The forecast was iffy, and the sky was outright drippy, when we set out off to Angelus Hut above the beautiful Nelson Lakes, South Island in mid November. A steep uphill slog for the first two hours or so, up through an increasingly thick but short beech forest. Mist swirling and dripping a heavily on us, our view of the lake below disappeared and then the rain set in. No worries, we ducked into a handy little rock shelter at the tree line, had lunch and waited.
Luck was with us, for the rain finally stopped and we set off across a huge ridge when out of the mist ahead emerged two friendly Kiwis who were just leaving an old dilapidated ski hut which had been a popular winter attraction years ago. It used to have a rope tow but that had been taken out years ago. The rope tow was handy in the old days because after hiking two hours up the steep incline up to the ski hut through the snow, carrying their skis, the skiers were understandably tired, and really appointed the luxury of a rope tow! The neat thing was that a community group had just purchased the old building, and were renovating it into a shelter for school groups to use as they tramped in the mountains. They had just helicoptered in a new septic tank and a small bulldozer to do some site work...No big deal. Just a fun day volunteering their time to help kids learn to appreciate their natural world. New Zealanders love the outdoors, and the kids do too!
We tramped in and out of the mist with less and less visibility, knowing that we were missing some pretty spectacular views. Oh well, maybe we would see them next day. Mist turned to rain, and the next two hours were wet, wet, wet. Our feet were soaked because in addition to the rain, we we walking above the snow line in last year's snow and it was drenched. Finally we crested the ridge, and saw below a cute little hut. A half hour later we were inside, hanging up our wet clothes above a cute little wood stove, chatting with the rest of the trampers there. There were about 11 others at the hut. Three New Zealanders, three from Austria, five or six from Australia.
Oh I should explain the hut system. There are probably hundreds of huts throughout the country owned and run by the Dept of Conservation. They cost anywhere from five -thirty-five dollars per person per night. Most of the huts are unattended, so it is all on the honour system. You put your chits in a little metal box and make yourself at home. There is a a great space for cooking, big tables for communal eating, and then usually 1-2 separate dorm rooms for sleeping. The dorms have huge bunk beds, with each level of the bunk able to sleep 8-10 people or so. There are mattresses on the bunks, so all you need is a sleeping bag. Well, sometimes it helps to have ear plugs, because some people snore, but if you are tired enough, it does not bother you to be sleeping on the top bunk next to several other strangers sawing logs in their sleep.
The toilet facilities are outdoors, this time they were up a very muddy hill on a really windy knoll above the hut. Sturdy little port-a-potties bolted to the rocks. They are helicoptered out and replaced as necessary! Water? The water is collected via a sophisticated system of eave troughs which drain into huge tanks next to the huts. The water drains into the sinks by gravity, and they never run out of water because it rains so much!
The only rule about the huts is that you need to keep them clean and tidy, with counters cleaned, and floors swept each day so the next batch of trampers can enjoy them. And believe me there will be trampers every day, regardless of the weather. Does the hut system work? Yes! Everyone pays their little chits into the box, and they dutifully clean the hut before leaving. Quite a remarkable system. If you want to tent, instead of sleeping inside, the fee is about half the hut fee, and you get to use the cooking space, toilets, water etc. This trip we chose the hut because there was still 3-4 feet of snow around the hut, and tenting would have been too wet (never mind the fact that it was raining!)
Great company with the other trampers that night and the next, and a welcome sky which cleared that night, giving us a lovely couple of days more. The views on the return were incredible, well worth the wait. Thank you New Zealand and New Zealanders for having such incredibly good hut and trail systems.
No comments:
Post a Comment