Day 4 - Portage to Anikiwa

View from our unit at Portage

We discovered a water problem shortly after we got up for the final part of our walk.  The water was brown and rusty and we wondered what we were going to do about water for the walk as it looked quite unpalatable. 

After a very nice breakfast  I asked the hotel manager whether the water was potable and told that it was not.  So I asked for some other water and we were supplied with some bottles of water. 

Portage and beyond

While we packed bags for transport back to Picton T took the shuttle to the start of the Portage to Anikiwa section of the track.  B and I set off about half an hour later.  It is a steep climb from the Torea Saddle.  There are nice views of both Queen Charlotte Sound and Keneperu Sound as the path winds its way up the ridge.  There was a very cute seat cut into the side of the path to provide a place to rest on the way up.  Finally we popped out at the top to a rather nice panoramic view of both sounds. 

Respite from the first climb of the day

We caught T about two and a  hours after  leaving Portage. While we having having drink and chatting weencountered an Israeli man on a mountain bike who had biked the whole route.  I don’t know how these people do it as it is really steep in many places.   

About 500 metres on  we came across Charlie who told us he was responsible for making many of the rest stops along the route from Camp Bay to the Te Mahia Saddle.  He came from Alaska about thirty years ago and had lived in the area for a while.  He offered, and we accepted, apples that he had picked from his trees the previous day.  While we were talking with him  a group of Swiss riders arrived.  He regaled us with some of the history of the track, and his

Charlie regaling us all

concerns about operators who do not sell track tickets to help with the upkeep of the track.  He was very interesting and I would have happily spent more time talking with him but we had a boat to catch at 4pm so we needed to push on.

Charlie suggested we walk up a lookout about ten minutes away.  B and I debated it but in the end she decided we ought to and so I left my backpack at the beginning of track and we climbed up the steep track.  It kept going on and on.  Finally we reached the top but the view was obscured by vegetation so not as good as it could have been.  It was a very good workout though. One part I did enjoy of that diversion was coming down as I almost ran down. It seemed easier, perhaps because of the intense concentration required to ensure that the feet were placed in the right place and keeping balance while all the time moving.

The roots designed for twisting ankles

After a fast descent to the track proper we continued toward Mistletoe Bay.  There is a track down through a mature beech forest that we had another debate about doing and in the end we made the decision to go down it.  It was very steep and the track  was not well formed.  One needed to be careful about ankles due to the roots.  The birdlife was prolific and noisy.  It took us about half an hour to quickly negotiate our way through the bush before climbing back up the road to the Te Mahia Saddle.  We were ready for a rest and some lunch by that stage.  About fifteen minutes along the track we found one of Charlie's rest stops. 

Lunch stop

The track from thereon is very easy and I even thought thatI  might enjoy taking my bike along that part of the track as the climbs are relatively easy and then it is mostly downhill.  On the latter half of the track we came across  a number of bike riders who biked up from Anikiwa and then turned around and came back.  The young ones were especially reckless and it was only luck that walkers were not collected by them racing around some of the blind bends. 

Farmland looking toward Mistletoe Bay

We stopped for a break on a point about five kilometres from the end of the track that had a seat and a pleasant view of Anikiwa Arm of  Queen Charlotte Sound.  While standing there admiring the view a  person called out my name. I turned around and discovered it was a former colleague who had worked for me when I was at Justice.  So we caught up on what she had been doing for the past fifteen or more years.  Yes, New Zealand is a very small place. 

As a result of our diversion up a small mountain and down a steep track T had passed us.  We caught her again about a kilometre from the end of the track and we walked together for the last part of it. 

Anikiwa end of the track - we've finished

At the end the women indulged in a coffee and ice-cream while I contented myself with  an ice-cream. 

The coffee cart at Anikiwa

We had arrived with about fifteen minutes to spare and while getting the ice-creams the boat that was to take us back to Picton arrived.  It was three slightly  weary and but very self-satisfied trampers who arrived back in Picton ready for a well earned glass of bubbly (a Daniel Le Brun NV). 

I enjoyed the tramp and was pleased with my fitness which improved noticeably over the four days.  I was able to go up hills slowly but without wanting to collapse when I had reached the top of the climb.  While my feet were ready for a rest there was part of me that just wanted to continue on.  There is something immensely satisfying about the physical exercise and challenge that it provides.    

We were lucky that the weather had been good, not cold but not warm and while there had been some mist and drizzle about it cleared away to give us wonderful views of the Sounds.  One of the highlights was meeting some interesting people most of whom were happy to talk about themselves and the walk.  While not as spectacular as the Milford it is a lovely walk with an ever changing vista  that can be enjoyed when when not focussed on puffing up a hill.