ROAR SUCCESS
Anyway with the hunting having taken bit of a back seat over the last couple of years while I worked to keep our heads above water in Wanaka, I vowed this year was going to be different.
Getting a bad bout of giardia threw a serious spanner in the works. I lost 12kg in six weeks – not ideal when I normally weigh only 72kg on a good day.
Late March finally rolled around and the weather was somewhat settled with 4-day fine spells on each side of the Alps, and although temperatures were quite warm, it was good enough for me. I’d done a few solo overnighters by this stage so I was good to go. Cole and I headed west on the 28th March to Haast for a couple of nights to check a few areas before the blocks opened on that side. There had just been a decent flood in the area and jetboating up a major South Westland river in a 3.6 metre boat reminded us how big that country really is.
On the first afternoon we set up a basic campsite, far enough off the flats so as not to disturb the bush edge but also not too close to the river noise. We wanted to be able to hear any stags that may be getting vocal. Being from Haast and spending a lot of time in this valley growing up as well as stoat
