We departed the Pureora lodge in lovely weather and were soon on new cycle ways with plenty of riders about. Winding our way up to the trig rewarded us with 360 degree views including Ruapehu and her sisters. Lunch was knocked off and a freshening breeze moved the party onwards. Next stop was Bog Inn which was supposed to have burnt down but the old girl is still going strong. The party had arrived early afternoon so it was decided to press on and knock off some of next day’s route after topping up water as little was expected for a while. Two hours later we found a spot up on the ridge amongst some old trees and a couple of deer had been spotted by Rob. A windy night and a cool wakeup call with the gauge reading 5 degrees at 8am.
So next a 7 hour day full of windfall, wood pigeons, spectacular aged trees and Kaka for company. A well-marked track mostly undulating with a couple of sharp short rises and falls.
Finding the Waihaha hut was luxury with a nice fire and 10 bunks. Winding down after dinner Rob gave us a few refresher tips on river crossing safety and techniques along with not getting too complacent on dry land such as getting away from your own party.
This was Ralph’s first out party with the club and he was enjoying it! We gave him some hut tips, like how to smoke your Christmas Reindeer in a DOC hut by hanging it from the rafters. Secure your beastie firmly however as the sight of a deer plummeting towards the floor and taking out the hut warden can dampen the festive atmosphere.
Ralph had heard enough and went to bed .However Campbell showed off his new headlight, blinding us in 4 new colours.
Next morning the weather forecast proved correct with steady drizzle on an easy river track of 3 hours taking us out to the car-park. Along the final leg we had seen some nice waterfalls and lovely summer swimming spots amongst the pumice like rock.
Sitting in a well-constructed new shelter we had Pierre deliver the yellow bus bang on time where we greeted the very clean lodge party!
A lovely weekend , our thanks to drivers Bernard and Pierre and of course Liz for all the work behind the scenes.