Our next adventure took us to the very southwestern corner of the South Island to the Hump Ridge Track in Fiordland National Park. This track is a unique partnership between a local charitable conservation group and the Department of Conservation. The Hump Ridge Track is also longer than many of the Great Walks, and covers over 60 kilometres (37 miles) in three days.
The first day is by far the toughest, not only because of the distance, but because you climb to the top of the Hump Ridge, almost 930 metres (over 3,000 feet) above sea level. Driving to the very end of the highway we left the car in the small car park among some dairy farms and made our way to the start of the track. After a short distance along the forested cliff tops the track dropped down a staircase to the beach. We had great views along the entire length of Te Wae Wae Bay, but were nervous to see the Hump Ridge in the distance, knowing that we would be spending the night at the top of the distant mountains.
After following a track along the dunes for a while we eventually turned inland entering the lush green forest. After hiking in Colorado for so many years it is always surprising just how green the forests in this part of New Zealand are, and the dappled sun coming through the trees just seemed to make the colours more vivid.
About halfway through the hike on the first day, the trail starts the climb up the Hump Ridge. In order to protect the fragile ecosystem in the area much of the track is actually on a raised boardwalk through the forest. Although slightly unusual, it was actually an interesting experience as you didn’t have to worry so much where you put your feet and could focus instead on the surrounding forest.
No track in New Zealand would be complete without a couple of challenging swing bridges. Whilst this one was nothing like the three-wire bridges we encountered on the Hollyford Track, there was something about a bridge made entirely of chicken wire that didn’t give a great sense of confidence as you crossed it!
The only disadvantage to walking through the forest is that it is often hard to get a sense of progress as you are not able to see any landmarks on the horizon. We were pleased when we came to the next way point on our route description; water bridge. This was our final stop before the steep section of the climb up to the lodge and was a chance to fill up our water bottles (hence the name). As this was a private track, they had included a small billy on a rope for people to dangle off of the bridge to collect water. Eric was able to master the system and we were able to top off our water bottles before starting the main part of the climb.
As we continued to climb the forest began to change around us, the huge ferns that had carpeted the forest floor gave way to moss and lichen. In places even the trees were covered in moss which made the forest feel like something out of a fairy tale.
After a couple of hours of steady climbing we came to the next waypoint, Stag Point. From here we were able to look up towards Okaka Lodge, nestled into the saddle above us. After a quick stop for afternoon tea and a chance to enjoy the views from the clearing we continued on the final leg of the hike to the lodge.
The view from our room at Okaka Lodge was stunning, we certainly felt that we were rewarded for the climb to get here. We had views across the entire sweep of Te Wae Wae Bay far below us, and the forested hillside we had climbed. After relaxing for a while, we set off to explore the area around the lodge.