This 3 day trek has been quite an experience. We had the luxury of huts to stay in complete with hot showers , very welcome after really quite wet weather and a fair bit of up and down. The path has taken us up hills and around the coast, on the beach and winding through breathtakingly beautiful forest with ferns, lichen and ancient mossy trees. Finishing yesterday's walk on the level along an old logging tram line we ended up at Port Craig where ships used to be loaded with logs by cable from a pier. A bit like Makatea, Port Craig has had its day and from 1000 residents in the 1920s there are only a couple today who man the track hut.
We swam in the bay and to our delight we were joined by a few Hector dolphins, not scared of James' skinny dipping.
Today it rained nonstop but it did seem to fit the damp forest. We heard a crash at one point, a rotten tree falling under the weight of vines, fern and moss.
A flat route today meant we finished the 20 k in good time. But cold, fingers too numb to do much! We warmed up in Bailey with a very welcome cup of tea.
En route up to Manapouri we heard news that flooding and landslips mean a state of emergency has been declared in Fiordland and Southland. The Routeburn track was closed when a landslips fell onto a hut and walkers were rescued by chopper. The road to Milford Sound has been closed in 3 places by landslides.
Lucky us. We just got wet, not stranded.
A few days off then we start the Kepler track on Saturday if it is open.