cape brett

when i looked into tramping around russell, the first thing i heard about was the cape brett track. it's billed as a longish, "moderately strenuous" track out to a lighthouse with fantastic coastal views along the way.

sounded good to me.

after a few days of sailing, i decided that i would head out to cape brett. when i announced my intentions at the backpackers, i found out that two others i had met there had the same plans. even better.

so thursday morning, clayt, jurgen, and i packed our bags and started hitching the 30km or so to the start of the track. it was more remote than the DOC center had let on, but we managed to get rides as far as whangamumu. the track from there to the lighthouse was a couple hours longer than the standard route from rawhiti, but included a detour to an old whaling station that i was interested in seeing so i convinced the boys we could do it.

based on absolutely no knowledge of what we were getting ourselves into, of course. my perspective may have been skewed by the fact that i was with two others who really weren't sure they were going to make it and would have called in the water taxi if there was any cell phone reception. but it was a brutal track, especially the extra bit from whangamumu. steep steep steep. up and down and up and down. nothing "moderate" about it, to be sure.

the whaling station was bit of a bust. the scenery was stunning, though, especially after we got on the main track. cape brett is the tip of a narrow bit of land sticking out into the sea, and we were following the ridge at its peak. the track itself is mostly in bush, but the views are all of the bay. carribean blue-green water, gorgeous sandy beaches inbetween rocky heads and lush green bits of land rising up all around... capped by blue skies, with just a few fluffy white puffs of embellishment.

finally, though, we reached the tip of the cape, about 700 vertical feet above the sea. first down to the old lighthouse, and then a further 400 or so vertical feet down to the hut. they've converted the old lighthouse keeper's house to a hut for trampers. it sleeps 20, but we had the place to ourselves. unfortunately it was about 8p by the time we rolled in so we didn't do much exploring beyond the picnic table on the front lawn. but it was a fine perch to watch the sun set over the sea.

and then, the following day, we got up with the sun and turned around and headed back over the same hills. except we took the more direct route out, so we were swimming in oke bay by 3p. the perfect treatment for hiker filth and sore legs.