Lake Daniells

Lake Daniells

Back in early November, Cantabrians had a long weekend due to the A&P Show in town, and it just so happened to be Amy's second weekend back in the country. So, like everyone else in the Christchurch area, we decided to spend the long weekend tramping. We invited our good friends Euan and Natalie along. They're good company, but also the fact that they had a car was a plus! We decided on an easy, casual tramp to Lake Daniells. We'd been here once before together, but in the middle of winter and at that time the entire place was secluded and peaceful. This time, being the long weekend, and the beginning of Summer, it was a bit different. 

 

We stopped at a few look out points during the drive, and walked around the top of Lewis Pass, which lead us to this stunning view, and in through the bush. We were surprised to see only a handful of cars at the start of the Lake Daniells track, and thought that was a good sign that there wouldn't be too many trampers, but it was only 11am. Thomas had the brilliant idea of bringing in his inflatable stand-up paddle board, and although it packed into his rucksack okay, it still proved to be very heavy and to everyone's surprise, Thomas was slowly trailing behind us the whole walk in.

      

There were already a few groups of people when we arrived at the hut 2 hours and 15 minutes later. So we quickly laid out our things, claimed beds, and then sat overlooking the lake for lunch. Thomas' paddle board actually turned out to be brilliant, and we each had a turn paddling around the lake.

Amy paddle boarding

As we were hanging out at the lake and on the jetty, plenty more groups arrived. Soon enough the hut was full, so some slept in the kitchen area, and others pitched tents! There were heaps of families with young children, understandable as its an achievable tramp for young and eager kiwis wanting to get outdoors. We decided to find our own slice of seclusion and headed off into the woods, and found an old fire pit site. So we collected wood, made a fire, and roasted our sausages for dinner, marshmallows for dessert and just enjoyed the tranquility of the forest.

We woke to a cooked breakfast by Thomas before he headed off for another paddle out on the lake. We let many of the groups start off first, then we packed up and were off.  It was a quick trip away, but spending the time with good friends, with good views is what tramping is all about. 

los cuatro mejores amigos