Matiri loop

Dion managed to get a week of holidays for some tramping in the South Island, in the idea of visiting some remote huts on the westcoast. Bastien (a French dude doing an internship at IRL with Nicola) joined us. After meeting in St-Arnaud (where I ended my week of tramping in the Nelson Lakes), we decided to change a bit the plans, and go to the Matiri ranges in the Kahurangi National Park. It's not exactly on the westcoast, but it was fitting better with the weather forecast and our tight timing, I though. I needed to argue a bit with Dion since he really wanted to go to the westcoast, but managed it.

It was a really good trip in again a not so much traveled region, and a varied trip including:
- a nice lake with some good wildlife, and apparently some very rare native bats (which we didn't see)
- a steep climb to the 1000 Acres plateau
- some unusual landscapes on the plateau, which has a high biodiversity with 437 - different alpine plants... Didn't name the all of them...
- some wild tramping along a very though and long route, not traveled more than once a year. Thanks to the though kiwi lady (I forgot her name, shame on me) who gave us good info on the route, we might not have tried if not!
- a nice high Valley around the Huricane hut
- stuck one day in a hut cos the river was flooded, so was the track...
- some nice small huts
- and some Nachos at the end! Bastien discovered Nachos then, and got so found of them that he had 3 meals of them in 2 days, with an excellent fish&chips* (in Nelson) in between.

* it's Dion who insisted to get all this fat food... You know, those kiwis...