The skies were clouded over and rumor is that big storms are headed this way. We were a little nervous to be rained on again, but we decided to move ahead with our planned hike for the day. We bundled up and left the house and wereon the trail by 11 a.m.
Today's plan was to hike Mount Robert - over Lake Rotoiti- and it expanded from there. The top of the mountain was clouded over, but we headed up anyway. From the start, it was up and up and up with steep switchbacks. The nice thing was that the mountain was open so we had gorgeous views in all directions as we sidestepped the incline. We would go in and out of trees, but mostly we worked our way up an open mountainside, quickly rising away from the lake down below. The wind was blowing with strength and we were headed for the clouds above.
The trail wrapped around to the backside of the mountain into the trees. We were serenaded by strange sounds, like instruments, as the trees squeaked against each other with the wind gusts. The switchbacks continued for awhile under the canopy as we approached the summit.
Within an hour of climbing, the trees opened up and we reached the tussocks of the open tundra. The wind roared and we put our fleeces back on to stay warm. We continued the climb up for about 20 minutes until we reached a hut at the summit of the ridge. We were still under the clouds, as they had lifted up to a higher ridge. From where we stood we had beautiful 360 degree views of the lake, rolling farms and alpine peaks.
After taking it all in for few chilly minutes we started to work our way back down the backside of the mountain. The trail was incredible, complete open tundra in all directions. It felt like the top of the word. The path stayed above the trees almost the entire way down on the back side. As we walked, we noticed the lake getting bluer as the clouds thinned and the sun fought through. Despite the forecasts, the sun seemed to be fighting away the gray. Before we knew it, we were in complete sunshine and stripping our clothes back down to the bottom layer.
The trail down was gorgeous, it snaked its way across golden ridges and balanced high above the now turquoise lake. As we approached the treeline again, Dave and I pulled out the map and decided it was too beautiful to stop hiking at the end of this trail. So we added to it. We decided to take the cut-off down toward the lake. If we walked around the lake for awhile, we would reach the Whisky Falls.
We got to where the trail split and headed straight downhill toward the edge of the lake. Then we walked right along the lake's edge for 4 km - now taking in the mountain views from another perspective down below. We had to cross a number of large and small streams (each of us had one foot soaking incident, so we each had one squishy foot and one dry one).
The mystical Whisky Falls were hidden in a small cove in the forest, sheltered by trees. You come up a hill and around a corner and there was a giant downspout catching the light and pouring down onto the rocks below. We stayed as long as the sand flies let us and then walked down to a small boat dock to sit and rest our legs for a few minutes. We hadn't seen another person in hours. The sun was glistening, the water was Caribbean blue and the breeze kept us cool and relaxed. It was one of those moments you never wanted to end. But we had about 2 hours left to hike, so we pulled ourselves away from our short nap on the dock and started our tramp home.
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| Surrounded by birds as we walked along the lake. |
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| The mystical, hidden, Whisky Falls. |
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| Our private dock - a moment that we didn't want to end. |
Unfortunately the final stretch (after we made our way back around the lake) was up and up, just the opposite of what our tired legs needed. But we powered through. Six long hours after we left our car that morning - six long hours and 11 miles of fairly quick hiking with lots of up and down - we were back at the car and ready for food and rest.
There was not a cloud in the sky. The day had fooled the weather forecasters and we weren't complaining at all. We stopped down at the dock at the North end of the lake in St. Arnaud and spent some time on the dock watching the kids jump into the cold, cold water. It was at that point that we looked down and noticed the giant eels (yes, eels) loitering below the dock. Apparently the local children didn't mind them at all.
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| The "main" dock in St. Arnaud. Mount Robert is on the right. We were standing up there earlier that morning. On the left is parachute mountain. |
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| Yep, eels. |
We arrived back at the inn around 6:30 p.m. and reunited with Russell and Marjorie. After a quick shower and change we joined them in the living room for cheese, crackers, fresh mussels and beer - sharing details of our day. Marjorie and her daughter Melinda were busy cooking dinner in the kitchen. Soon, we all sat down for lamb roast with mint jelly, potatoes, peas and corn, broccoli with cheese sauce and roasted carrots and sweet potatoes. They all joined us at the table and it was a family meal without the family - just new friends. Dessert was a sweat cream custard with fresh raspberries and powdered sugar.
Now, we're relaxing in the living room. Windows open, the sun just went down. The rain is still on its way - but it's not here yet. Russell and Dave are sampling beers and talking about antique boats and planes. Marjorie is plugging away at a crossword and Melinda is deep in a book. It's nice to go away on vacation and feel at home.
Tomorrow we leave St. Arnaud and continue our trek North. I'm looking forward to getting on a boat and leaving our car behind for three days. More to come on that soon. But for now, I'm off to continue being cozy as we wait for the rain to arrive.
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| St. Arnaud B&B. Our home away from home. |
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