222 km update - a wee bit of mud

Our first week and a half on trail was a mix of road walks, cliffside ocean views, miles of mud and navigating without a trail through tussocks and good ol’ New Zealand bush. We are both grateful to be on this journey and enjoying our first rest day in Te Anau, the gateway to Fiordland.

Day 5 of trail we entered the Longwood Forest, a 26 kilometer section of mostly mud track sometimes above knee-deep. The forest was SO green, with all sides of trees and every rock covered in moss. We were moving at about 2 kilometers per hour max, venturing off trail through the brush trying to avoid the mud when possible and stopping to admire the trees. We decided if we didn’t make it to Martin’s Hut by 2:00 pm we would stay there for the night and finish the rest the next day. When we rolled in to the hut at 2:30 it was hard to stop knowing we would have to put on wet socks and muddy sneakers the next day but ultimately the safe call. Our next day was much more enjoyable tramping through deeeeep mud pits and singing rhymes about the trolls that live in the swamp. That night we made it to Merriview Hut and camped near a road into Otautau. Hitching the next morning took about 30 minutes with thumbs out and as we caught sight of our ride, a box truck, I called out, “great, looks like a lot of room in there!” As the truck driver parked I opened the door and asked if he could fit the two of us. He said there might be room in the back but it could be a bit bloody. Did I hear that right??? He opened the back door confirming my suspicions, “yeah a bunch of dead deer in there,” he chuckled and smirked as Will asked if we could keep our bags on our laps instead. 15 minutes later, we waved goodbye to our hunter/logger friend and made our way to the Community Church cafe in town which seemed to be our only option for coffee. No amount of caffeine could wake me up.. I felt pretty smelly and sweaty now back in public. A kind kiwi lady came over curiously asking where we came from and offered up their shower. I took her up on it and though I didn’t have any clean clothes, felt much better after a rinse. Will did the food buy and by 10 am we were back on the road with a local offering us a ride to the trailhead without even asking!

The following section came with more mud and challenging hiking but at least we had the worst of the mud behind us. Our first day out of town was a breeze over a short climb and out on a gravel road. We stayed at Birchwood Station, a private hut between sections of private farming and timber land. There we met several southbound hikers including a family of four from Denmark. They had been hiking since October with two young kids. What an epic family adventure! The next few days came with some bigger climbs and so many sandflies. By day 10 on trail we were feeling worn down and READY for a day off. Luckily we made it to the road by 4:30pm and—in less than a minute—caught a ride with some Aussies!! They brought us right to Rosie’s hostel in Te Anau where we took showers and biked to town for a hearty meal and ice cream.

Just when I thought we were done with the mud… I fell in all the way and it looked like I had a bad case of diarrhea!

Tomorrow we start the next 94 km through Mavora Lakes! We expect to be in Queenstown by March 14. Miss you all so much! 🩷 Katie