 Just below the summit If you're driving towards Arthur's Pass from the wide open expanse of the Canterbury Plains, chances are you've spent some time staring at the beautiful ridge line of mountains which mark the border between civilisation and rugged wilderness areas. The Torlesse Range features some great tramping mountains which are very climbable year round and easily accessible from the main road as it heads up to Porters Pass. While Castle Hill Peak is the highest summit in the range at 1998m, Mt Torlesse which lies a little further to the north east, is just as imposing at 1961m. You can link these up with a traverse of Foggy Peak, Castle Hill Peak, The Gap, Red Peak and then onto Torlesse or if you're after a shorter day out you can summit either of the peaks easily in a few hours. Having already been to two of the above summits we decided to head up the Kowai River and climb Torlesse from the obvious spur to the south. We left Christchurch at around 6am to make sure we were walking just as the sun was coming up. Most trip reports had put the return journey at 8-9 hours and being August we wanted to make the most of the daylight in case we took any longer than that. A car park just off State Highway 73 has plenty of room to leave your car and the track starts just over the gate along a 4WD track. The track crosses private land to begin with and permission must be gained from Brooksdale Station (see details below) before passing through this way. The hut at the top of the valley also needs to be booked through the station and is a tidy 6 bunk situation with a fire and plenty of room to stretch out after the albeit short walk in from the road.  Starting the slow trudge up the spur just after leaving the hut The track in from the road is indistinct in places but the terrain is easy to negotiate and you'll soon find yourself stumbling across it again if you stray from the main path. The journey up the river bed takes between one and one and a half hours and we brought running shoes for this first section knowing we would need heavier boots for our crampons later on. At the hut we switched out our footwear and had a chat to a couple of guys who had spent the night there. They had been up as far as the snow line the previous day but the conditions were a bit icy and they decided to stick to the lower slopes for the day. A track winds its way down to the stream behind the hut where the remnants of the University research project for which the hut was originally built are evident in the form of a concrete dam like structure. We crossed here and followed a handful of equally worn paths in the general direction of the base of the spur. Having no idea if we would see water again (we didn't) we filled our bottles at the last point beside the stream before beginning the ascent up towards the ridge. A reasonably well worn track makes it easy to pick your way up through the scrub once you leave the flat. The point at which this track actually starts is more difficult to find so head for the middle of the spur and just start climbing, you'll find yourself on it without even seeing it to begin with. From here it's more than 1100m of ascent to the summit but the angle of the ridge is pretty kind to be fair. We gained height steadily without having to take many breaks before hitting the snowline at around 1300m. From here the snow was icy enough we had to use crampons almost straight away. If you're not confident in your ability to self arrest then the next section is dangerous and shouldn't be attempted with snow on it. In summer the ridge is completely exposed and won't pose any issues for anyone with a good level of fitness so maybe wait until it gets warmer before heading up here. If you have the right gear then the rest of the route is straight forward and non-technical. This would be a good place to work on your crampon technique if you're just starting out and looking to build some confidence walking on slopes and kicking steps. In the end we took 5 hours exactly from the time we left the car to standing on the summit (including breaks). This would be a little faster in summer if you weren't messing around with putting crampons on but in places the snow was probably easier to walk on than the scree would be. It was reasonably cold at the top so we didn't hang around long before dropping back down out of the wind for a late lunch and some blister maintenance. I was breaking in some new boots which were super comfortable for the first 4.5 hours before they suddenly turned on me and started to eat away at my right heel. We had also run out of water at this point so I was pretty happy to skip down the spur as quickly as possible and back to the stream and my lovely worn in trail shoes. The descent was fast with the track making our lives easy through the scrub on the lower slopes and we made it back to the hut less than two hours after leaving the top. A swarm of sand flies which hadn't been there on our first visit that morning had appeared out of nowhere and dissuaded us from taking another break here. Be warned if you do decide to linger, an over confident Kea is creeping on the place waiting for some unsuspecting tramper to leave it something valuable to destroy. Total round trip: 8hrs 20mins Brooksdale Station Contact: Stu Gunn 03-318-4748 Pro Tip: 1 litre of water for the climb was not enough on a clear sunny day. Extra Pro Tip: Beware of the Kea, he looks shady   Getting in some cramponing practice 
