stoats and possums infiltrated New Zealand and decimated the bird population, aided by the cutting down of 80% of forrests.
At 12pm, it's time for a break with a few nuts and a drink of water - we've read that we need to avoid lake and creek water unless it's fast flowing as there's giardia present in still water. It's misty and cold but the drizzle has stopped. We play tag with a group of walkers who have stopped at the waterfall but it's too cold with the water spray to stop other than for a quick photo.
At 12.30pm we arrive at Howden Hut, a melting pot of walkers going in all directions - some going to Mackenzie Hut, some from, some going to the Greenstones or Caples Track, some from, and day trippers who have walked from The Divide to have lunch and then return. There were also some staying the night at Howden. We take advantage of the gas burner inside to have a hot cup of coffee. It's only another 1hr to the Divide so time for a quick break.
At 1.30pm we leave Howden Hut and hike uphill for 30 minutes beforee descending on a well graded track to The Divide - a shelter with hundreds of car parks and a bus stop where hikers are picked up or dropped off. Time for lunch, the last of our cheese/tomato.dried ham and peanut paste with butter on a rice cake.
The bus arrives at 3.15pm and it's a pleasean 1hr 15mins down to Te Anau. The bus has come from Milford with more hikers on their way back to Queenstown. We're dropped off near the Fresh Choice Supermarket which we earmark to return to for supplies later. After a stroll through the town, it's down to the lake and 1k along to the DOC hut to collect our bus/ferry/hut tickets for the Milford Track. On teh way, we've passed the Lakeside Motel where we're staying and it looks nice, but no time to stop as it's almost 5pm and the DOC office closes then.
It's a short stroll back to the Beautifully located Lakeside Motel - our room is ground floor, garden view but still with great views across the lake. After dumping our gear, it's time to do a bath load of washing and hang it in the sun to dry. Then it's off to town to the Fresh Choice Supermarket. It's noticeable that the first shelves in all teh supernarkets are lined with Back Country dehydrated food - Thai Curry, Moroccan Lamb, even Strawberries and Icecream!!
Three bags later, we leave the supermarket and return to the Motel where we have lunch sitting in the sun waiting for our washing to dry. A few hours later and we use the fully equipped kitchenette in our room to have dinner - steak, mushroom and salad with cheese. With a bottle of NZ Sav Blanc. The view across the lake is magnificent. We're at the best spot in town.
Short rest on a helicopter drop
Lakeside motel Te Anau
View across Lake Te Anau