Adventure Magazine

"Lesson four. If you see rat traps near your tent site,
leave your food on a hook in the hut."
Long story shortened, I arrived back at my tent after a
refreshing swim in the Waihaha river to witness my food
bag moving. I got to with a few feet of it before a large rat
emerged from the bag, carrying said block of cheese over
the riverbank and disappeared into a hole under a tree root.
Gone! Several hundred calories lost. Lesson four. If you see
rat traps near your tent site, leave your food on a hook in the
hut.
Regardless, it was an early night for me that evening, glad
to settle back in my tent and doze off to the sound of the
river. Another priceless experience. Mercifully day three was
a relaxing day trip up Hauhungaroa track following the river
with more towering matai… or was it miro… perhaps rimu?
and including a relaxing lunch alongside the river, and then
back to Waihaha hut, another swim, and a long, sociable
dinner.
The trip back to the pickup at Highway 32 on the last day
was a gently rolling walk alongside the river on a track
designed to be ridden by MTB. My day was made all that
much easier for me with a pack lighter after the loss of 4
days food and no cheese reserves. This is another one
of those trips that will stay in my memory for a long time.
Despite making it a lot more difficult for myself than I needed
too, the unique campsites and towering forests will have me
back here again soon. After doing some shopping.
I choose to use the following products: Macpac, Back
Country Cuisine, Keen and Jetboil.
Main image: Waihaha hut, day four.
Insert: Locals / dinner!
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