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 Looking back towards the Rakaia River late in the afternoon Not every trip need be an epic expedition into gnarly territory, full of hardship and suffering (although we do enjoy a good bit of suffering from time to time!). Sometimes you're just looking for a quiet weekend away from the city with a pleasant amount of exercise coupled with some beautiful views. The walk into Tribulation Hut from the banks of the Rakaia River certainly ticks these boxes and is a great introductory walk for anyone with limited experience or little legs. The hut lies on the edge of the Hakatere Conservation Area and borders a working farm on the far side of the valley. Drive south from Christchurch to Rakaia and then follow the river inland past Mt Hutt on the south side of the river. Blackford road will turn to shingle part way down and has some small ford crossings so a 4WD would be preferable especially after rain. Parking can be found through a gate on the left hand side of the road just before the bridge over Redcliffe stream.  DOC puts the 10km walk (one way) at 3.5 hours and this is pretty fair on the way in as the track climbs a fairly rough route for the first 4km up the river. Although this is a poled route the track has been washed away in places and a few of the detours may take you a couple of minutes to find. Throughout the whole walk you should either be on fairly obvious tracks or see poles every 100m or so. This is by far the most challenging part of the walk and although you will encounter a few steep climbs they're over very quickly as the track deposits you on top of a wide grassy plateau. Redcliffe Saddle will open up in front of you and the track meanders gradually through tussock along the boundary fence with the neighbouring farm. Follow the poles another 5km before dropping down into the river bed just before the hut. This will be easy to cross at a low flow but be wary after heavy rain. Tribulation Hut is a tidy 6 bunk hut with a long drop and plenty of water access. It doesn't have a fire unfortunately so if you're heading here in winter you'll need a good sleeping bag. While the trip to the hut and back to the road end is pretty straight forward, some parties choose to climb nearby Rat Hill for a bit more of a challenge. The return trip to the car is a good deal quicker as you're heading mostly down hill or along the flat. Total Distance: 20km Total Time: 5-7hrs Pro Tip: Head back to Methven on your way out and get the Large Nachos from the Blue Pub  Tribulation Hut     In October last year I attempted to climb Maukuratawhai with my workmate, unfortunately we had to turn around due to some pretty terrible visibility so it was great to get back there this year and reach the top. Maukuratawhai (try saying that 10 times fast), is a prominent mountain sitting across the Clarence River just on the other side of Jack's Pass from Hanmer Springs. We had the four legged terror in tow as we drove up over the pass between Mt Isobel and Dumblane before parking at the turn off to Tophouse Road. There isn't really a track so finding a calm enough spot to cross the river involves a quick bash through the head high foliage to the bank and wandering along in the direction of the ski field for a couple of hundred metres. This river can become difficult to cross after heavy rain so take your time to check that it's safe before making your way out into the main current. I've never seen Izzy swim in a proper current before so I was pretty impressed with how easily she motored across to the other side - webbed feet seem to be the secret here. We regrouped on the opposing bank before frolicking (the dog) and trudging (us) our way to the base of the obvious spur. You can head straight at point 1086m from as far down as your legs can handle - the gradient is more gentle on the ridge than walking straight up the sides here. There is no great navigational challenge for the rest of the climb but you will need to skirt around some of the rockier sections of the ridge. For the most part going right or left at these sections is of equal gain although if you follow a dog up they'll probably find the easiest route up before you even get to it.  Things were going really well for us until we encountered snow from about 1300m. Areas of the mountain that hadn't seen much sunlight were icy and hard to walk on which left us wishing we had brought crampons with us. Thankfully there was plenty of exposed rock to keep moving safely but we would have been noticeably faster if we could have just stormed straight up the snow with spikes on our boots. Izzy feared a little better having inbuilt show shoes and had to keep waiting for us to catch up. From point 1362m to the summit is steep in places and provided more of a challenge with the snow and ice than I had anticipated having been up there in warmer months. We ended up taking around 2 hours from the river to the top at 1615m and 1 hour 15 minutes on the return journey. We were back in Hanmer with plenty of time to still enjoy the day but pretty happy with our efforts on a pretty cold and windy day.   