Hukere Stream to Angelus

Mid February Karla and I caught the afternoon ferry to Coldwater Hut on Lake Rotoiti. This ferry service runs during the summer months until the end of February but the season might be extended next year depending on demand. The water taxi (same boat) can be hired anytime of course but the ferry fare is much less for one or two people. It certainly saves a three hour plus walk to the head of the lake.

The Campsite

From Coldwater Hut we headed towards the Hukere Stream and the track up to Angelus Hut stopping about an hour before darkness in time to set up the fly and cook tea. The creek had run dry about a third of the way up and it seemed strange that we could see a waterfall and hear it, from our campsite but that water disappeared underground too.  We had enough water for tea anyway. It was a good campsite otherwise with a morepork calling throughout the night and no wandering night time visitors so I didn’t have to use any of my little pile of stones to scare them away. The next morning before we left I watched a robin with a worm feeding its offspring. The adult didn’t give the young the whole worm but held the main part firmly, making the young pull of a small section of the worm bit by bit. We packed up and walked ‘upstream’ for about three-quarters of an hour until we reached the stream flowing again and then had breakfast. On the way a falcon swooped over our heads and fed its young that was resting silently on a nearby tree. The adult visited it again before the young flew off swiftly after its parent.  A stoat was spotted in avalanche material which just shows how high these pests can wander.

The Butterfly

Once the sun came out we disturbed many orange coloured butterflies which I think might be the Tussock Tiger moth. It’s possible that we might have seen two species as one’s wings were a brighter orange and a slightly different pattern than others that we saw. Small grey spiders, about 10 – 15mm long, scurried about on rocks but close up they looked very different. They appear to have four eyes, furry legs and body and no doubt look pretty scary to other smaller sized insects.

The Spider

We came to a large clearing and after this was the ‘little’ stiff climb and it looked to be straight up. However, one step after another to reach the top, finally coming out on the level and looking at the Angelus Hut and tarns nearby. Our aim was to climb up to Sunset Saddle for the night but the cloud hung low and it looked a little like rain so we turned back and set up our camp for the night within view of Angelus Hut. There

Angelus Hut

were no bushes to pitch a fly on so it was draped over our heads while we were snug in our sleeping bag covers. It did rain for a while around 3am but by daylight the rain had stopped so we had breakfast and packed up as it was no use hanging around with the cloud quite low and the threat of rain. Back down the Hukere Stream and then to the Coldwater Hut for the night catching the ferry the next morning. That afternoon a foreign couple came into the hut. They weren’t very talkative but they did ask if they could use my cooker. We said no, so they then got their own out and started to cook a meal helping themselves to an absent American fisherman’s salt and pepper. A fisherman and boat came to the wharf so the male foreigner went and asked if they could get a boat ride back to St Arnaud. It was agreed and then the foreigner wanted the fisherman to wait “While we finish our meal”. I didn’t hear the fisherman’s response but he took off without them anyway. Do we really need tourists like this? Or are we just a lot of suckers? I’m still scratching my head!

The young American fisherman came back to the hut with a nice sized trout and he and his mates took some time taking photos and admiring the fish. To keep the trout cool and fresh he placed it in the lake by the wharf. Not surprisingly when he returned to collect his trout he was amazed to find that eels had started to have a feed of the fish first. If I had seen what he was doing with the trout, I would have told him about the ells however there was enough left for the fishermen’s tea. They were intrigued with the eels though and spent some time during the evening taking photos and watching them swim around the wharf with the aid of their torches.

Wakamarina Walk

Devil’s Creek Hut

Karla and I joined our walking group for a walk into Devils Creek Hut (Shirl was on a bus tour in the North Island). There is a DoC hut here but of more interest is the old hut, sadly, slowly disintegrating or reverting back into the forest. Gold brought Johnny Devlin here in the late 1800’s but all ones hears now are the call of the bellbird, tui or perhaps a robin. It’s a shame the old hut is like this but I guess we all just have to fade away in the end and what better place than this.

Angelus & Return

Sunrise Over St Arnaud

As Karla hadn’t really seen Angelus and the tarns in clear weather she was keen ‘to have another look’ so we started walking one morning up the Zig Zag track on the Mt Robert Ridge at 5.20am in the dark. We walked out into the open above the bushline in time to watch the sunrise. A little later we met a young kea sitting on a clump of tussock no doubt waiting to be fed by one if its parents. Along the ridge in clear skies until we came to the ridge overlooking Angelus and its tarns below at around 11am. We had lunch, took some photos absorbed the view then reluctantly turned for home. I was surprised to see a magpie flying about at the head of the Speargrass Valley.  A

Angelus

couple of American trampers passed us. They had a number of items hanging from their packs while the girls wore makeup and had some of those tattoo – tinsel  things around their eyes. One of the chaps had cords hanging from his ears. To their credit the guys waited for the girls to catch up at the junction of the track to Speergrass Hut. We were amused to watch the one with cords from his ears dancing and bobbing around and we caught the odd sound of his voice in the mountain air. I guess he was happy and that’s all that matters. We were back at the car park at 3.45pm, in time for a coffee at the new tearooms at St Arnaud before heading for home.  Unfortunately, while parked at the Mt Robert carpark, some low life tried to steal the petrol from my vehicle. Strangely, when we returned to our vehicle, we noted some camping gear beside and on top of a roof of one of the vans parked there too. We called into DoC Visiter Centre and reported this thinking that he owners had forgotten to put these things away but now it appears that the van might have been broken into and items stolen. Would  1080 poison work on these pests I wonder?

Rainfall for February at our place was 34mm with our average for this month being 65mm. Rain fell only on two days. Last years February’s rainfall was 31mm.