Rain greeted us again next morning; real Fiordland rain this time. The track today was mostly inches under water. The whole landscape was streaming with water, the creeks were all running high and cloud covered the mountains.

We steamed along, our glasses covered with raindrops, stopping only for a very brief morning tea on the river bank. It was exhilarating to experience the bush in such heavy rain and to see the mountains sprouting impressive new waterfalls. We completed the tramp in good time and reached Hidden Falls Hut by lunch time. The waterfalls behind the hut were many times more powerful and numerous than on our last visit. It is easy to imagine how quickly the rivers flood when you see the sheer volume of water cascading from every mountain side and creek.

We got changed, lit the fire (we had carried in fire wood from the main track) and strung our sodden clothes all over the airer and the outside lines. Then more and more people began to arrive. Eventually there were 14 of us in a 12 bed hut – five of us and nine hunters including a man and his son who arrived quite late having walked in to the hut in the dark. They were hunting with a bow and arrow and spent the night sleeping under the table, the only free space left. It was the “roar” season for deer which was the reason for all the activity.

One group had carried in barrels of food and drove us crazy as they cooked up a gourmet meal of chicken breasts, eggs and bacon and even dessert – steamed pudding laced with brandy. The smells were almost too much to bear after days of dehydrated food. They also had a good supply of beer, wine with dinner and liqueurs to follow. That night there was an ear splitting orchestra of snoring but somehow we all managed to get a good night’s sleep.

One young hunter was very proud of himself as he had already shot a stag and was carrying the carcase out to the road end in several trips. When I went to the loo in the middle of the night I was very startled to encounter the stag’s head, complete with antlers, staring eyes and lolling tongue, staring out at me from the long grass beside the path.