The Book of Ashes

Napier hot pools tramp. 6:15AM

This weekend was excellent. I'd been planing to go for a tramp up North near Napier to some hot pools for some time now but
we just couldn't decided on a date. In the end I thought fuck it, we're going to have to do two trips. I'm going this weekend
and whoever can't make it can go in the next trip. Well no one could make it. Except for Bonnie that is. So anyway off we
went. On a dark tired Friday night we headed up to Palmy where mother Bryant was still unpacking her house she had
re-acquired. We had a stop over there for the night then early next morning as it drizzled around us, we headed up over the
Piatuhua track. I wasn't confident. The weather looked crap but I didn't know the power of the Bays. The closer we got to
Napier the better the weather got until it was perfect. Hot like our summer should have been. Sunny, cloudless, reminescent
of Alex days. Ahhh it was excellent and also my first time in Napier. Beautiful. Shame about the gravel beach though. So
after lunch we headed off the beaten track. 60km out of Napier and then onto the gravel road. It was about then that I
started to fear for the petrol. She still had half a tank left in her at Napier and I thought coming all that way she'd be
sweet for another 60km and back. But I didn't count on the windy, hilly roads and the gravel. Anyway we finally got to the
end of the track. The start of our walking one.

It was still a brillant day and the walk in was excellent. It was only a 3 hour walk but up and down lots as we went over
steep cliff sides around the river. The river was very beautiful. Some of the track was a little exposed, some corners were
very steep and in high winds but if you were careful it was sweet. I was quite happy to find that a fullish pack with my tent
on the back wasn't too much of a burden. Finally we reached the hut, a beautiful little clearing beside the river. Sweet for
summer swimming but it was afternoon now and in shade. 5pm to be exact, so we kept on going up to the hot pools where we
planned to camp out the night. That last little bit was quite a walk. Up one of the steepest ridges I've ever been on. I
swear the path is 1 metre wide and drops away 10 meters down on each side for every 1 metre out. It was like walking on a
knife edge.

Finally we reached the hot pools, a welcome relief for the legs and feet after all that walking. We pitched our tent in a nice
posy and entered the pools. They were great. Two huge tubs with a pipe up to the stream that you could rotate to get more
water. Out, under the stars with a small bottle of wine (it goes to your head fast). We were in heaven.

The nights sleep was ok. After the masacre I'd made in the tent, squishing the mossies. About 10 of the fatest,
blood-filliest bastards in the world. My blood too! Then in the night we woke to a horrible scretching. Bloody possums.

Next day was also perfect. A nice brisk walk out then to test the petrol levels of my car. We had gone about 20km on the red
light before we finally found a petrol station. Lucky one Ash! Then the drive home. Beaut weekend. Sweet as tramp. I
recommend