Sweet relief. No trudging required.

Don’t think little was accomplished though. I may have slept in a little and had a late breakfast. I might have read something of Mark Twain’s book “Roughing It”, one of my all-time favourite travel books.

Eventually I was up and into the chores. Washing, both body and clothes. That filled in much of the morning.

The afternoon’s major accomplishment was removing 17 days growth from my face without a mirror. I guess I have become adept at shaving by Braille.

Listened to the lunchtime news and weather.

News — little.

Weather — plenty on the way tonight.

The thunderstorm last night was as cacophonous as I’ve experienced in New Zealand. Nelson doesn’t get them of any substance.

The river had its clarity gone. There was the murky tan colour and up about 300 mm or so.

I spotted movement way in the distance, went down to the river to investigate. Oh, two hunters have just come down from Elliot Bivvy, and we had a half-hour chat as they divested themselves of hunting apparel. Shooting goats. They came out a day early because of the predicted rain that may make the river impossible to cross.

They offered me a ride to Kaikoura, or even Nelson, getting back tonight, but I declined. I preferred the thought of walking up that long road over the 1100 m high saddle.

Later two people dashed up to the hut.

Toilet?

I went down to see the big six person river rafts launch once again. I mentioned the showers turning into heavy rain later in the evening and talked about the Goose Flat Hut about 20 km downstream. A DOC hut.

Despite one of them mentioning 100 mm of rain expected overnight they didn’t seem concerned. They were just pleased there was no raft dragging required today with the extra water.

If the weather bomb deposits the expected extra rain that will really hasten their journey. Not mine.

At some stage two trail bikes were heard but they never appeared. Still later two horse people, one dressed in indigo blue, the other in red, galloped past.

Some people just didn’t seem to have the time to do anything other than the primary activity, ie, moving on, somewhere else, quickly.

Maybe their adventure is mostly appreciated in retrospect.

I’m gonna move on to Warden Hut tomorrow unless the weather is abysmal. Light consistent rain has started, unlike last night’s massive, but dry, thunderstorm that went on for three hours or so.

It’s all supposed to get very much heavier overnight.

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