Maukuratawhai is the obvious peak to the right  Looking further on towards Mt Peel from Lt Mt Peel Summit About two hours south of Christchurch and directly inland from Hinds lies the Mt Peel Conservation Area. Popular with families for the variety of day walks around the forest park, the mountain is a great introduction to day hiking in Canterbury and like all of the foothills boasts beautiful views across the Plains all the way to the coast. We were taking a couple of friends out for the day to give them a break from farm life after making the transition back from living in London and even the threat of a 30 degree day wasn't deterring any of us. You may need a map to guide you to Blandswood Road as the area is not well sign posted from the Arundel-Rakaia Gorge Road. Turn right straight after crossing the Rangitata and follow the river back towards the hills. There are two carparks and a formidable long drop at the beginning of a gravel road which leads to the track proper. We took Deer Spur track to the summit which was a steep but well-maintained path initially winding through some really gorgeous native bush.  The track then breaks through the tree line and out on to an open ridge line and up to the trig. The last section caused a bit of puffing towards the end but we were cracking into lunch after only 98 minutes with a good number of stops along the way. Having conquered the easy track we set out for a slightly more adventurous descent down the overgrown south ridge. If you're in shorts prepare to have your legs scratched up a bit negotiating this path as it obviously sees a lot less traffic than the Deer Spur side. All of us managed to slip over on the loose gravel early on the way down so take a walking pole if you're like me and are balance challenged on even relatively flat ground. Once back in the bush the track gets wider and easier to walk along as you near the car park again. Just before the end we deviated straight into the creek - just get wet feet rather than trying fruitlessly to rock hop along here - you will fall and embarrass yourself. Total time - a leisurely 3 hours return Family friendly but a good level of fitness will make the trip more enjoyable.     Heading up Gloriana Much like Edmund Spenser's epic "The Faerie Queene", from which the mountain takes her name, our attempt to climb Gloriana Peak was incomplete but a great weekend away none-the-less. In the Lewis Pass at the top end of the well known St James Walkway lies the Spenser Mountains. Evidently named by men who knew their English literature, Faerie Queene, Mt Una and Gloriana Peak overlook the track between the highway and the wide banks of the Waiau River. This is an area we have grown to love over the past few years but it was my first time on the easy going St James and I was excited to see how far up the mountain we might get with an average weather forecast and only two days up our sleeves. We left our little four legged terror in Hanmer Springs with family before jumping in our old blue station wagon for an early morning drive to the start of the track. Sam and I stared dejectedly out the windows at the approaching rain clouds from the back seat as the two boys in the front seemed oblivious to the ominous weather conditions. It was a shock to the system when we disembarked into freezing temperatures and the overwhelming quiet of the bush - Metallica had until then been blaring out of the speakers all the way up the pass. We shrugged on our packs with little enthusiasm and began crunching across the snow covered boardwalk into the cold and damp of Cannibal Gorge. Once we had warmed up and settled into the walk we made quick progress along the undulating track to Cannibal Gorge Hut where half a dozen fearless mice were cruising around on the floor hoping we might drop a scrap or two. It was far too early in the day to stop for more than a quick snack but the ice box of a hut and furry residents encouraged us to be on our way rather promptly. We had intended to walk to Ada Pass Hut and then leave the track in favour of bush bashing up to the first set of tarns on Gloriana to camp for the night. Then we would have an easier climb to the top the next day before legging it all the way back down and out to the car that same night. We knew all week leading up to the trip that the weather probably wouldn't come to the party but it was still disappointing to have rain and mist closing in heavily as we started out again from the hut. Snow continued to blanket the track in many places and it was still uncomfortably cold when we arrived an hour later at the smaller (read better) Ada Pass Hut. This hut had been talked up to the stuff of legends based on a prior excursion by two of our party and I was expecting big things. Nestled just above a quaint little stream with a stunning view towards point 1911, it certainly seemed promising on initial inspection. The real selling feature was of course the coal fire which apparently made the hut so hot one needed to run outside for snow baths just to keep from heat exhaustion. This may have strongly influenced our decision to leave the mountain for the next day and hope the weather would improve in the morning. Unfortunately for us there was no dry wood for miles in any direction and getting the fire going took the better part of four hours.  