Shanti reports…

It was a cold start as we headed to the Hakatere Conservation Area with Liz and Maisy. The plan was to do the trip we did to Manuka Hut as an overnight test camping trip as a day trip.

We parked in exactly the same place just the otherside of the gate. The farm road was pretty iced up with the promise of being muddy on our return (the promised mud was delivered). We soon had a view of Lake Emily with snowy mountains in the distance.

It wasn’t long before we were on the TA trail, over the ridge (after a debate between the humans about whether to take the longer flat route or not - the verdict was not) and down onto the 4x4 track that leads to Manuka Hut, which was our lunch and treat stop.

After lunch we carried on towards Double Hut and ended up going the furthest I’d been along that track. Passed the almost dry Manuka Lake and onto Seagull Lake - didn’t see any rabbits this time, but I could smell them!

Round about the point that Seagull Lake comes into view… Mum decided that was the perfect spot to come and camp. She has plans to return right here (see below). It has 360 degree views and the side you can’t see stretches off into the distance with huge mountains looking like tiny hillocks because of the distance.

Then it was time to turn. Mum and Liz set a fast pace, that became super-fast when they saw people heading towards them from Manuka Hut and we trotted along opening a nice lead. We were over the crest of the ridge on the TA trail before the others started the climb over the ridge. But harder boots and high speed never works well with Mum’s feet and she ended up with blisters - although she says she wanted to test the case with these particular boots… hmmm… and she says I’m hard to teach?

By the time we got back to Lake Emily Mum was tired, and we still had to walk the now defrosted and very slippery and muddy track back to the car. To make it worse for Mum this was a dogs on lead section, as it is private farm land - and I was in a hurry to get back to the car and rest. This made Mum go slower. She seemed to think my helping her by pulling put her at risk of slipping in the mud. I just dunno - but my name was mud by the time we got to the car and Mum’s equanimity from the trip had mostly evaporated.