Day 61: The Twin Towers
December 10, 2019
Kilometers: 1549.8-1570.1
Te Matawai Hut to Waitiwaewae Hut
Today’s blog is going to have a different format than usual. There were 3 major parts of the day so I have split it up into 3 sections, each of which will have a lot of pictures at the end. Enjoy!
Section 1: Te Matawai Hut to Dracophyllum Hut
We woke up at 5:45 and were out by 6:20 this morning. It was going to be a very ambitious day, 20km through alpine terrain which could be as slow as 1kph through sections.
It was freezing cold when we left and as soon as we got above the tree line, the wind started whipping around. It was so cold in fact that Alex had to hike in a jacket and I wore my gloves, hat, and buff. We climbed the 500 meters up to a ridge next to our first summit of the day, where we took a sharp right and continued along the ridge downward. Both the climb up to and down from the ridge had very narrow rocky sections which required the utmost of care. We stayed along the ridge for a few kilometers exposed to the wind for much of it before falling into the forest where we would eventually find the Dracophyllum Hut.
Section 2: Dracophyllum Hut to Nichols Hut
We ate our first lunch at the hut before getting back on the trail. The trail initially started in the trees and was relatively flat. The moss covered trees made for a surreal trail. The trail then began climbing quickly to a ridge line with one of the sketchiest sections of track of the day up to that point, climbing a rockslide and then around and up a huge boulder where then trail was less than a foot wide with a drop off on the side. We then continued to climb even higher before reaching the intersection that would drop us down to the Nichols Hut.
Section 3: Nichols Hut to Waitiwaewae Hut
We left the Nichols Hut at 2 with 8km ahead of us. The climb to Mt. Crawford was the most daunting task of the day as it would be the highest point and Alex and I don’t particularly like heights.
The climb immediately became horrifying as right after the junction, our rock climbing skills were put to the test as we had to navigate the increasingly narrow track up large boulders. Luckily, there was little wind at this point.
After an hour and a half of Alex and I talking about literally anything other than the trail to keep us distracted from the heights, we reached the summit.
From there, we walked along a ridge line for another hour before dropping 1100 meters over 3km down to the Otaki River where we would find our hut for the night. The Waitiwaewae Hut was the nicest hut we have had so far.
Upon arrival, we got clean and then had a dinner of rice and salami followed by chicken soup with Cous Cous.
