The first day was the 19 km ascent of the Hump Ridge, climbing from sea level to 890 metres (2920 feet) and staying at Okaka Hut. There was an optional climb to the Hump summit to walk around some tarns, which I did in the mist, rain and wind that night. This was the only mist, wind and rain we got for three days but unfortunately it happened right at the top where the views should have been. The next morning I did it again with Seán and Deborah and while the view disappeared again we were lucky enough to see a flock of keas, a few of which came in close for a look at us.
The second day was the 19 km descent (down a different ridge) from Okaka Hut to Port Craig, an abandoned logging town for the 1930s. This was where the dolphins were, but also many interesting historic relics of its logging past. There was no road access to this village and all supplies were shipped or walked in. There are some great tales told about its history and the people who lived there.
The third day was a 17km meander along the coast back to where we started. This involved crossing three historic wooden viaducts built for the logging industry.
There were quite a few areas of boardwalks, sometimes to protect the ground underneath and sometimes just in really boggy sections. I didn’t like it at all, it was hard on the feet and monotonous, give me dirt and tree roots any time. I particularly liked the moss covered tree roots that resembled prehistoric creatures struggling to free themselves from the earth. This one looks like a tuatara (I think).
On the coastal sections sand flies were a bother, but we were all smothered in insect repellent that worked well. Once reaching the cars though we stripped off our boots and within a few minutes I had six bites around my ankles, where the repellant hadn’t been rubbed. They are still itchy now three days later.
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