Stream Crossings can be so much fun, though generally speaking only when you get to the other side safely and with dry boots.

On this tramp to Lane Cove Hut in Totara North, Northland, 14 of us, 7 adults and 7 children had to cross 2 streams. It was raining pretty steadily but the forecast said it wasn’t meant to stay, so with rain jackets on and our packs watertight we set off anyway. We had decided that if we got to the stream crossing and the flow was too high or strong, then we would just turn around.

After an hour and forty minutes, we met the stream, it wasn’t too high and it wasn’t a raging torrent so crossing wasn’t too much of a big deal, most of the kids even managed to cross by themselves, they weren’t worried about wet shoes. Sometimes you have to weigh up the pros and cons here: let the kids cross on their own, carry them across, carry their shoes and packs for them and then let them take on the slippery rocks ????

I definitely wanted to try keep my boots dry, so me and a few of the other adults decided to takes our boots off and throw them across.

My cousin had taken hers off and we were having the discussion of who she would trust to get them across for her. After some joking around, I took on the job as I had already landed my own boots over safely, I was balanced on a log in the stream and I lobbed one of the two boots over ….. perfect! It was the perfect throw and a perfect catch on the other side. I was feeling pretty confident and coordinated, I said to the others “check me out I feel like I’m a pro croquet player”  …. That was my first mistake – I think i was meaning petanque.

Anyway I got my pose ready to show off my mad boot throwing skills, my sister pipes up and says “remember when I did this and my boot went floating down the stream” ……. I threw the boot …….. straight up in the air …… OMG ….. how did that go so wrong? It felt like it was in slow mo and the boot seemed to stay up in the air for ages. I tried to get into the stream as quickly as I could to catch the boot (without injuring myself), but too late …… plop.

Everyone was laughing, well apart from me standing shocked and embarrassed holding a wet boot in the middle of the stream, oh and of course my Cousin looking not so impressed with now having one wet boot. The world sometimes knows when you have to be brought down a peg, what can you do but laugh right  ; )

We sat on the other side for a lunch break and had a good laugh at my opsies, An unfortunate way to make funny hiking memories. 100m along the track we had to cross over the same stream again, needless to say we all weren’t as precious second time round, and maybe next time I’ll only be taking responsibility for my own boots.

Check out our adventures page for more photos and info on the track.