Inside Ada Pass Hut It was a very social night with a crowd of European visitors arriving as night fell and throwing all their soaking wet gear on top of our almost dry kit above the fire. Cheers guys. We slept well although temperatures never reached the level of being considered "hot". The morning dawned a little cloudy still but we decided to break out the GPS and follow our dense bush expert across the river and up the first ridge. Being the only member of our group of four under the height of six foot two, I had to work a little harder to keep up once we hit the slope but we popped out above the bush line a little over an hour later without incident. From here we faced steep rocky bluffs that had to be skirted around to the right in order to gain the first of three plateaus. The snow was soft and the sky was clearing as we walked across rocks and then the thick ice of the river running down from the tarns above. It was easy going in most places with the odd bit of snow grass making life difficult on the steep sections. We made our way immediately between the two separate tarns at the second plateau before moving slowly up through deep snow to the large lake below the summit ridge. By midday we were standing at 1700m looking up at the col and trying to stay sheltered from an icy wind. We pitched our tent intending to leave the majority of our gear in it and head for the summit with just the basics. In the time it took to do this however the rain started again and we called it for the day. It was just too cold and windy to keep going. We spent another 10 minutes taking photos and refueling before hightailing it back down to the valley floor and out. We pulled a 10 hour day to get back to the car for the sole purpose of getting dinner back in Hanmer before all the restaurants closed. It was an epic day of walking with some incredible views but we're already planning when to go back and actually knock off the summit. I always feel like a bit of a failure writing a post where we didn't get to where we wanted to but then again that's not really the point of tramping in the first place. I always learn something new every trip and this one was no exception - mini hot water bottles are the greatest thing in the world.  We may have been a bit optimistic about sleeping up here  We followed this frozen river most of the way up  Looking back the way we'd come  Park at the shelter and follow the board walk into the start of the track  Cannibal Gorge Hut to Ada Pass Hut takes 1-2 hours   This post was intended to be a trip report on the Lathrop Saddle/Zit Saddle circuit on the west coast of the south island. That's not the case but we had a lot of fun and ticked off a few firsts for the memoirs. The trip started late on Friday night as we left work with a car full of gear and drove over to the coast. Arthurs Pass was blanketed in snow on our way through and by the time we parked up at the start of the Styx Track temperatures were below zero. What would have been a relatively peaceful sleep in the car was interrupted about 1am when some enthusiastic locals arrived for some four wheel driving and light refreshments. Alas, I wasn't feeling on top of the world as we set out at first light the next morning across the frozen muddy fields before the track proper. Having walked out of the Styx only a few months earlier, we were well familiar with the first four hours of the terrain into Grassy Flat Hut. The ice covered rocks and frigid river made for a more technical walk than our previous experience but we were feeling good upon reaching the hut for some lunch with the sun finally warming the valley a little. With the climb up to Browning Biv still ahead of us we only stopped for five minutes before finding the turn off and starting up towards the saddle. The path is great all the way to the river and then things get harder very quickly. A rock scramble ensues for the better part of an hour until the track veers away from the water and up, up, up. Think nature's stair master meets low level rock climbing and you'll be questioning having left the beautifully flat Styx Valley in the first place. After 45 minutes of sucking air and convincing myself I was almost there, I was greeted by a home made sign at the side of the track. "Browning Biv. If you're just about buggered, you're just about there."  Grassy Flats Hut The view was worth the climb as we stopped for a quick drink at the tiny Biv and surveyed the river now some distance below us. So far our times were well within what we had read on other trip reports and we thought we had plenty of time to pop over the saddle and down to Top Crawford Hut on the other side based on other people's times. Unfortunately that was not to be the case as we would find out a few hours later. It was another hard slog up the spur through a reasonably overgrown but easy to follow track that took a straight line to the saddle itself. We didn't hit snow until almost 1500m and it wasn't until we were well on the saddle that we needed to pull out crampons and axes to keep moving. We had been another hour and a half at this point and the chances of making it down the other side before dark were