January 26, 2026
Lilybank Rd to Camp Stream Hut
TA km marker 2428.6 to 2410.0
Hiked today: -18.6 km

The rain, which started soon after we set up our tent, continued through the night but stopped, allowing the tent to dry before we packed up. We had a short walk up the road before our track headed off away from Lake Tekapo.

We planned to just hike the 18 km to a hut. Then tomorrow we hope to make it up to Stag Saddle and back to the hut, then back to Tekapo in one go the following day. Sara is hiking the same route but has a faster pace. Since she was ahead, she was able to direct us to go along beside the creek at one point so we could avoid crossing where the flow was deep and fast.

The path today was really good winding around the hillsides at a gradual incline. There were a couple of creek crossings which Rob helped me over and then a final short ascent to historic Camp Stream Hut, apparently built in 1898. We wonder how much of the current structure is the original hut.