Copland Welcome Flat

Our second hike, once again was a 1 way track. Unfortunately the whole track was not open in the winter, or if you did want to do it, you needed some serious gear and avalanche experience. However, the first day of the hike is up to a hut which sits in a valley, surrounded by snow capped peaks, and is sat right next to natural hot springs. Can I say yes!

The hike started off well, about half of it being out of the forest, along a turquoise-blue glacier river.


Though not quite as lush as the Hollyford track, the forests here were also quite nice and very green.





Once again, the digs were awesome. Apparently the standard of the huts we've been in are on the higher end, there are some pretty dodgy ones. But either way, the hut network and their conservation program here is really impressive.



And possibly the greatest way to end a hike...hot springs. And these weren't those kind of hot springs where the water is kind of warm, but not that hot, where you just slowly cool off, and leave disappointed (if you can taste the bitterness in my tone, it's because we payed good money for such hot springs when in peru). These were proper hot springs, some of the pools in fact too hot to even tolerate. The source of it all is here, where rain water that has seeped down through cracks in the stone, heats up and is forced back to the surface.



We made the most of them, having another dip the next morning. Another great sunrise, as we watched the sun slowly make it's way down the mountains in front of us.

And oh yes, mediation if also recommened by The Solution. I'll give him credit..if I was going to meditate, this would be the spot.