Macintosh car park, Macintosh Hut, Macintosh Spur and tops, Saturday July 28
Map: BJ37 Kuripapango
The day was quite mild and clear, and luckily we did not need too many extra layers when we set off (sadly without Colin McNatty, who had been felled by illness). We had an easy walk down to the new(ish) steel bridge that replaced the old wire one. It was my first time over it, as it was about five years since I last did this trip.
The river was high with some strong rapids, indicating recent heavy rain in the area. We warmed up on our ascent up the track and had a nice relaxed morning tea stop at Macintosh Hut, where a lone hunter was staying.
Further up the track, we had great views of surrounding snow-covered peaks and were surprised at the amount of snow on the ground. Plenty of ice was also seen hanging off branches and in areas without sunlight.
At the top of the spur, we had a superb lunch spot with some mist which cleared to give us views of Ngauruhoe in the distance. There was absolutely no wind and – with the sun shining – I regretted not bringing my sunglasses.
I borrowed Julia’s mini-tripod and managed to get a good group shot of everyone in the snow.
We decided not to try for Studholme Bivvy and Hut, so had an easy walk back to Macintosh Hut for afternoon tea.
The hardest part (as always) is the trudge up to the road from the river; however, it was a great day and really worth it to get out and see some snow and great views. And a good chance to have an interesting chat with our visitor, Eileen.
Trampers: Eileen Cameron (visitor and guest speaker), John Marshall, Geoff Donkin, Julia Mackie, John Dobbs, Murray Goss and reporter John Russell
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