The first thing I did this morning was to make a side trip to the Iris Burn Falls. These are located about 1 km upstream from the hut. The path to the falls is level and easy to walk and I was there in less than half an hour. The falls are very impressive, a 10 metre drop with a lot of water gushing into the large pool below.
I then returned to the hut and started work at sweeping out the common room. All the other walkers had left the hut by this time. The Ranger came in and we worked together and had a chat. She told me about the kiwis that lived nearby and could be seen and heard in the middle of the night (while I was fast asleep).
While we were talking a young couple walked in and started using the sink and the stove. The ranger rounded on them because they were campers and weren’t permitted to use the facilities. She quickly moved them out of the hut. I suspect it wasn’t the first time that she has had to do this.
I then commenced the day’s walking, which follows the course of the Iris Burn downstream for about 15 km. The track begins by climbing about 50 m and going to the eastern side of a knoll which separates the track by 700 m from the Iris Burn.
The track then descends and enters into an area of light vegetation. This area was flooded In January 1984, when a large landslip blocked the Iris Burn. The area has not fully recovered as yet.
The track is easy walking, well cared for and relatively flat with a slight downhill grade. The majority of the walk passes through pleasant forest country.
Occasionally the track approaches next to the Iris Burn. In these locations, it’s possible to get some fresh water from the stream.
By mid afternoon, I had reached the shores of Shallow Bay, which connects to the larger Lake Manapouri. There was an inviting sign on the track pointing to “Cozy Nook“.
Cosy Nook is only 30 m off the track. From Cosy Nook there are extensive views of Lake Manapouri.
There is a beach on the foreshore of Lake Manapouri. Rather than go back to the track I walked from Cosy Nook to Moturau Hut along the foreshore beach. In this way, I had water views for the last 15 minutes of my day’s walking.
Moturau Hut is located about 80 m from the foreshore of the lake. There are views of the lake and the distant mountains from the deck of the hut.
There were more keas at Moturau Huta than at any other place during the walk. The keas were large, noisy, and very cheeky. They were also quite happy to have their photo taken, and took a curious interest in the photographers.
The grassy lawn between the hut and the lake was a popular area in the afternoon, and many of the walkers had a lazy time in the sun. I walked down to the lake and had a quick swim. The water was surprisingly warm.
Sunset over the lake was beautiful.
I had dinner in the hut with Phil and Rachel. At 7:30 we had the standard talk from the hut Ranger.
The hut was full, and the dormitories were quite noisy that night. I am told that I occasionally snore, although I’ve never heard it myself, but I can guarantee you that there were a number of other people snoring in the hut that night.
