South Coast Fiordland - Day 1

Day one hiking the South Coast Trek of Fiordland. Daniel, Jenn and I. Six days supplies. More kilometers than I can remember. And a long trek that hugs the wild, rugged south coast of Fiordland and the south island.

Day one was sunny and warm. The air and atmosphere full of promise and possibility. Big dreamy view over the southern ocean. Hiking barefoot on the beach. Swimming in the chilly sea. Drying on warm sands. And quickly moving on, chased away by clouds of sandflies.

In Te Waiwai Bay I even spotted a pair of Hector's dolphins playing in the surf. By day's end we had reached our first hut for the night: an old school house from the Port Craig timber settlement here from 1918. Settler's history, old foundations and rusty industrial parts lay like ghosts amongst the trees nearby. The forest reclaiming it all.

By candlelight on the bunks of the schoolhouse we talked about the route and made ambitious plans for the journey ahead.