Our day off in Nelson was cloudy and rainy – so much for being the sunniest place on the South Island. It gave us the excuse to do very little for the day; so we were raring to go the next morning, which did dawn bright and sunny.

After a tasty breakfast (best coffee so far), a shortish drive took us to the beautiful setting of Lake Rotoiti in Nelson Lakes National Park. We did a short walk through the forest, learning about the key part played in the local ecology of the honeydew from the scale insect that lives in the bark of the beech trees. Unfortunately, invasive wasps were gobbling up the honeydew, so as in most parts of NZ, there was a programme to get rid of the invasive species to restore endemic species.

After an early lunch by the lake we set off on the hike proper for the day – a two hour tramp with packs up to Bushline Hut on Mount Robert, where we were staying overnight. We had elected to camp, rather than squash into the rows of mattresses in the hut, so were back to carrying full packs.  This paled into insignificance when we saw what out guides carried up –  their kit and all the food for 11 people for the evening meal and breakfast.  Their loads included 2 bottles of wine – I fear we set a precedent.

Back to the hike – this was a perfect climb. Nothing was too steep. The views over the blue lake were stunning.  As we climbed, the lake got smaller but the views over the mountains got greater, then we were rewarded with views over to distant mountain ranges. 

The setting of the hut was stunning – as the name suggests it was right on the bushline (or tree line as we would call it).

We set up our tent in the trees behind the hut where we would be relatively sheltered as the mountain was famed for its strong winds.  We then emptied the rest of our packs apart from a few layers and some water to prepare for the next part of the day.  The more energetic in the group (including us) decided to hike up to the main ridge and then along the ridge for a while.  This route would eventually lead to the Angelus hut though that was not for us today; it was four and a half hours further on from our hit. Six of us set off, reaching the edge of the ridge about half an hour later.  We then walked along the ridge, gradually climbing as the vista opened up even more views.  It was windy but fortunately the forecast winds of 55-70km an hour did not materialise.

After about an hour we got to a lookout spot and the rest of the group decided to turn back.  David and I were keen to carry on a bit longer so we agreed we would do another half an hour max, and then turn around so as to ensure we were back in time for dinner. The sun was getting lower and we were walking in the lovely golden light of late afternoon. We could see a high point ahead and now there were only the two of we could move faster.  We set ourselves a brisk pace and managed to get to ‘Flagpost’ summit, one of the highest points on the ridge, about half an hour later. Our stay at the top was necessarily brief as we were hit by the famed strong winds. So we about-turned and walked equally briskly down. Our legs were beginning to tire following our exertions but, having checked the time, we got to the last turn off down to the hut as predicted.  We then allowed ourselves to slow down a bit and got to the hut bang on time – to find cheese and wine ready and waiting for us, followed by a delicious meals cooked by our guides. Tired but elated we were tucked into out sleeping bags by 8.30pm and soon asleep.