Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Made It !


Tuesday, 29th January 2013  32.5 kms  6 hrs

My last TA day started with a walk along the Estuary Walkway from Invercargill, taking me away from the town and onto SH1 - the Bluff Highway.

Then it was a 20 km road walk along the busy road - many vehicles in both directions, including a lot of trucks heading to the port of Bluff.

A warm, balmy day with not much wind, which is a lot better than the pouring rain or blasting southerlies that other TA walkers have had at this point.

And so I reached the outskirts of Bluff , and left the road for the Foveaux walkway which travels around the south side of  Bluff Hill - first through grassy paddocks, then scrub, then larger bush for the last part - a superb way to end the trail, matching the start of the trail at Cape Reinga.

The path goes ever on (picture), but ... no, there is only 3 kms left.

My wonderful wife and support crew, Hazel joined me for the last km, and then there were the obligatory photos by the end of the road, and end of Te Araroa, signpost.

What an incredible journey I have had over the last 4 summers  .. and now it is all done - a great feeling of relief that my aggressive schedule for this summer actually worked - 22 days' walking from the Rangitata River to Bluff

Monday, January 28, 2013

South Coast to Invercargill


Monday, 28th January 2013  36.5 kms 9 hrs

At first along the shingly beach from Colac Bay settlement, and then once the beach finished, onto a marked track that continued to follow the coast over a few headlands and down into some lovely little bays (picture).

Eventually this track left the coast and climbed up into Mores Reserve - a pleasant remnant of coastal bush. No view from the top because of morning mist. From the other side it then goes down into Riverton.

Across the river and then out to the start of Oreti Beach, that curves around for a 17km stroll to near Invercargill. A most pleasant beach to walk on because of plenty of good firm sand, but today only minimal views of Stewart Island because of the sea mist.

Managed to cross the Waimatuku Stream 2 hours before high tide, and then continued on to the Dunns Rd exit from the beach - very evident because of the number of cars that drive from there onto the beach.

Then a road walk to cross the Stead St bridge on the Invercargill CBD edge

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Down to the South Coast


Sunday, 27th January 2013  24 kms  8.5 hrs

Travelled further down the valley from Martins Hut, and then picked up the track that runs along the side of the Round Hill water race all the way to where the Longwoods finish in the farmland near the south cost.

This was built by gold miners to bring water for the gold workings at Round Hill, and holds a steady contour line all the way -twisting and turning, exploring every gully along the way.

Super forest, but after the first km  it is a case of "Are we there yet?" ! - it just goes on and on. But what a superb piece of engineering from a bygone era.

Pleased to dump my pack in the carpark at the end, and then a short road walk down to the South Island's southern coast at Colac Bay (picture) - now only 2 days to go !

Southland turns on its best in the Longwoods


Saturday, 26th January 2013  37 kms 10 hrs 45 mins

First a day pack section through Island Bush and to the start of Merivale Rd, where I picked up my overnight pack.

Then up Merivale Rd, first through paddocks, and then continuing as a forest road for some way in the start of the Longwood Forest.

Eventually the road was replaced by a rambling bush track through some delightful bush, then soon enough started a steady climb up onto Bald Hill (805m)  A good clear view of Bluff Hill - my final TA destination in a few days' time

But for now a great spot for lunch, and then onwards, down a transmission tower road for a while, before changing again to another delightful bush track - bright colours from the sunny day, mossy covered trees and rocks, and a good variety of bush.

From time to time it returned to open tops with views all around - to Fiordland, Stewart Island, Bluff, and back from where I had come.

My last major peak for TA of Longwood Trig at 764m.

Eventually descended from the tops down to Martins Hut - a very quaint and obviously ancient hut that fortunately is still kept for all to enjoy (picture). It reminded me of a differently quaint hut that was my first TA hut - Bog Inn in the Pureora Forest.

Telford Campsite to Scotts Gap


Friday, 25th January 2013  39 kms 10 hrs

From the Telford campsite the trail travels down through Mt Linton Station, soon on a 4WD track which then becomes a good farm road.

Cows with calves wanting to travel in my direction for a bit, and then later on a mob of cattle were coming towards me on the road - time to get out of the way and let them past.

Then onwards via paddocks, stream boundaries and roads to the start of a steep climb up alongside a fenceline into the Woodlaw Forest. Great views back to where I had come from (picture).

At the top forest roads for a few kms, then a steady descent down to the road near Scotts Gap, and then a further road walk to the start of Hewitts Rd

Aparima Hut to Telford Campsite


Thursday, 24th January 2013  21 kms  10.25 hrs

Today's DOC times of 8 + 8 hours were a concern, but in the event they were just ... conservative.

