Tui Extreme, Day 4: extreme indeed.

Slept like a rock last night. A ROCK. Slept with a bunch of random strangers, I didn't care. Slept on what was essentially a plywood board, I didn't care. Someone was snoring next to me, I didn't care.

Let me back up. I should explain the huts. (And by "explain" I mean: state what I know is true and include a lot of things in parentheses where I have no idea what I'm talking about. Consult the DOC web site if you decide to venture off to a hut in New Zealand.)

Siberia Valley hut

"Huts" are wonderful structures in the middle of nowhere that have running water (usually, I think?), pit toilets, fireplaces to dry your boots (sometimes?), kitchens (often?), and sleeping quarters which are essentially platform bunk beds where you lay your sleeping bag out. You can also pitch tents if it's too crowded or if you prefer to sleep under the stars. (They cost about $15-30 US per night for a bunk depending on which walk you're tramping; sometimes you can show up and sometimes you have to reserve a spot in advance.) They're maintained by very nice volunteers and often have puzzles, playing cards or board games if you're in need of mountain entertainment. One group of four at the Siberia Valley hut that night was completing a puzzle and commented how they would never, ever do a puzzle in real life - but out there it was really fun.

So that's the deal with the huts (as far as I understand them).

Anyway! Breakfast this morning involved yogurt with really excellent muesli, and then a 2.5 hour walk down to the jetboat launch. This was the same walk that the other half of the group did yesterday and I hoped they all enjoyed it as much as I did.

heeeeeere, hobbits...

The jetboat to Makarora was a bit of a jolt for me after the last 24 hours of serene wilderness, but I definitely enjoyed the ride.

adventure boat with a view

We ate lunch on the bus (chicken chutney brie sandwiches - yum!) and then got dropped off at Lake Hawea for our 25km bike ride to Lake Wanaka.

The views were amazing, for sure...

hawea river, part I

hawea river, part II

... but let the record show that I do not like bikes.

this sign finally made sense

my favorite part of the bike ride

Later that night in Queenstown, we enjoyed a really fine yet low-key dinner at Brazz and got some much needed rest. Including Abel Tasman I think I'd done 30km of tramping over the last six days, and then adding in the 25km bike ride? Zzzzzzzz...