13 November 2007

Lake Waikareiti Track

Two in a Row...

page 2

One of the pleasant features of this path, especially for older walkers is the provision at regular intervals of trackside seats, one, for a well-earned rest on the way, and two, just to sit for a while and enjoy.

It is definitely bluetop up there.

We head on up, and the track appears to be levelling out some.

Ah... Civilisation.

The lake is just beyond.

The Rhine maidens have departed elsewhere

We head for the shelter and unpack our lunches and the thermos. As shelters go, it's pretty flash.

Thank you, Friends of the Urewera National Park Association.

From the shelter, a somewhat less indulgent track continues around the lake to Sandy Bay Hut and connects up with a wider network of tracks. I am told that the Sandy Bay walk is an excellent one, but you will need to book the hut ahead of time at a DoC office.

We chew our sandwiches and drink our coffee and look out across some truly splendid lake views. The water is as clear as I've seen it anywhere, and yes, it is rippling. I wonder what the wind's like out a bit further.

We head for the dinghies, and here I want to point out something quite subtle. Somebody in DoC has clearly been doing some heavy thinking:

Spot it? The boat is upside down, which is how it's stored, but the number is the right way up.

Now if some of this kind of thinking were to be aplied to the needs of those walking from Onepoto to Panekiri Hut...

I do suggest, however, that if you are thinking of hiring one of these boats you pay a bit of attention to how you're going to get them from position A above to position B below

They are 3.6m long and even though they are aluminium they still weigh considerably and take a deal of shifting around. This also applies to propelling them through the water. They are sluggish, high-sided, and respond to the slightest breeze by swinging the bow around into it.

Moreover, the oars are around 2.1 m and the seats are not well positioned for just anybody to brace themselves to row. We'll just have to make do with the upside down numbering when it comes to thoughtfulness.

I make a manful attempt to accommodate my 125kg and longish legs to the design limitations of the dinghy and fail manfully. Miranda takes over. Now is when all the fitness training begins to pay off. Even a couple of hours later with a fairly persistent head wind she is still cheerful.

We head off up the lake while I try to recreate the map of the islands in the lake in my head. Once we turn right and get into the lee of an island, she can relax a little.

About here we realise that the lifejackets are still in the pack. Doh. Up ahead of us at the jetty we spy the Rhine maidens, and bugger me, they've got an outboard. It says a lot for Miranda's character that she makes no comment at all at this point.

We head on over, just as they head off, leaving a creamy wake behind them on the otherwise unpolluted waters of the lake. A small oil slick from the engine can be seen shimmering beside the jetty. Hmmm!