becoming increasingly slim. As we dropped over the south side of the saddle we found that the snow on this side was sitting a lot lower down the slope and created some steep, slippery slopes to negotiate before hitting the bush again. The route heads right from here with sparsely placed poles (a bit of a contrast from the Styx side which is really well marked) and we sidled around and down the slope rather carefully on the frozen snow. From here we front pointed straight down for three pole lengths as the sun started disappearing behind the mountains. We could see the hut down on the flat but the track winds down and through some bluffy terrain which was slow going in the snow. By the time it was totally dark we could no longer see any markers but had dropped into the safety of the bush line. I hadn't really appreciated the lack of lumens my head torch provided until I was trying to navigate down this section of the route. We were both a bit reluctant to keep moving as it was clear that our overall goal of making it to Zit Saddle and back to the car in only 48 hours was unrealistic with so much snow so we found a flat spot to camp instead. We didn't have a tent for the trip so we had brought along a bothy bag in case we needed some emergency shelter. The night was clear so we ended up sleeping on the bag and the rest of our gear and packs rather than inside it but it was nice to know if we got cold we could throw it over ourselves again. After melting some ice and snow for dinner we settled in for a romantic night sleeping under the stars in between the tussock. I had a new appreciation for how warm my Fairydown 20 below sleeping bag was after sleeping soundly for 10 hours only to wake and find every piece of gear frozen solid - including the outside of our sleeping bags. Having realised that putting frozen boots on is near on impossible we set about defrosting them over the open flame of our cooker - probably voiding the warranty and doing permanent damage at the same time.  We had decided the previous night that in the interest of not worrying my Mum it would be best to turn around rather than keep going and be a day overdue at the other end. Trying to do a four day tramp in three days was always going to be 50/50 so we weren't entirely surprised to be trekking back up to Lathrop Saddle that morning. Conveniently our steps had frozen overnight creating a perfect staircase back to the tarns and over the other side. With nothing but time for a change we made a leisurely journey back past Browning Biv and down to Grassy Flat Hut where we demolished most of the food we hadn't gotten around to eating the previous day.
With no one but us in the hut for the night we made the most of the varied reading material and fire before turning in for our first sleep on an actual mattress in three nights. The walk out the next morning was, as always, motivated by thoughts of a hot meal back in Hokitika. But first we had to slip and slide our way back down the river and all of the frozen rocks along it. If you're looking for 101 ways to break an ankle - head this way in winter and have fun. Back at the car it was disappointing to know we'd have to be back with more time to complete the whole circuit but it was nice to have a cheeky night spent out in the open just to test the comfort ratings on those sleeping bags for a change. If you're thinking of heading this way in winter you'll need to be confident with your ice axe and crampons and give yourself extra time to get over the saddles through the snow. The route is well marked to Lathrop Saddle (and then not so well from there on) but expect a certain degree of bush bashing along the way. We were 10-11 hours to where we camped and would probably recommend 13 hours from start to finish if you're trying to do this in one day in winter. Car park to Grassy Flat Hut: 4 hours Grassy Flat to Browning Range Biv: 1 hour 45 mins Browning Biv to Lathrop Saddle: 1 hour 30 mins Crossing Lathrop Saddle: 30 mins Daylight in winter: 9-10 hours  With our first weekend off together, there were high expectations not to waste the opportunity on insignificant activities like trying to find a house. We were already heading to Hanmer to meet some friends so after mountain biking the morning away we packed the car up and set out over Jack's Pass to take on Fowler's Pass. By take on, I mean meander at a leisurely pace over a gradual climb with great weather and way too much chocolate. Leave your car just off Tophouse Road at Fowler's Hut and begin the easy trek up to the top of the pass. It's all uphill to start with but the rest of the walk is relatively flat and easy going. We hit snow relatively early but the track was clear enough to walk without getting cold feet as we wound our way steadily up to the top of the pass. It was my first tramp in soft shell pants - as opposed to the old thermal leggings and thin hiking pants combination - and I was pretty impressed with how much more comfortable they are. I wouldn't recommend them in the height of summer but they dried quickly after river crossings and kept my legs warm through the colder parts of the walk. We took around 90 minutes to reach the highest point of the pass between Mt Stanley (1852m) in the north and Mt Clara (1945m) in the south. The