So our last few days in Hawke's Bay were cold and rainy, but luckily, on the day we left, the sun came out and we were greeted by fantastic weather for our tramp around Lake Waikaremoana. We packed up the car and headed out! It wasn't a far drive to the lake and by the time we got there and got our packs all set we were ready to head out! We encountered a little bit of unexpected Americana in the parking lot--it was kinda funny (as the whole Bin Laden saga had just gone down):
But after a few long months without any real tramping or wilderness experience, we were ready to go! (And had no idea what we were in for).
The signs for the tramp said it was a 4.5-5 hour trip with a "steady" incline. Basically we walked almost entirely uphill for 5 hours. Not the easiest start for our out-of-shape bodies. However, the climb up did have some very nice views and as we had to stop quite often to rest we were able to get some great pictures of the lake.
It was nice weather, which made it much more pleasant, but we were hoping to make it to the hut before sunset . . . yeah, that did not happen.
We reached the highest point, Panikere Bluff, about 3 hours into the trip and thought we would only have another hour or so left--as we thought we were fast enough to make it under the posted time. However, after climbing and climbing, the sun started to set and we thought for sure we had to be close. A friend of ours had told us that when we found a long set of wooden stairs that we were almost to the hut--I'm pretty sure I looked for those wooden steps for the last 2 hours of the trip.
We tramped through the sunset. . . and then it got dark. We probably walked the last hour of the trail in the darkness, using a flashlight to see where we were going. The tramp that started out nice was no longer fun. It was dark and cold, we were tired and hungry, and I think we both entertained the scary possibility that we would have to spend the night on the forest floor. Not gonna lie, I was about ready to burst into tears when, finally, after walking what felt like forever in the dark . . . wooden stairs! John and I sat on them and took in a deep breath of relief before heading up the stairs to the hut. It was actually only about 6:15 by the time we arrived, but we had been climbing since 1:00 and so it felt like forever.
When we arrived there was already a large school group there, as well as another couple, and a very nice older woman traveling by herself. It was a bit full, but not overcrowded. We were so excited to finally take off our packs and eat a nice meal (with the new camping cooking supplies we bought for our future tramping endeavors). We very much enjoyed the indoor wood-burning furnace that heated up the whole place to the point that you didn't even really need thick clothing--I actually woke up in the middle of the night sweating in my sleeping bag. After a cold, barely-qualified-but-better-than-nothing shower in which I poured cold water over myself outside in the dark, a nice warm meal, it was an early night for us! I'm pretty sure we were asleep by 9:00--though it was a night of tossing and turning for me--despite my exhaustion.
I woke up the next morning to the sunrise, which was one of the main reasons why we wanted to go to this particular hut which was so high up. I was one of the first out of bed (besides the old woman) and grabbed my camera and ran outside, no shoes or contacts--just in my PJs, to get pictures of the gorgeous view before the intensity of the colors faded. It MIGHT have been worth the 5 hour tramp and the sore muscles and fatigue. It was pretty magical with the layer of mist hovering over the lake. I'll let you be the judge:
Soon, the whole hut was up and John and I were preparing for the inevitable tiring walk back down the way we came. I was sure we had only gone downhill a few times on the trip up, but apparently there was more than I had expected. The first half of the trip was spend undulating up and down through the woods, and John and I had to stop many times as we were still fatigued from the previous day. However, John had noticed he'd lost a button on his shorts as we were getting dressed that morning and as we were making our way back along the path (this time entirely in daylight) we found it lying on a stump right on the path. A bit of luck!
We also decided to stop in this nifty hollow of a tree.
The downhill turned out to be quite strenuous in it's own right, and by the time we got back to the car we were pooped! We have now created a new rule for ourselves in which we will not undergo any overnight tramps that are more than 3 hours one way. 3 hours is pleasant, 4 is pushing it, and 5 is just miserable we learned. But still, it was great to see some new sights again and enjoy the beautiful weather!
Our next stop: Rotorua!
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