I slept most of the night but was awakened a few times by the snoring of fellow trampers and the beating of the rain on the tin roof of the hut. We awoke around 6:30 and made our way across the open area between the huts to the cook hut and were pleased that the rain was easing. Breakfast was heaping bowls of porridge with muesli and piles of toast with butter jam or honey. Most of us were happy to hear from Ranger Pete that the water had not covered the rock in the river that he used to determine whether the trail will be submerged and he gave us the go ahead to proceed around 8:00 am. There was still a light drizzle and we opted to wear our rain gear. Almost as soon as we were on the track it stopped raining and after 20 minutes we stopped to remove the rain gear and stow it away as we were already warm and did not need the protection. Most of the morning was easy tramping as we followed the river valley and gazed up at the ever-increasing height of the mountains around us. We stopped for a boil up on the trail where we had cuppa soup, salami and cheese sandwiches and of course tea. After lunch we only had another 2-1/2 hours of tramping to do but it quickly became work as we started to climb and climb and climb. After the 4 hours in the morning we broke into a real sweat for the first time on the tramp. The trail became rocky and uneven and you had to watch where you placed your feet. Most of the afternoon was in deep bush that was still dripping water from the rain overnight and the river was roaring due to the volume of water. The water level had raised about 1 meter from the previous day and the flow rate was incredible. Our legs were starting to tire and the backpacks seemed to be increasing in weight with every step until there was a sign on the track that Mintaro Hut was 2 minutes up the side trail. Hot and sweaty we marched into camp in the top third of group and selected our beds and once again delivered the food parcels we carried to the kitchen area. The leaders told us that there was swimming hole up the trail about 5 minutes at Lake Mintaro but that the water was very cold. Like true Canadians who insist on swimming at the cottage on the 24th of May long weekend we donned our trunks and headed for the “beach”. We arrived at the banks of the small lake and selected a shallow spot to enter that had a deeper pool close by. Upon entering the water it became evident why few Kiwi’s swam here. The water immediately gave you pains in your feet, as the temperature could not have been more than 5 degrees C. With the Kiwi’s looking on we jumped in, said how lovely the water was and then got our ass out of it as quickly as possible! A few others ventured in mainly the Aussies on the tramp, as they did not ever want to be out done by anyone. We toweled dry and went back to the huts while fending off the ever-present sand flies (black flies in Kiwi disguise). Dinner was ready when we got back and it was a great feed as we were all tired from the hard days tramp. The Ranger came in to speak with us around 7:30 pm to describe the hundreds of ways to hurt your self on the track and in the huts as well as interesting things to see on the track tomorrow. She took time to outline what we could expect tomorrow on the hike over McKinnon Pass. The ascent would be 575 meters in elevation gain over rocky uneven surface and we could expect brisk winds at the pass. The descent would be even more difficult as the elevation loss from the pass to our destination at Dumpling Hut was 975 meters! Better get a good nights sleep as you will need it.
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