going is much steeper on this side but the mountain bike tracks weaving through the tussock indicate that you could still ride it if you were that way inclined. A poled route leads you down into the valley and through a series of small river crossings. None were above knee height and the river was slow at the time but I haven't been through here following a lot of rain. As the valley opens up you catch your first glimpse of the historic Stanley Vale Hut down on the flats. You are still at least half an hour from the hut at this stage but the hills are well and truly over and the walk is pleasantly scenic on a clear day. We have visited the hut several times so we turned north again and hugged the lower slopes of Mt Laura as we made for Lake Guyon. There is a track here still although the topo map shows only the one leaving from Stanley Vale - the two eventually meet just before the lake. Lake Guyon Hut sits in a little clearing halfway up the north-east side of the lake and boasts 4 bunks, an awesome fire and a long drop with a stunning view of the lake. If you are heading in on the weekend there is a high chance the hut will be in use as it is frequented by trampers, hunters and cyclists on the St James cycle trail. A back up tent would be a good call. We arrived just as it was getting dark - a solid four hours from the car, and set to a Thai Green Curry that could be classified as a weapon of mass destruction. The team at Back Country Cuisine obviously have mouths made of steel as we were unable to finish the delicious yet sweat inducing meal despite pouring a whole packet of mashed potato into the mix. Approach with caution.  The frost on the ground in the morning confirmed our theory that it had gotten well below freezing during the night. Thankfully our sleeping bags and the fire stood up to the test well and we slept quite comfortably. Not being the type to stick around indoors on a nice day, we packed up camp, downed some porridge and were sweeping out the hut a little after 9 in the morning. We retraced our steps a little slower as there were some unfortunate blisters from the previous day. It was decided that the socks should be blamed and not the fact that we hadn't done any serious walking for two months. Even so we were almost the same time back out to Tophouse road as we took the hot line straight up to the top of the pass and strode out down the other side. Conveniently the car (and mountain bikes) were all still there waiting for us.
Total time: 8-10 hours return Total Distance: Approx 32km Accessibility: Drive from Christchurch (2hrs) or Hanmer Springs (30 minutes) direct to the start of the track.  Pool Hut on our third night In October 2012 we took on the rather daunting (at least it felt that way at the time) task of walking part of the St James cycle trail from the Edwards River to Lake Guyon via the Stanley River and returning along the west face of Mt Maria. This incredibly picturesque track is located a short drive north from Hanmer Springs over Jacks Pass. We arrived just as night was falling and left our car at the locked gate a couple of kilometres past the turn off to the ski field. With head torches in place and no idea how long it would take to get to our tent site for the night, we donned packs and got moving. The four wheel drive track was dry and easy to walk on as we made our way steadily up the Edwards River. Our destination was Cow Stream, a small river around 10km up the valley which was rumoured to have some impressive hot springs. Scotties, a small 4 bunk hut, lies less than 30 minutes further in, under the shadow of Mt Douglas. We were gambling on the pools being worth a night in our tiny, two man tent and we weren't disappointed. When we reached the river we found two concreted in pools, bubbling with hot water, below a grassy plateau perfect for the tent. A few tea light candles around the main pool created some ambiance and we settled in to soak our legs after a solid evening stroll.  These are totally worth a slight detour off the track The next day dawned warm and clear along with a million sand flies ready for their breakfast. We decamped at the speed of sound and were marching down to the river at quite a reasonable hour. We stopped at Scotties only to refill our water bottles and made our way gingerly across the river before Charlie's Hill. The water was quite swift and my new trekking poles got their first real work out standing up to the knee-high torrent. From here we trudged up and over Charlie's saddle and onto the Racecourse. This wide, swampy plain looks like a walk in the park but takes a good hour to cross. From here we dropped down onto the single track which follows the Stanley River all the way to Lookout Hill. We lost the track for some time around here and simply followed the river until we finally sited Stanley Vale Hut. This two bedroom, historic, abode is an awesome place to stay with beautiful views and plenty of room for cooking and drying clothes. Unfortunately we hadn't made it there first, meaning a short stop for food was all we could afford before pushing on again. We were counting on making it to Lake Guyon and staying in the DOC hut instead but a dozen hunters, their trucks and dogs had the place fairly overrun. Tired and a little