We left Mason Bay Hut in sunshine and a freshening westerly wind heralding another front moving in. The 15km track to Freshwater Hut is flat and my decision to wear gumboots was a good one as the track was even muddier than usual after a very wet month. Mud puddles get bigger if you try to walk around the edges so it's best to just plod through.
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Leaving Mason Bay - the historic Mason Bay Homestead is to the right
of Big Sandhill as we head over to Freshwater Hut |
The track is an interesting one and the scenery changes often. The Mason Bay Homestead is about a 20 minute tramp from Mason Bay Hut and was the home of the pioneer farming families that endured isolation and tough conditions from 1879 until the mid-1980s when the lease was sold back to the government and left to revegetate naturally.
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Tussock, flax and windblown shrubs between the Homestead and
the Chocolate Swamp |
The wind was at our backs and we reached the Chocolate Swamp in good time; the long boardwalk over the swamp was a tad tricky in places as Mr Wind tried to dislodge us with a few unexpected gusts - I'm glad that I haven't met anyone coming the other way as I reckon passing could be challenging!!
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| The start of the boardwalk over the Chocolate Swamp |
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| The reason it's called the Chocolate Swamp |
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| Looking toward Freshwater Hut |
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| The width of the boardwalk - there are a couple of wider sections for passing |
After the Chocolate Swamp the track heads along Scott Burn, named after the first man to take up a pastoral lease on Stewart Island. The fine weather held out for an hour or so longer than forecast which allowed us to stop for lunch in the dry and to take photos of the plants that differ from this side of the island. This blog by
Theobrominated has an excellent description of the same track but with lots of botanising notes.
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| Scott Burn |
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| New leaves... |
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| ...that open up to look like this! |
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| Clubmoss, ?Lycopodium scariosum |
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| A sandfly lining me up for her lunch |
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| Chiloglottis orchid flower |
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| This white coral lichen, Cladia retipora, grew abundantly on the track edge |
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| Native sundew, ?Drosera spatulata |
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| Close-up of native sundew |
A short time after lunch the rain came; drizzle turned to driving wind and rain so I take my hat off to Jen and Owen who had wet feet and never complained once! The track seemed longer than I remembered from a couple of years ago - but the sun was shining then!
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| An abandoned bike by the side of the track |
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| Detour around one of the many mud puddles |
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| Wet and misty views from the track |
It was great to reach Freshwater Landing but before we could dry out at the hut we had to cross the swingbridge. The ramps up/down from the bridge are steep, slippery and not that easy to negotiate with a full pack on - I reckon a few extra bars across the ramp on the hut side would make it safer and easier.
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| Freshwater Hut with swingbridge to the left |
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| View of Freshwater Landing from the hut |
We soon had a fire going, a cuppa brewed and our sleeping bags ready and waiting. The rain eased off a bit and after gathering more wood, I checked out the track behind the hut. Even in the wet, the ngahere (bush) was stunning - lots of crown fern and mature trees.
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Gumboots they are wonderful
Gumboots they are great...
especially for tracks like this! |
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| Can you hear me sloshing through the puddles? |
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| Mossy trees to brighten the gloom |
