Today we were woken by the glorious smell of eggs and bacon being cooked by our professor Mark. It was our second day in Hinewai and we were preparing for an epic hike ahead of us. After eating up and saying a quick hello to our new friend Hugh, the caretaker of the land, we headed out. The sun was shining and there was not a cloud to be seen, once again the weather gods had favored us. At first we were surrounded on all sides by an exotic weed called Gorse, brought over by the English a long time ago, and has been a nuisance ever since. The Gorse plant, even though a beautiful flower, is cover in gnarly spines and impossible to move through. A quick fact about the Gorse plant is that it thrives on disturbance, so the harder you fight, the harder it fights back. Hugh's plan is to allow nature to take its corse and let the native vegetation grow over and shade out the Gorse. We then ventured into a fairly large Beech forest standing well above head. As we continued we encountered plenty of other native vegetation such as the Totara and Kahikatea tree which once thrived on the land until cut down for wood and farming. We could see the beach a ways in the distance and new we had a ways to go.
Three and a half hours later we had finally made it to the farmers land below in search of the Tui, bird, and some relaxation the beach had to offer. We walked on to find that the beach was surrounded by cliffs on both sides with a breath taking view. After a quick lunch and walk on the beach we headed back towards camp to cook up dinner and discuss the days findings. I speak for all of us when I say that we slept like babies the rest of the night as we kept the wood burner flowing with warmth into the cabin. Overall a most excellent trip and a new appreciation to that part of the island.
-Tyler
Gorse in flower.
View from the West Track.
Beach at Long Bay.
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