disappointed with another night in the tent we set up camp a little further around the lake after a solid 10 hours on our feet. With the rain setting in we cooked a quick dinner of mystery foiled delights from the local Indian store (we've never tried this again!) before drifting off to sleep beside the water's edge. It must have rained heavily all night because when we woke in the morning the lake level had risen and the track had turned into a fast flowing stream in most places. The soaking tent was strapped to the back of Jeremy's pack and we made light work of a bowl of porridge before leaving camp. As soon as we started walking we began to appreciate the amount of water that was pouring off the hills. Streams ran everywhere across the track and mini waterfalls had appeared in the middle of paddocks as we passed. We skirted around the top of the lake and made our way west again to meet the Waiau River in all of its flooded glory.  This is me standing on the track... The rain continued to saturate us as we turned south and headed along the river bank towards Pool Hut, our intended destination for the night. Water engulfed the track and in places the river was so close to washing over it I could have been swept down stream with a badly placed foot step. We made good time all the way to Little Lake where we found some discrepancies between the track and our map. With the new trail just recently built, the route to the bridge is now somewhat changed to the old one on the map. Preferring to rely on my own navigation skills we took off cross country and cut a path through The Downs until we found the new bridge location just around the corner from where it was on our map (2010 edition). However, if your route finding skills are a little basic I would recommend just following the new track around and back down to the river. Especially if your map is pre-2011 as things are not quite as they seem - including the exact location of the bridge. After crossing over the swollen river we had a steep climb up Saddle Spur before making our way back down onto the flats. The track was in really good condition but the constant stream crossings became more and more nerve racking as we closed the gap between us and Pool Hut. By the time we reached Dumpy Stream the first thunder clap reverberated around the surrounding mountains. Heads down, we powered as fast as we could in the direction of the hut. The last stream crossing was the worst with both of us using the poles and each other to wade through the raging waters. When we reached Pool Hut the storm was in full force and we dove gratefully through the door into the dry interior. DOC had beaten us to the fire and removed it leaving in its place a dirty mink blanket from the Warehouse that was hanging in the rafters. Usually I wouldn't touch such an item with a stick but after weighing up my options I decided hypothermia was scarier than the manky dolphin blanket. It added some cosy insulation to my sleeping bag as we snuggled into some warm clothes and took a much needed nap.  It had taken around 7 hours to reach Pool Hut from Lake Guyon and we slept pretty well that night. The morning brought the added element of a dumping of snow from overnight but we were determined to be back in Christchurch at a reasonable hour regardless. Breakfast consisted of several hot drinks as we drew courage from our coffee to face the freezing outside temperatures. We left bright and early and made our way down past Old Bridge Hut of the no walls historic hut persuasion. Over McArthur Bridge we made our way back to Scotties and the familiar Edwards River. It took a lot longer finding a safe place to cross but meandered our way back up stream towards the waiting car. The walk out was a long one, especially when you hit the rise where Peter's Valley Track splits in two directions and have to trudge up hill for half an hour. We kept up a steady pace and finally sited the car late afternoon.
While it was mostly easy tramping the whole four days, the distances we covered would only be enjoyed with a good level of fitness. To find the hot pools you need to follow the track until you hit Cow Stream where you turn left and head up the hill until you run out of flat land. The pools are a short walk down from here but there are plenty of tracks to follow once you find the right area.  After being pushed west of Arthur's Pass due to bad weather on the other side of the divide, I was looking for a good overnighter before heading back to Christchurch at the end of a week of tramping in the area. I had initially planned on spending the week by myself but Instagram intervened and I ended up driving out towards Lake Brunner with a girl I had just met online and who my husband was convinced was probably going to be a 40 year old man. One of the hardest things I've found in the last few years is finding like minded women who genuinely enjoy the outdoors (and can carry a pack), so meeting up with Leila was a bit of a novelty after spending most of my tramping trips with a bunch of rowdy guys! We met in Arthurs Pass mid morning and were at the start of the track before lunchtime. There is plenty of parking and public toilets at the end of Cashmere Bay Road in Te Kinga and we left the car here amongst a few camper vans