Otago trip day 7 Ida Railway Hut to Ahuriri Base Hut
Lewis Knauf
12 months ago
happiness
difficulty
Brinhilda took a bit to warm up with a frosty start to the day. But that meant I got bluebird skies for the 2nd descent out of Oteake this week. This time I rode through Otematata Station down to Lake Benmore, with clear view to Mt Cook. This is the easiest route into Oteake of the four I've done this week, but it has the most gates and sheep.
Next up was Omamara Saddle and West Manuherikia Valley, with its 40-odd stream crossings. They certainly helped cool my feet down. A flowy, fun track even though there weren't great vistas. Got to see Mt Cook again though.
The last mountain crossing before heading North, was Thomsons Saddle, with a detour to Mt Moka and Mt Apiti for views over the upper Clutha Valley to Wanaka. The rock steps up to Mt Moka were a challenge, then the track across to Mt Apiti was rutted and lumpy. If I remember my Geo101 lessons, it is because glaciers stripped the topsoil, but it's too cold for plants to grow new topsoil, so the only thing that grows is moss in lumps. It is a bizarre landscape, and tiring to ride. My advise to others would be to stop at Mt Moka. Same views, less work.
By the end of the day the wind was howling again, so made for the sheltered hut up the Ahuriri Valley. And so ended my trips in and out of the Otago valleys for the past week.
Next up was Omamara Saddle and West Manuherikia Valley, with its 40-odd stream crossings. They certainly helped cool my feet down. A flowy, fun track even though there weren't great vistas. Got to see Mt Cook again though.
The last mountain crossing before heading North, was Thomsons Saddle, with a detour to Mt Moka and Mt Apiti for views over the upper Clutha Valley to Wanaka. The rock steps up to Mt Moka were a challenge, then the track across to Mt Apiti was rutted and lumpy. If I remember my Geo101 lessons, it is because glaciers stripped the topsoil, but it's too cold for plants to grow new topsoil, so the only thing that grows is moss in lumps. It is a bizarre landscape, and tiring to ride. My advise to others would be to stop at Mt Moka. Same views, less work.
By the end of the day the wind was howling again, so made for the sheltered hut up the Ahuriri Valley. And so ended my trips in and out of the Otago valleys for the past week.