Sunrise Hut, Wednesday 19 July 2017
Ruahine FP. Map: BK36
Banner photo Bruce Hodgson: Looking towards Armstrong Saddle
Other photos Marie Deroles
This Wednesday walk was planned to have been to Gallens Bush. However, it is a privately owned block of land and tracking down the owner to gain permission proved too difficult.
Instead we took on the good old default fallback of Sunrise Hut in the Ruahines. This was a good choice for the time of year. Snow had dumped the previous weekend and the weather was fine.
Eleven of us took the trip. Conditions were calm, cool and just a little overcast. The top third of the track was snow-covered and a little slippery on some icy patches. Some of us commented on the extra energy levels required walking on the softer underfoot.
Being school holidays, we came across three or four family groups coming and going to the hut. One or two had stayed the night. A couple of younger men had attempted to walk to Top Maropea Hut that morning but were beaten back by waist-deep snow. No one in our group had an appetite to take that on or even venture to Armstrong Saddle. The views of Te Atuaoparapara and Patiki were excellent from the ledge behind the hut, but the icy chill on my face made me content to just look and not bother walking any closer.
This was a very satisfying walk, with time to finish the day having a beer at the Tiko.Trampers: Ted Angove, Paul Exeter, Tony Plymers, Murray White, Murray Goss, Vic Bullock, Marie, Sally, Keith, John B and reporter Bruce Hodgson
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