But left Aparima Hut early, and after a short time navigating an open area above the river, I was then in bush following markers all the way to Lower Wairaki Hut (6 hrs) for my lunch stop.

The next track was again rough, heading up a valley, and then another steady climb  of 540m to break through the bushline onto the open tops of the southern Takitimus - great views (picture), including my first view in the distance of the southern coast.

Then a long descent down to the Telford campsite in the valley on a warm sunny afternoon.

Into the Takitimus


Wednesday, 23rd January 2013   23 kms 9.25 hrs

An hour's walk up a road, and then into the Takitimu bush at Lower Princhester Hut.

A steady climb to a saddle, then down the other side. Lost the track for a bit, but soon enough navigated back to it.

The rest of the day was an alternation of rough bush track and open boggy tussocky country.  (picture)

Eventually onto a 4WD track that led to Aparima huts - a DOC one and a deer cullers' one that anyone can use.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

The River Side of the Fence


Tuesday, 22nd January 2013  36 kms 9.5 hrs

A lot of today's route was described as "the river side of the fence", as it tracked down the Mararoa River valley.

Firstly, the river was gorgeous (picture) - a deep green, with plenty of water, so I used the bridge option soon after leaving my campsite.

The river side of the fence means, mostly, rough ground, regular (not always expected) boggy patches, and legs, especially, gently caressed by thistle, matagouri, occasionally rose and spaniards, not to mention anything else with pointy bits.

Early afternoon the trail joined the valley road for a few kms, by which time I was not keen to return to the river, so continued down the road, and then on the main Te Anau road to reach my pickup point for the day.

Mavora Lakes


Monday, 21st January 2013   39 kms 9.5 hrs

Left Taipo Hut on a chilly but fine morning that soon warmed up.

The section down to Boundary Hut was slower than expected - at times easy to follow the trail ... and at times, not.

From there the trail follows a rough 4WD road with lots of water / mud "features". North Mavora Lake (picture) was spectacular when it came into view.

Met up with Hazel at the road end near the south end of the lake, and as a bonus she drove my pack through to the south end of South Mavora Lake, while I had a delightful walk down the west bank of the Mararoa River and the South Mavora Lake.

From there another hour's walk through the beech forest to my campsite for the night beside a busy little stream.

Greenstone to Taipo Hut


Sunday,  20th January 2013   21 kms 6hrs 45 mins

Left the Greenstone carpark in good time, and followed the excellent track, mostly in beech forest, up alongside the Greenstone River (picture) to reach the Greenstone Hut in time for an early lunch.

Pleasant open spot, but a cool breeze, so on again after not too long.

Now on the rougher Mavora Walkway - after a while this passed through a forest that had been devastated by an earlier storm - tree damage everywhere.

Then out into a wide valley, and and then played spot the marker pole until reaching the Taipo Hut for the night

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Arrowtown to Queenstown


Saturday 19th January, 2013   4.5 hrs  21 kms

An easy morning walk on a cycle way / minor roads, leaving Arrowtown by a back route and then passing through the grounds of the Millbrook Resort.. Continued on through pleasant rolling country towards the Shotover River, following it downstream under some old willows (picture) for a morning tea stop at the old Shotover Bridge - restored for pedestrian / cycle use by a Rotary project.

Then on under the current road bridge, and over the Frankton Flats to the bottom end of the Frankton arm of Lake Wakatipu.

From there a pleasant walk on the cycleway along the edge of the lake all the way to the Queenstown Gardens, and then over a little rise to the hubub of the Queenstown waterfront.

On To Arrowtown


Friday 18th January, 2013   10.5 hrs   23.5 kms

A very cold night overnight, and the following morning. Off on up the nearby ridge for 600m to Roses Saddle - a few little patches of snow on the way, but the day gradually warming away the morning chill.

And then a similar descent into the upper reaches of the Arrow River, which was fortunately at a level where it could be followed down the riverbed, with numerous river crossings, and through a few gorges, all the way to Macetown, picking up a 4WD track in the last hour or so.

This was my hoped for lunch spot, also a chance to explore what was once a thriving gold mining town - now no one lives there, and only two buildings  have been partially restored (picture is Needham's cottage).

From there I followed the 4WD track further down the Arrow River, and then headed inland with another big climb to a saddle near Big Hill - marked as far as the saddle, but then no further - although initially this was an easy but narrow track to follow.

