Omarama to Hawea - Lost Haloes

My halo’s still there but I'm not in it. Ian
15 2 19

A hitch a walk and a hitch and we are back on TA wandering through tussocky farmland. Te Araroa swerves towards every patch of speargrass. The day is so hot. The rocks in the stream are covered in slimy didymo. I swim anyway.

At last we arrive at the delightful private Old Tin Hut. $10 per night to Longslip Station. Ian bakes tank loaves with butter and strawberry jam then bacon pickle scrolls. Yep. Lucky Pierre the only other tramper in the hut is suitably impressed.

We grunt up the trail to Martha saddle high above the tree line. Then down through rocks and scree to the newish, crowded Top Timaru Hut.

The good weather holds and we follow the trail down through gorgeous mossy beech forest beside the pretty river. After lots of up and down the trail goes mad and heads straight up the hill. No zigzags just brutal straight up for 500 m.  I overheat and rest until the day cools off. I reach Stodys Hut on dusk with hurting muscles. Ian is waiting with the best cup of tea ever.

Stodys is over one hundred years old and has happy memories for me from 5 years ago where I sheltered here in a snow storm.

Dawn is cloudy and the trail easy. We see three deer and two huge spiders. Eat a few snowberries. The wind and rain turn off and on. We arrive at Pakituhi Hut as the rain starts. Ian bakes bread and popcorn and we chat with the interesting Inga and Josh. Inga has a bag of someone's hair that she is weaving into her dreadlocks. Phoebe who I know from Auckland arrives along with her buddy Netty and it is great to hear their tales of sailing the Pacific and the walking Te Araroa.

The morning is misty and the trail drops like a stone down Breast Hill. The schist cliffs and glimpses of blue, blue Lake Hawea are spectacular. Suddenly our shadows appear dancing on the clouds surrounded by a halo. We laugh and wave. Try sharing a halo. Then Ian says My halo’s still there but I'm not in it.
Too true. We crack up. The mist rolls off and the views stretch forever. We work our way down the viciously steep track and the reward is a refreshing swim in the clear cool waters of Hawea.