Outdoor baths
VulcanSpirit
Richard & Alison Brunstrom
Fri 3 May 2013 11:56
|
NZ is a very active country volcanically and this
leads to hot water springs. Some are readily accessible and some a very much off
the beaten tourist track. We went to some in the north west of South Island
which necessitated a longish tramp (New Zealandese for hike) into the bush
and an overnight stay in a hut. NZ is covered by a very extensive network of
back-country huts operated by the government's Department of Conservation, known
universally by its acronym, DoC. This network is a really superb national asset
much treasured and beloved by Kiwis, and one which avoids them having
to put up with the rigors ofreal camping (I think they're all soft and don't
really understand proper backpacking despite their carefully crafted tough
outdoor image).
Here's the hut we stayed in. This is a basic hut
(though just rejuvenated), about seven hours walk uphill from the roadhead.
There are about 15 basic bunks and mattresses inside with a wood fire for
heating but no power or running water, although there is a rainbutt. It
costs NZ$5 per person per night - astoundingly good value.
 The hut is reached by what the Kiwis call a
swingbridge and the rest of the world knows as a suspension bridge. These come
in all sizes in NZ; this is one of the more basic with a safe load of just one
person.
  The most basic type has just three wires: one to
walk on and one to hold in each hand. They are renowned for occasionally
bouncing so much that they twist right over, inverting the hapless walker over
the river, a postion from which it is exceedingly difficult to extricate oneself
without either an injury or a ducking. Thankfully we didn't come across one
of those - this one was quite exciting enough for us.
The dismount is the most difficult part. You end up
on the top of a pylon and as you descend the handrails disappear below your
reach. Quite tricky until you get the hang of it:
 And so to the object of the exercise, the hot pool.
There were two at this site, one either side of a stream. Here's half of the
Vulcan Spirit expeditionary team disporting herself in the smaller but hotter of
the pools:
 |