However near the end I lost the track and then became bushed in a creek - I should have backtracked further than I did to find the real track. As it was I continued on through rough stuff (matagouri, rose, bracken), and up and steeply down a pine forested spur until ending up in the creek again, which I then followed all the way down until returning to an established track - that probably added a good hour to my time for that leg - with Hazel duly concerned as to where I had got to.

Motatapu Trail Day 1


Thursday, 17th January 2013   11.5 hrs  24 kms

This is a spectacular track climbing up into the mountains - a key feature being a series of solid ascents and descents of around 500-600m each. First along the Fern Burn  through a pleasant patch of beech forest (Stack Conservation area), then on up the valley to the Fern Burn hut for a morning tea stop.

From there the typically narrow and winding track continues to climb up and out of the valley onto Jack Hall's Saddle - a 1000m climb from the road. On the descent down (picture) you go down a narrow ridge, at which point it was cool enough for the light showers to form snowflakes - but not enough to settle on the ground.

The day's destination was Highland Creek Hut, but on reaching it at 1.15, I decided to continue on to the next hut, as my walking times so far were under the official times - and even knowing that ahead were 2 more steep climbs and descents.

The track is well marked and has a good ground trail, but somehow I missed a turning, and had to make my own (hard) way up onto the intended (start of) ridge  - but soon rejoined the track after that, although losing a reasonable amount of time as a result.

In many parts the track is very narrow, and does not leave any room for putting a foot wrong - even through patches of bracken where it is hard to discern where the track is. Never seen so many marker poles in an open tussock country track though.

Spectacular views all day - one last wintry blast going down the final, steep ridge, to Roses Hut, with a glimpse of a view back to Lake Wanaka. Now half a day ahead of my schedule.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Lake Hawea to Glendhu Bay


Wednesday, 16th January 2013   9 hrs 10 mins  48.8 kms

Today was scheduled to be one of those long, easy, but fast walking days - and so it turned out - following cycle trails for almost the whole day - and trying not to punish my feet any more than they were already.

First along the Lake Hawea lakefront from east to west into the Hawea township, on a still morning - with the rabbit population out in force.

From there the next cycle trail followed the Hawea river all the way to the specially built swingbridge (picture). Next over the Clutha road bridge near Albert Town, and onto the Clutha river track all the way to where the river leaves Lake Wanaka.

This is where the effect of the recent - and still current - flooding was evident - possibly a dozen sections of this track are still under water, sometimes to knee height - not that it seemed to deter cyclists and walkers. And for me a chance to keep my feet cool !

Then around the lakefront all the way to the Wanaka CBD, and lunch with Hazel looking down the lake.

The next section was the cycleway to Glendhu Bay  OK at first, but increasingly annoying as it explored every hill and bay in detail - going up and down and around continuously  But great lake views to help the kms pass by. At a few points the lake had gobbled the path completely, so a chance for some different terrain to walk on.

And then once past the huge campground at Glendhu Bay, a few kms inland to the start of tomorrow's walk - the Motutapu trail

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Timaru Creek to Lake Hawea


Tuesday, 15th January 2013   9.25 hrs 23.3 kms

Leaving my campsite bright and early I continued on down the Timaru Creek with another 2 river crossings before I was done. In reality it is a river, not a creek - perhaps in dry summers it is a lot smaller. Evidence that not too long ago it was a lot higher too, which would have made it impassable.

At a well marked junction  I then had to leave the valley and climb steeply for 500m to reach Stodys Hut - an old dirt floored hut that would nevertheless be very comfortable at the end of a long day. For me though it was just a morning tea stop.

From there an old 4WD track took me another 300m up onto the ridge line - some views of surrounding mountains and valleys, but high cloud preventing it from being a great view day.

A few kms of the 4WD track, and then, not to be bypassed, a final climb up to Breast Hill (1580m) for lunch  On a clear day great views of lakes Hawea and Wanaka and even to Mt Aspiring .... but today I was in cloud and saw less and less while I was there.

From there the edge of the cliffs are followed downwards to a new Pakituhi Hut, by which time I was starting to get some views of the lake and surrounds. From the hut it is an, at times, steep descent of 950m down to the lake shore but with views like this who can complain !

Down at the road again, in the interest of decency  I had to cover my terminally ripped shorts with my bright red over trousers for a brief road walk.

Ahuriri Valley to Timaru Creek


Monday, 14th January 2013   9.25 hrs  30 kms

A well marked trail leaves the Birchwood Rd in the Ahuriri valley, and after not too long joined a farm track up the Avon Burn.  Not long after a farm hut is reached, the 4WD road leaves the farm, but continues to be in good condition as it climbs steadily to reach a high saddle near Mt Martha.

