Day 3: Saxon Hut to Mackay Hut (11.8 kms)

Managed some sleep despite the snorers (!) until I got cold and had to put on another layer.

The pretty dawn light didn’t last long as the mist floated about the mountain tops.

Another good breakfast - amazing what can be concocted out of supplies carried by our guides. 

Misty rain came  in as we set off. It was pretty walking through grassy flats beside the Saxon River then a climb through beech forest, then onto the open, shrubby Mackay Downs across a few bridges over streams with the water tannin in colour and very vibrant colours with leaves turning to autumn colours. 

I walked 2 hours and stopped for an apple and a rest just as the sun came out a bit: I walked in and out of groups today which the guides were very happy with - quite a casual outlook to guiding here; kinda nice really as you can make your own pace.

Walking alone at this stage … I passed over lots of duck boards to protect the waterlogged sections and past a large granite outcrop. 

In by lunchtime. MF got the fire going.

Got a view down the Heaphy Valley to the mouth of the river at the Tasman Sea just as the mist and then rain settled in. We have been fortunate to walk in such good conditions. Forecast had been for sun (don’t believe the forecasts!).

The hut is named after James Mackay, a Scottish explorer and public servant in the Golden Bay and West Coast area in the 1800s and is pretty new. We’ve even got flush toilets - AND don’t have to walk outside!

We did a group yoga session led by Dani then played a couple of rounds of a game called Salad Bowl before bed - it was such a hoot. Lots of laughs!