Nelson Lakes

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Nelson Lakes by Kate Thomas The Thursday evening of Easter weekend mixing up their four contact lenses and 1987 was the beginning of four days of then, eyeball to eyeball, saying how silly entertainment for the Gods. That is, five they were (they looked like a pair of couples departed by ferry for Nelson Lakes opossums). National Park and a weekend of silliness in the hills. Marion and Buncks, Glynis and In the morning I realised why I had agreed Neil, Judith and Murray, Megan and John, to this madness. The sky was clear blue and Murray and myself made up the party. and the hills nestled around the lake as if (And a party it was!) to say, "Come along, children, and play over here." So off we went, piled cosily Once on the ferry the boys decided to sit into the van, to the road end. Buncks' driving on deck in the sun while the girls went icebounced the back door of the van open and cream hunting below. Finding no icecream, we lost a pack. He was going so fast it the girls went to the cafeteria and relaxed took at least a kilometre to stop when the for a while. Lonely, the five boys went alarm was raised. looking for the girls who had gone up onto the deck, looking for the boys. Pursuing At the road end we unloaded, between long one another around the ship, much of the looks down the hill to Lake Rotoiti and up voyage was passed in good exercise. the hills to the lush bush. Buncks, Neil and John took the van to its parking place (other When we arrived in Picton, in the windy end of the track) while the rest of us paid darkness, the boys went bravely off into homage to the Sun God. Glynis began a the dark to find the van rental man (leaving habit that was to last the weekend - she us capable women with two packs each). fell asleep. Apparently the boys hadn't noticed the van rental man standing beside the van at the Reunited, we wandered off into the bush. kerbside about 20 metres from the girls! The sun filtered through the tops of the Yet again, the girls stood waiting for the trees and the birds serenaded us. People boys. kept stopping to remove clothing (claiming to be waiting for their spouses), while Neil Buncks chauffeured us to St Arnaud through went on ahead to find a lunch spot, not to the moonlight and the peaceful hills. When be seen again for some time. all the tents were unpacked, we found there was a tent per couple, except for Megan Buncks must have been bored, because he and John and Murray and I, who were to stopped and lit a fire beside the track. share. Megan and John entertained us by However, the majority were revelling in Mist-filled valley Kate Thomas us it was enormous - almost taller than S John and very full. At last we were to see the reason stacks of plastic containers full of fresh vegetables for our dinner. A beautiful meal, but I think we all felt a bit guilty. In the morning we went (with bruises acquired through the snowfoam) on down the scoria. There wasn't much scree but plenty of rocks, and we beginners must have been funny to watch. The mist-filled valley below was clearing and we were less tempted to step onto the cloud. At the bottom before starting into the bush, we stopped in the sun for lunch. Another fire and more ZZZZZZZZ... Then down Hopeless Creek through the forest, to the disgust of most of the birds. The covered thick and Bush Maiden - Kate Thomas trees were in moss, all sorts of coloured fungi tempted my camera the richness of the forest and the sparkle (no reference to the Editor intended). The of the river, so the lunch-with-fire idea Sun Gods smiled through the trees and the was vetoed. Onward along the track, up flowers on the ground smiled back. the river actually Speargrass Creek - we proceeded, to find Neil lounging beside Just up the Travers River from the junction the creek with no shirt on. That probably of the Travers and Hopeless Creek was a explained all the fauna we had seen rushing glorious campsite. Even after we had pitched in the opposite direction. There was a long our tents, the wildlife visited. There were lunch and some basking in the sun, and another bush robins, Boy Scouts and a pair of blue fire courtesy of Buncks. ducks. We dined on Easter eggs and entertained some Christchurch Tramping Club We had a look at the newly painted and guests at our ample fireside. There seemed very clean Speargrass Hut. The view was to be great camaraderie in our group magnificent down the valley from where perhaps due to the softer ground, something we had come. We wandered further up in the coffee, the full moon.... Speargrass Creek to the bushline and set up camp just in time to have a read before The morning brought the first three little sunset and teatime. Neil presented Glynis clouds of the weekend, and the first sandflies. with a token of his respect - some deer Packing was hastened and we set off toward sign threaded on a piece of grass to make Lake Rotoiti down the Travers. Spirits a necklace. We shared the spot with some drooped a little as nobody really wanted keas, who borrowed Buncks' toothbrush and to leave the glory of the hills. The lunch toothpaste. Anyone who sees some keas spot was meant to avoid motor boats, but with sparkly teeth will know how they got to no avail. Even with the boats Rotoiti them! looked inviting, and Neil and Buncks offered to help me begin my swim. Not funny. In the morning we waited until the sun defrosted our tents, then set off up the The pace increased as spirits deflated and valley after Neil again. Several photo rain began. At the camping ground at the sessions were necessary to record the scenery end of the track we compared blisters and and the explorers. Indeed, the scenery was mourned our great journey. Back into the spectacular. We lunched beside Lake Angelus, van, off to Picton, fish and chips, and to sharing the spot with a dead hare (no, not the ferry terminal to hand over the van. Murray Taylor's falling out). Wandering up to Sunset Saddle was very hot work but But.... suddenly, there were no keys.... no the craggy views were worth it. Megan, Buncks. How could we turn in the van? John, Marion, Buncks and Neil took advantage Ah! Buncks is finally spotted - tail up in of the weather to conquer Angelus Peak. a Railways rubbish bin surrounded by stunned Kiwi holidaymakers. We, of course, The rest of us continued to the tarn where didn't know him.... He had found the keys we had been promised a comfortable campsite. in the rubbish with our fish and chip remains. However, the site was not ideal as there was no sun reaching it in winter, and it was And so ended another weekend of entertainflat, yes, but oh so hard. It was surrounded ment for the Sun Gods. They must have by rocky crags and had very few private thought us funny because they smiled all loo sites. John's pack had been mystifying weekend.... or are National Parks always sunny for trampers?