Nydia Track, Day 2 - Night 86

I arose around 7am, had a short breakfast and packed my bags. The sign said 5 ½ hours hike to Duncan Bay (where our shuttle is meeting us), so we had plenty of time. After a bit of reading, I left Te Mahoerangi around 8:15, Teresa decided to stay for awhile so I pushed on alone. The weather had pulled a complete 180. Low clouds clung to the hills and breeze off of the water necessitated long sleeves. Much better hiking weather than yesterday.

The trail crossed a few bridged creeks and

Duncan Bay

the front yards of some vacation homes for about a mile before it began to rise gently. Continuing on this soft gradient, I arrived at the Nydia Saddle two hours later. On one side beautiful Nydia Bay, on the other the equally scenic Tennyson Inlet. Though the views were similar, the north side of the saddle was not reached by Browlee’s logging 80 years ago and thus held old growth forest; the Nydia Bay side, unfortunately, had been cut and was in various states of regeneration. Another two hours downhill and the Duncan Bay pier and parking lot

Our Hike

signaled the end of the track. The 5 ½ hour estimation was a bit off. By this time, however, the clouds had lifted and sun again shone bright. Since I was three hours early for our shuttle, I ditched my pack in the woods, took off my boots and headed for the beach to read and nap.

Tennyson Inlet

Bruce showed up at 3 to give us a lift back to town. The hour long drive took us up and over another steep saddle and then down into the Rai River valley curving around and over the Pelorus River and finally back into Havelock. As it turns out Bruce is the new proprietor of the Havelock (Rutherford) YHA and is also making improvements to the place. In the backyard he has been busy constructing new wooden bunks and has moved the official town information centre to his office. Next up: refitting the now unused second story of the old school building into loft apartments. His work seems to have a purpose and an ease to it. Secretly, I want to stay and help, but the road calls.

What I Learned Today: The tiny village of Havelock is the boyhood hometown of two the world’s greatest physicists, Ernest Rutherford and William Pickering. Rutherford, who attended school in the very building in which I am sleeping, went on from these humble beginnings to co-invent, with Geiger, the first radiation measuring device. He was also responsible for developing the original particle collider. Pickering was once head of the U.S. Jet Propulsion Lab and co-designed the first successful American satellite. All this from a town of less than 500 people…imagine even one genius coming from Nichols, WI or Thorpe, WA.

written by

exumenius on January 4, 2008 from Havelock, New Zealand

from the travel blog: Kiwis and Kangaroos

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