The Richmond ranges are famous for their nice cute huts but somehow we always end up sleeping in a tent 😊
We packed everything to leave our spot. It rained in the morning, so it was a slow process. No mountains were in sight anymore. I think the trail was supposed to be really beautiful with stunning views of the surrounding mountains but we were left to believe that as we couldn’t see it for ourselves because of all the clouds.
The trail itself was a nice mountain bike trail. A sign said for experts only. At first we thought that it doesn’t look that difficult but after following it for a little while we could see why it was for experts only. Nevertheless, when the trail went upwards it went upwards in loooong switch-backs which were a pain to walk as it didn’t seem you are gaining any altitude…
We had some late lunch at Redhills Hut. Two mountain bikers joined us and gave us the most delicious cookies we have eaten so far in New Zealand. They were perfectly baked choclate cookies with some hazelnut cream and a walnut on top. I’m still wondering if I will ever find some similar ones in a supermarket or if I have to try to find a recipe that is suitable for a hiker’s cooker?
We decided not to stay in the Redhill hut but to carry on towards Porters Creek Hut. When we just walked outside of the hut, we met a really exhausted hiker. He could hardly talk and had to sit down at the porch to relax for a little bit. Then he said that he came from Porters Creek Hut today and that it took him way longer than the signposted 4 hours. Ok, probably we won’t make it all the way to Porters Creek Hut then. Nevertheless, we gave it a try.
As we already thought before, we didn’t make it to Porters Creek Hut. The trail was quite difficult and washed out at a few places. We found a really nice camping spot close to a river about half way to Porters Creek Hut. It was still light out and we were happy to pitch our tent at this nice spot.
