Faced with an open three-day weekend, thanks to New Zealand's labour day, Ben, Joey, and Henry made plans for their first backpacking adventure. Ben was the driving force behind the two-day, overnight hike. He went to the Department of Conservation (DOC) center in downtown Wellington and collected a wealth of information on the local tracks. He came home with a topographical map of the Tararua Forest Park (http://www.doc.govt.nz/templates/PlaceProfile.aspx?id=34979), tickets to pay for camping in the public huts out in the bush, and even detailed directions about how to cheaply and quickly get to and from the trail. In a place like NZ, the benefit of a resource like the DOC cannot be understated. An ambitious route was planned, though ultimately revised part way into the hike.Henry was obliged to work from 8-12 on the first day of hiking, so this made for a late start. By the time Henry and company had made it to the trail head, it was after 2. The three kept up a quick and steady pace, knowing that there was a lot of ground to cover between them and the Alpha Hut (camping is only allowed in certain locations, but simple huts have been constructed along most trails), but after passing two fairly fit-looking hikers coming back the other direction, some prudent thinking and a return to the map resulted in an alternate course. According to the two guys coming from Alpha Hut, there was plenty of still-frozen snow ahead, and the trip downhill had taken them nearly 6 hours to complete. Instead of trying to reach the apparently icy summit, Henry, Ben, and Joey decided to take a route that ran along a river to a nearer hut. This turned out to fit the trio perfectly, as they made a safe arrival just as dusk was setting in.
The photo to the left is of a local bird Henry saw along the trail. At first it seemed the epitome of exotic, and so Henry stealthily approached it and got this candid shot. However, upon further consideration, Henry decided that bird really looked like nothing more than an over-sized pigeon. And indeed, as the hike continued, he learned that these birds were not as unique as he'd thought. The hikers passing the other direction as Henry snapped his digital shutter probably has a feeling similar to one we might have of watching a foreigner carefully immortalize a squirrel.
The next photo shows Henry as he skillfully made the one and only water crossing on the hike. It may look routine, but what the camera cannot show you is how staggeringly cold (beyond refreshing) the water was.
In this one, you can see some traditional gray rocks in the foreground, and then behind some red-orange stuff that is in fact lichen-covered rock. Wild lichens in New Zealand.
Here are Henry's good friends Joey and Ben enjoying a sandwich at the highest point of the hike. The snowy mountains in the distance are where the three amateurs thought they might go before plans were altered. Not shown in this photo are Joey's very breathable shoes, and his comfortably warm toes.
