Although the weather for Labour Day weekend was forecast as being a bit mixed, we decided to take a chance and rent a campervan in the hopes that we could always change our plans if the weather was really bad. We left Christchurch after work on Friday and made our way north towards Lewis Pass. Eric coaxed the slightly reluctant campervan up over the pass and we pulled into the Marble Hill campground for the night. The campsite was in the middle of the mountains and once our eyes had accustomed to the dark we were able to spend some time looking at at the stars which were beautifully clear.
The next morning, I got up early and headed out for a trail run up to a nearby lake. Despite the early morning frost, the sunny skies made for a beautiful morning.
The trail left from the campsite and followed a river up through the dense forest. The trail wound through the forest, but was easy to follow as it was often the only clear ground between all the moss and other plants.
I passed several waterfalls at the side of the trail, all of which were flowing from the rain the area had received the previous week. At times the trail was on raised board walks through the marshy forest making for an easy run. Eventually the trail opened up to a grassy area as the DOC Hut near the lake came into view.
I crossed the grass in front of the hut, somewhat surprised at the crunch underfoot from the frost that still lingered in the shade up here. The lake itself was beautiful, the water was incredibly clear and flat calm.
I had the entire place to myself and apart from the sounds of the birds in the forest nearby it was very peaceful. After enjoying the view from the end of the dock for a while, I turned around and headed back down to the campervan where Eric was relaxing.
Despite the trail being downhill all the way back, I was still pleased when I looked across the river and could make out the campervan on the other side. After a quick shower and breakfast, we headed back out on the trail towards an area called the Sluice Box.
Standing on the bridge over the Maruia River we watched the water change colour as it caught the sunlight which was filtering through the forest. The crystal clear water shone a beautiful turquoise colour whenever it caught the sunlight.
We walked back to the campervan along another well maintained trail through the forest. Once again, it seemed as if the trail was the only surface not covered in something green.
Although there was still snow on the high peaks, it was clear that spring had arrived in this valley.
We got back to the campsite and packed up ready for our next stop of the day, a walk near Rahu Saddle. Before getting on the road we stopped to admire the view from the campervan, although we had arrived too late to enjoy it the night before, it was certainly another great camping spot!
