Mason Bay – Freshwater River, 14.0 km

Sunday, February 17: Drizzle overnight, cloudy in the morning, clearing to blue skies by afternoon

GPS Tour

Cheeky Stewart Island Robin (Petroica australis rakiura)

Most people were in bed or on their way by the time that the sun set. I was sharing with the Hong Kong couple who had gone to bed an hour or so previously; she was the only snorer but her snores grew weaker the longer the night. I was about the first to be up and finished with breakfast, then tried demonstrating the bracketed panorama to anyone who cared – that was mainly Julia (together with her lieutenant, Katrin I had had long discussions with yesterday evening and continued at breakfast). Then they were gone and I still needed to throw a few things into the pack, get a satellite fix and start my own day.

Tiny mushrooms along the track

The track was fairly reasonable at first, passed the “historic” homestead at Mason Bay (nothing much) and was waved to by a hunter, and soon caught up with the girls. Then there was some nature photography to be done (plants, mushrooms), and a bracketed series of a manuka grove. After that I sped ahead, meeting a group coming in the opposite direction. For a while there was an elevated walkway over the very damp swamp; then along a dike for a considerable distance. Finally, a mix of sandy path, mud pools, and board walks. The three hours advertised didn’t live up to their reputation and I arrived here at about 1:30. Still, not so bad for 14 km on a speed track with minor obstacles.

Manuka (teatree, Leptospermum scoparium) grove

Very old hut here, guarded by a very young cat and a pair of vigilant tui. Set about hanging my still wet stuff from yesterday up and getting some lunch. Found a small can of DEET/sunscreen that will do just nicely for the last 48 hours. Swept out the hut and unpacked. Saw a couple of empty plastic bottles and thought that as it was such a warm day (getting on 20°) I would fill the bottles with water and put them on the woodshed roof until they were warm enough that I could wash my hair with them.

Then one of the younger couples from yesterday – Felix & Rebecca – from Bingen – arrived and had lunch. Felix wants to be a vintner and will start studying in Geisenheim in the winter. After that Julia & Katrin arrived, with Julia spending some time at the wharf (looking for the timetable?) before coming across the suspension bridge. In the meantime the washing had been done and the bush shower/shampoo had been completed.

View from the hut at Freshwater River

Later the Hong Kong couple arrived and moved into my room, and then the other German couple, Martin & Marlene. Julia & Katrin went over to wait for their water taxi and I went over and joined them for a bit. The taxi was delayed by half an hour or so, so I went back to the other side & attempted to set up my camera for a sunset series. The problem here is that the intervalometer can’t be set to manual focus @ infinity – some other solution will have to be tried out. In any case no sunset series. Then we heard the taxi coming, Julia & Katrin were soon loaded onto it and and away.

I returned for my dinner of rice & peas, and the German couples started playing the card game “Shithead”, first in the very dark, then by candlelight, and in the end with a fire lit, although the hut was still pretty warm. The HK couple had long gone to bed, and after a brief view of the stars everyone else packed in around 10:00.