Day 41 - Comyns hut to Clearwater Track

I woke up this morning to the brutal cold I was so used to while hiking the north island. It took courage to leave my sleeping bag and slip into my still wet boots from the day before. Frost touched down last night for the first time yet for me in the South Island.

The sun was still hidden by the mountains when I started my walk. After climbing down a hill I reached the Round  Hill Creek River which I would be following for the next 6km. I reached my first crossing and looked up stream for any possible place to cross whilst still keeping my boots dry. I soon gave up and trugged through the most bitter cold water Ive felt in a long time. I gasped in pain by the time I reached the other side. This went of for 6km. I couldn't count the number of crossings I had to do if I wanted to, but I lost all feeling in my feet by the fifth, and since the sun still hid me in the shadow of the valley my feet were practically icicles. About half way through my agony, I stumbled upon Wietse and his camp spot from last night. I asked him how last night was and he responded simply with "cold."

Wietse and I continued our climp out of the river and to the top of Clent Hills Saddle. Golden grassy tussocks filled every mountain leaving not a single tree in sight. The new vegetation was beautiful but also deadly. Low growing plants with sharp needle like spikes pierced through clothing like a needle pops a balloon. I did my best to enjoy the spectacular views surrounding me, but most of my attention was diverted to my feet, making sure I didn't run into these painful plants.

The saddle offered spectacular views and Bryan was enjoying his lunch up top when we arrived. We talked about how we wanted to cross the Rangitata River tomorrow, meaning we'd be hiking a good 10 or 15 extra kilometers past the Manuka hut. I was pretty eager to cross the Rangitata at this point and if that meant two 35km days to beat some heavy rain then so be it.

It was 5pm By the time I reached Manuka hut (22km from Comyns hut) I was quite tired. I had a difficult morning crossing dozens of rivers, and then a challenging climb over a saddle. But if I wanted to cross the Rangitata tomorrow I needed to take down another 12km. It was a fairly flat walk, and I was sure I could do it before it got dark, so I put on some good tunes and got ready to leave. I walked for a few meters before I heard Bryan shout out my name. I let him catch up and we continued on together.

A good hour or so later as the sun started to reach lower points on the horizon - shinning the grassy hill country in the best light I've seen it in yet - a magnificent black stallion followed by two brown stallions galloped freely to the top of a hill leaving both myself and Bryan speechless. I quickly tried to capture the moment, but my 18mm prime lens was too wide to capture them as I saw. Then suddenly the black stallion turned its attention to us and - leading the other two horses - galloped in our direction. They came towards us in an indirect trail, majestically dancing with the gold light that dressed their bodies. It was the most beautiful moment I've witnessed in the past month. The black stallion came to a stop in front of us, and carefully stepped closer. Bryan reached his hand out and gave him a pet while the two other horses stood a few meters back and watched. Then, in a quick movement they strode on at full speed into the horizon. Bryan and I were trying to get to camp before the sun went down, but we stood their for a good while, watching them run freely into the open landscape.

By 8pm we reached the start of the Clearwater track. We found a sheltered spot to camp with a nearby source of water, and quickly set up before all light had passed. We cooked dinner in twilight, and were in our little homes by dark. But around 10pm I could see the stars shinning bright specs of light through the thin dinema of my tent. I got my stiff body out of bed and spent the next hour taking photos of the stars.

It was a 35km hike today through a challenging river section and an even more challenging saddle climb. I was beat, so I took three ibuprofen before I went to sleep. My plan tomorrow was to do the same distance and cross the Rangitata before any heavy rain hit.