Day 58 | Greenstone Car Park
12 December 2022 | 21°C | 21km
How would you calculate the time to cover a certain distance on a trail?
The equation I knew so far took into consideration distance and elevation but on Te Araroa a new variables need to be added: muddyness, boggyness or for today swampyness.
The time indication on the signs were quite accurate yesterday and todays sign indicates that it would be 4-5 hrs to the next hut. The sun is out and we happily start wandering through some swampy terrain while still admiring the beautiful valley we are in.
Once we take our first short break by a stream, we realize that there is only 6km left to the Greenstone hut. We are much faster than expected and press on to have lunch there. It’s the first serviced hut we encounter and we chat quite some time with the warden from Australia who just arrived and will spend the 6 month there taking care of the hut and doing some trail maintenance in the area.
It’s still early when we finish our mich break and there hour chances we could make it into Queenstown if we can get a ride. Phil’s friend Marc who lives in Queenstown might be able to pick us up but we would not have cell phone reception before the car park at the trail head.
Luckily, I have my PLB that allows to send text messages via a satellite connection. Texting with a Garmin is very tedious but with some patience I finally manage to send a short text. It’s the first time I am using it really and I am not sure if it actually works. We continue walking and an hour later a beep indicated the arrival of a message! Marc texts that he could pick us up at the car park around 5pm. Perfect timing!
Highlight of the day: the drive around Lake Wakatipu to Queenstown. Lord of the Rings scenery all around :)
