9 Mar. As it was a relatively short day ahead, no one was in a rush to get away, so it was about 07:30 when everyone emerged from sleeping bags. Chewy was away first. Richard, Yoan and I left at 08:45 and walked as a group for the day, making use of Yoan’s knowledge of the track as he had walked up it some days earlier. After about 30 mins we saw Chewy coming towards us; he had left his hat at the hut. About an hour later he passed us with his hat, back on the trail. A very fast walker!
Boundary Hut provided a convenient stop for lunch at midday. Jimmy from Melbourne joined us there, also walking south. He had come from Greenstone Hut and also was heading for Carey’s Hut tonight.
The route took us through the large glacial valley of the Mararoa River. Big vistas and fortunately blue skies. A very strong breeze on our backs kept a comfortable body temperature.
It was only 1:30 hours after lunch when we arrived at Carey’s Hut at 3:00. A nice early finish to the day; 20km in nearly 7 hours with very little climb. The sandflies also cashed in on our early arrival, so it was a quick change into the dry “ cover all skin” clothing. With me in the hut tonight were: Richard, Yoan, and Jimmy. Others had gone on to the Marova Campsite, about 9km further on. Hope the sandflies weren’t as bad there. Dinner was a couple of pasta packets I have been carrying for weeks! The rain started as it got dark. Not the best night for those camping.
The Interconnected View 