Today was awesome. We camped by the swollen river last night and enjoyed another beautiful New Zealand sunrise. Being that the trail was still underwater we continued via the gravel road through the station. The manager passed us a few times then stopped to talk. We asked what vegetables he was growing in a few fields. Turns out they feed the livestock turnips and hay during the winter. It's amazing how little of an influence corn is here and goes to show how U.S. subsidies really change how we eat. The grocery store sells corn individually although the potato aisle is huge.
We cleared the flooded section and crossed the first of 3 swing bridges today. Upon reentering the forest we saw a sign posted about sodium cyanide poisoning. The Department of Conservation is placing poison within the forest to kill rodents like rabbits, opossums, and hedgehogs. Basically anything that is not a native species. The farmers are upset that this will filter into the food chain. Frankly, it was weird to see a government conservation department do something like that.
After crossing back into the forest, the trail was a dream. Fast, level, and defined. It maybe few and far between, but we'll take it. We followed the Mavaro River upstream to both the South and North Mavaro lakes. All three were a glacial blue with rocky mountains surrounding them. A lake side campsite was full of families enjoying the weather and water skiing in wetsuits. Two kids welcomed us here and talked about everything from candy and ice cream, to fishing and dirt bikes. We also met another Southbounder from Britain. He is only hiking the South Island and we exchanged info before continuing on. Looking forward to another great hiking day tomorrow.
Shadow the Shepard.
Swing bridge
Country Mouse and Shadow
No comments:
Post a Comment