Catching the 7.15am shuttle out of Te Anau involved carrying breakfast with us. It also involved leaving a lot of uneaten food in the free food box, due to Martyn’s upset tummy. I stopped after half an hour of walking up the 4WD road to eat GF weetbix and tinned pears. We continued on for another 30mins until a kind farmer, heading to the lakes for a Coast to Coast training run, picked us up. We had done 5km on the hot, dusty road which was more than enough.

We set up camp by the Lake shore, then packed a day bag and retraced Te Araroa down the side of the lake to the second swing bridge. Lunch on the way was an exciting first taste of Mountain Bread wraps with hard boiled eggs and plenty of salad. Perfect for a 5hr day walk.

Most of the noisy boats and motorbikes had gone by the time we returned from exploring the site where the Lord of the Rings Fellowship end their Anduin River journey. So we prepared another dinner of pasta with nomato sauce, lentils, green beans and kumara. Saving half the pasta for now.

Hobbits at Anduin River.
Advertisement