and a growing swarm of sand flies. The track heads more or less straight up the mountain and once we made it passed the more well worn portion leading to the lookout things got decidedly more interesting. I had read a story the night before about a couple getting lost on the descent from the summit after they started to lose light and at the time had been a bit bemused at how they managed this. I think we lost the track three or four times as we were diverted around fallen trees through dense west coast bush and I began to feel a little more sympathetic towards their situation. The track is essentially well marked but it pays to take your time locating it again when you hit these obstacles and maybe don't get distracted talking! The climb is just over 1000m of elevation in a reasonably short distance making the incline a whole lot of type two fun. As a day walk with a light pack this wouldn't present too much of a problem for most people but with tents and all of our other camping gear my legs were definitely feeling it after an hour. DOC suggests four hours to the summit and this is a pretty fair estimate especially if you're staying the night or know you'll need to take breaks on the way up. With no water at the top, we were hoping that we would find some on the way otherwise the old freeze dried cuisine wasn't going to go down too well. Luckily the track did eventually pass close to Jays Creek about 2/3 of the way up (see map below) and we were able to fill up everything we had before continuing on.  Once at 1196m the summit itself is still a good distance away and facing a pretty bracing wind we decided to turn back to find a flattish sheltered spot to pitch the tents. As it turned out this was probably the biggest challenge of the day - after I turned the wrong way trying to get to the Lake in the first place that is. I had a reasonably small one man tent but Leila's was a good deal bigger so some serious scouting had to be undertaken to find the all important level sleeping platform without a tonne of rocks scattered through it. We eventually located two passable (my door opened straight into a substantial flax bush) spots and set up camp for the night. Apparently the 30th of August is still very much winter and once the sun was gone even the freeze dried stuff was looking super appealing in all its hand warming glory. Despite being not so subtly stalked by a persistent Weka all evening it was hard not to enjoy the view of lights reflecting on the dark lake and the mountains surrounding us on all sides. On a totally clear night this would be a pretty great spot for star gazing and spotting "the pot" (that's a kiwi astrological term). Unfortunately there wasn't much of a sunrise which is probably for the best since I'd brought three spare batteries for my camera and forgotten my memory card. The trip back down to the car wasn't a lot quicker than the climb up since the track is reasonably steep the whole way so you can't get much of a stride on until near the end. Total time: 6.5 hours return Tent sites: questionable New Instagram friends that weren't serial killers: One (well so far so good)   Not all trips need to be grueling expeditions through dense bush or up steep mountains. Sometimes it's nice to just load your pack up with a tonne of delicious food and head to a great little hut for the night with some mates. Manuka Hut is the perfect easy over-nighter with a very achievable 5km walk from the road end with fantastic views all the way. Head in via Hakatere Heron Road from Ashburton Gorge Road and follow the sign to the start of the track. If you have a grunty 4WD you might make it along the farm track to the actual track car park but we were deterred by a couple of feet of mud and left our vehicles at the gate. The track crosses farmland below Lake Emily before sidling around the base of Emily Hill. Here we found a good amount of snow still covering the hill side which made for a slippery time for some of us. From here follow the poled route down to the old 4WD track and around the corner to the hut. Although this makes up part of the Te Araroa Trail, the hut book showed not many people had been through that way over the winter months. The hut itself is a charming 6 bunk basic with a fire to one side and plenty of seating. The only thing it was lacking when we arrived was anything to actually burn. Having brought in all manner of wood cutting tools, we spent the afternoon scavenging dead trees and cutting down a few new ones to add to the hut's supplies. A quick scramble up onto the ridge immediately behind the hut offers a great vantage point to look across at the ridge to Mt Taylor and all the way back towards the Two Thumb Range on the far side of the Rangitata River. This would be an awesome spot to bring kids into or as an introduction to tramping for beginners. Go next level like one of our crew and carry your own kindling wood in for exceptionally good fire starting. Time: 1.5 hours each way Hut: Basic Points for replacing the fire wood you burn *An alternative route can be taken on foot or by bike up the Stour River Track. A car park can be found just over the bridge, 2km further on from the turn off to Woolshed Creek/Mt Somers.     |
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