Lost stories

From Honza's diary:

Sea kayaking the Marlborough sounds

While Iwy had enough of kayaking for this year after a few trips around Abel Tasman, waves and seasickness, I wanted to make the most of the kayak I bought. So I made up a trip for three days, had Iwy drove me to the small village of Ellaine Bay and I set off solo. Paddling the doublekayak in one took a bit of work, but once it got up to speed it was a good ride.

The first afternoon was a bit windy, but the rest of the trip was fine. The first night spent at the Waiona bay campsite was a bit wet. Although mowed, the grass was still tall and from the dew I had shoes and everything wet. But the sun was shining during the day and it was cool.

The second night at Pipi beach was a little better. Only the beaches were not very nice. Lots of rocks and mud. So when Iwy picked me up, it was quite hard to take the kayak out of the water so that we didn't have the mud all over the car.

Angelus hut

Winter is already knocking on our door and sleeping in the car is becoming very difficult. Instead of beeing in our car, we headed for the cabin at Lake Angelus.

It started down at Lake Rotoiti up through the forest and then along the ridge to the top of Mt. Robert. From here there was a wonderful view of the azure blue surface and the surrounding peaks. They are not as high as the mountains further inland, but they were still impressive.

We were leaving quite late in the afternoon so we were in a hurry to get to the lodge before daylight. After the beautiful ridge, slightly exposed in places, we missed it by a bit and the sun set when we were about a hundred meters above the hut. But that it was a spectacular.

The last very cold days and nights have covered Lake Agelus with ice. Of course, Honza couldn't forgive himself for the first time he skated on his boots, and he got off the ice only when it cracked loudly under him. It got cold very quickly with the sunset, so we hurried to get warm.

The cottage was beautifully warmed by the sun, and when we set up the fire in the fireplace, the temperature inside was more than pleasant. Already in the dark, a group of four Dutchmen arrived, which we preceded a short distance from the cottage. We cooked dinner, played cards together, and went out for dinner.

After enjoying the morning, taking photos of the sunrise over the lake and Honza's return, we headed back to the car via a “shorter” trail, where in some places the footpath was completely lost in the forest or the river.

But after a few loses we arrived back safe. The official start of the winter season was fast approaching and we wanted to be in Fairlie in time, just in case there was enough snow to ski out of the blue. You can read how it turned out in the article about the New Zealand winter.

Extra from Honza's diary:

The evening sky above Angelus hut and the frozen lake promised a clear night and a crystal morning. That's why I was attracted by the idea of watching the sunrise from Angelus peak. Although there is no official path leading to the top, it should not be a problem to climb there.

I estimate the hike to be an hour and a half and set an alarm clock accordingly. It is said that Ivča prefers to sleep in peace. It takes me longer to get out in the morning, so I leave the cabin barely an hour before sunrise. Millions of stars still shine in the sky, but they are starting to fade. I stretch my step to make it to the top.

My path leads in the morning twilight past another lake and begins to climb. As I tilt my head and look up, I realize it won't be there on time. The last part of the ascent was quite stony and sloppy underfoot. I really (as always) miss the sunrise at the top. The first beam hits me on the hillside about two minutes below the summit. I almost run up and start enjoying the beautiful scenery.

The cottage with the lake in the glacial karst still hides in the gloom.When I've had my fill of romance for a while, I descend back to the lake via a slightly different route via Sunset saddle. Iwy is already waiting for me at the cottage with a prepared breakfast. Magic morning!