Kia Ora to Bert Nichols
Overland Track
The Hike - Four days into the Overland Track, and it was everything I had hoped for and much more. Waking up during the night to try and do a spot of astrophotography didn't really work out but I was rewarded with a crystal clear morning, with just a slight chill to the air. Looking across to Cathedral Mountain, there was a dusting of cloud hanging around the summit that made me hopeful for an overcast day. With the majority of today's hike to Bert Nichols Hut being in the temperature rainforest and beech forest, the photos would look a lot better with the even lighting provided by cloud cover.
I would find out later what was in store for me, but for now there was a glorious post-sunrise show of streaming light coming through the clouds. Walking along the boardwalk to get a better view of Kia Ora Hut, I took one of my favourite photos of the entire trip, the cover photo you see above with the golden rays shining over Mount Massif and illuminating the hut in spectacular fashion. With a relatively short day compared to what I'd hiked over the past four days, plus no mountains to climb for the first time on the trip, there was no rush to get going. Meandering around the hut, everyone was in the same relaxed mood about getting ready. Enjoying a hearty breakfast of Radix Apple and Cinnamon, it tasted just like an apple pie. After many days together, the familiarity everyone had with each other was great, and it was fun learning about the lives everyone led back home and their background.
The talk this morning was around the easier nature of the day, which I'd started dubbing the waterfalls and rainforest day, given that's what you'd mostly be seeing. There are two side trips along the route today, visiting three separate waterfalls, and it's another opportunity to have a refreshing swim if you're game. Enjoying a stretch on the deck overlooking Cathedral Mountain, the warming sun was a nice feeling on the skin. It was eventually time to pack up and leave, and I was ready to depart at a leisurely 9:20am. Hiking alone during the day, I would meet up with various people as I passed them, or was passed along the track, and at the side quests. Taking some last photos of one of my favourite huts on the Overland, it was also the last recently renovated hut we would stay at. Passing the ranger hut, I crossed the bridge over Kia Ora Creek, and passed the side trail to Kia Ora Falls I had taken the previous afternoon.
The cloud had well and truly burnt off by now, and the day was shaping up to be another warm one. Looking back during one of the clearer sections, I could see Mount Pelion East rising up with the distinct little tower instantly recognisable. Starting off in the spindly dry sclerophyll forest provided something different to photograph, and one of my favourite shots was when I came across a straight section of trail, and the narrow trunks all closed in over the trail as it extended out into the distance. From Kia Ora Creek, the track rises gently for the first three kilometres to the historic Du Cane Hut, and given you're on the edge of the Mersey River Valley, there are some exposed sections with lovely views. For now the clouds had rejoined me overhead, and I was hoping they would hang around for the rest of the day.
In sections, the dry sclerophyll was replaced with patches of damper and darker forest, complete with weathered artifacts of the track like characterful planks and boardwalk. This was kind of the feel for the day, with most of the major track upgrades in terms of campsites and new boardwalk now behind us, replaced with a more rustic feel. This was no bad thing, as I love a moss covered section of track paraphernalia, as it's always more interesting to photograph. The twisted roots and old boardwalk section didn't last too long but it was a nice change. Returning to the dry sclerophyll forest, the straight lines and leaning trunks was a lovely replacement, along with some fun discoveries along the edge of the track like my first Dog Vomit Slime Mold, a large fungi and a River Rose. Popping out into another exposed section, Cathedral Mountain was starting to look a lot smaller when it appeared in the distance.