Day 19

Route : Tekapo East – Camp Stream Hut

Length : 20 km 8 h (239 km)

Altitude difference : 500 m

We had decided, based on information from a man, to deviate from the trail and walk along a gravel road. We thought we could save some time this way. We think it made little difference in time, however our knees hurt considerably more today than usual – a known phenomenon when walking on very flat hard ground. The softer ground on the trails cushions considerably more

Day 20

Route : Camp Stream Hut – Stone Hut

Length : 21 km (260 miles)

Profile : Great view of Mount Cook

On this day we had probably the best view on our complete hike. We took a little detour over a ridge to get the view of the Tekapo Delta, the lake and, the snow-capped Mount Cook in the distance

Day 21

Route : Stone Hut – Bush Stream Carpark

Length : 19 km (279 km)

The descent and “trail” through the Bush River was just gorgeous. We both just love running through water and frolicking over rocks so much. One of the highlights of this section was a natural pool and a rock from which we jumped into the water. The following day we were taken to Methven by a “shuttle” (Wayne, who every hiker here seems to know) that we had booked in advance by phone.

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