Busy Holidays, Home Again at Last!

Two weeks of the best weather saw us arriving home only to take off again for a tramp. Winter tramping can be like walking in a freezer so we chose a destination where we would be walking in the sun as much as possible. The coastal route to the Stafford, south of Jacksons Bay on the West Coast, follows the coast for most of the distance. The route requires walking at low tide and we had to scramble over slippery rocks and dodge higher waves several times. The rock formations and coastal cliffs provided fantastic scenery with the added benefit of a glorious sunset, we were relieved to see the hut nestled amongst the forest 100 m from the beach at the mouth of the Stafford River. The proximity of the beach had the added benefit as there was a huge amount of firewood to be collected and we had a warm hut each morning as we waited for the sun. One night we ate paua we had collected - luxury.
On the third day we had to took the inland route back to the road end, treading our way slowly with freezing cold wet feet and shivering. Following the river, crossing it several times and slipping and sliding over the frozen sand and stones. The route then follows a side creek and over a low saddle on the way back to Jacksons Bay.

This area was part of the ill-fated Jacksons bay settlement where subsidised migrant families were dropped off and expected to make a life in the wilderness. Thick forest, poor soils and floods stymied their efforts after a few years and most left to warmer, more hospitable parts of the country. Walking through the forest, through the numerous stream crossing and mud holes, we could commiserate with their suffering! See this link for more info.