I found myself jumping in on my friends’ weekend trip to Copland Track, which is about 6 hours away from Dunedin. We planned on hiking to the first Welcome Flat Hut, an 11 mile and estimated 7 hour track. This was the longest hike I’ve ever done, and my first time bringing along a giant backpack holding all my clothes and food for the next couple of days.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I was ready to be on the move and completely surrounded by the forest.
After spending our first night at a campsite, we drove out to the track and made our way up the mountain to the Welcome Flat Hut. The first couple hours were humid, sweaty bliss. I loved the imposing forest silence, the damp smell of the earth, and the feeling of walking through untouched ancient land. My feet were well covered in blisters within the first hour, and I started to feel the weight of my pack, but I was easily distracted by the towering jungle, its gorgeous waterfalls, the view from the swaying suspension bridges, and the bluest, clearest river I’ve ever seen. Parts of the trail were completely made out of giant piles of rocks which we had to strategically hop through, careful not to lose our balance and slip (which I managed to do plenty of times).
I would have to say our fifth and final hour was the most testing for me physically and mentally. It was really a matter of focusing on my breath and keeping my mind- which was begging for a couch and a cheeseburger- silent. Like with most things you try for the first time, I felt frustrated and discouraged; however, I knew that I had no choice but to keep going.
And as promised, we finally made it to the welcome hut. We immediately changed into our bathing suits and waded into the natural hot springs, just in time for the fiery golden hues of the sunset to hit the surrounding mountains- an incomparably beautiful, well-earned moment. I’ll spare you the details on the hike down, which I also consisted of a love-hate relationship; but I must say going downhill was so much easier than uphill. Our weekend had a happy ending with a trip to BoaBoa Food Company for a big juicy burger in Wanaka and a cozy night’s sleep in the van. I came back to Dunedin feeling satisfyingly exhausted and already planning my next track.