At close to 1700m that meant a 1000m climb from the road. Scree covered mountains all around (picture looking over the other side into the headwaters of the Timaru Creek). A real feeling of being very close to the top of this part of the world.

The 4WD track continues on down into the valley, but once past the high scree slopes, it is now just a rough walking track. Reached the Top Timaru Creek hut after 6hrs, and then continued on down the valley.

Soon the track enters the beech forest, and is well marked, but with lots of valley sidling (some high), and up and down, and river crossings from time to time to avoid bluffs.

After a few hours I came to a moss padded campsite for the night.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Lake Ohau to Ahuriri valley


Saturday, 12th January 2013   27kms approx 9 hours
(This section done before the section from Pukaki to Lake Ohau because of weather)

The rough 4WD track climbed up from Lake Ohau, crossed one creek, then traversed over to the lovely patch of beech forest at Freehold Creek. From there the guide said there was a rough track up alongside the creek, but it was actually a really good, well marked, tramping track  out to the bushline, and then the track continued on for the required distance out in the open ... on a lovely sunny day.

From there the route involved a steepish climb up a ridge to reach a saddle at around 1440m , which then passed over to the headwaters of the east branch of the Ahuriri  River (picture).

At first travel down the valley was a bit rough, with crossing to and fro, and trying to avoid those prickly Spaniard plants. But the valley soon widened, and the going was that much easier. At the bottom it was 2-3 kms over rough ground (including many rabbit holes) with a very strong side wind to the banks of the main Ahuriri River.

The big challenge for today, given all the rain over the last few weeks, was whether or not I could cross the river - in the event, after a few attempts, it was just too much, but if I had crossed and walked out to the road, the day's trip time would have been approx 9 hours.

As it was, I then had an extra hour's walk downstream to the bridge.

Pukaki to Lake Ohau

Sunday, 13th January 2013   45 kms  8hrs 40 mins


(This section done after the section from Lake Ohau to Ahuriri because of weather)
I crossed over the Pukaki Dam with rain clouds over all the mountains, and the occasional clap of thunder, with some showers from time to time through the morning. Then onto the A2O cycleway for the walk through to Twizel - with today's picture giving a view of the golden  country with the rain clouds not that far away.

After Twizel I soon left the main road on the south side of Lake Ruataniwha onto a rough minor road - so minor that from there through to Lake Ohau there were no vehicles at all. Beyond Ruataniwha it followed the Ohau River, which was at full flow, and some, having flooded into some seldom used river channels.

Lunch was on the shore of Lake Ohau, looking a long way across to my end point for the day, and to the Freedhold Creek valley that I walked up yesterday. From there I followed the lake shore on a work in progress  section of the A2O walkway - for walking purposes it was ideal. Followed by a road section up the lake to the start of yesterday's walk.

Friday, January 11, 2013

Tekapo to Pukaki

Friday, January 11 2013   57 kms  10 hrs


The normal route follows the Tekapo canal, but that is currently closed because the canals are under maintenance ... a little issue of a few too many leaks. The busy main road is out of the question, so the TA advised route is via a minor Braemar Rd that comes out two thirds of the way up Lake Pukaki, and then follows the lake down.

The suggested 47 kms turned out to actually be 57 kms, hence a longer day that expected (and that with a light day pack too).

But Mt Cook cleared mid morning, so spectacular mountain and lake views for the rest of the day, to help the kms tick by. The picture was my lunch stop.

The last section is on the Alps to Ocean (A2O) cycle way, which winds its way around the lake shore below the main road, almost all the way to the Pukaki Dam.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Camp Stream Hut to Tekapo Village

Thursday, 10th January 2013   8.25 hrs  33 kms


From the hut, a steep climb down to streams higher than usual because of the overnight rain. River crossings were OK, but never one to be taken lightly.

Then a steep climb up into ttussock country - at least away from the matagouri along the riverbed. Steep sided deep valleys, with some great views back to the head of Lake Tekapo (picture). No track markers spotted after the first one, but easy enough to find the way through to the road to the Roundhill Skifield.

From the road, Te Araroa joins the Richmond cycle trail, so easy going on a pleasant track along the foot of the mountains, but still high up, with great views of Lake Tekapo, and somewhere in the distance my day's destination.

The cycle trail ended at the Boundary Stream bridge on the Lilybank Rd, where I met Hazel, changed to a light day pack, and then had a fast roadwalk into the middle of Tekapo village

Thunderstorms in the Two Thumb Range

Wednesday, 9th January 2013   7.5 hrs  20.2 kms


With warnings of high winds by midday, I left Stone Hut before 6 am. The first section is a pleasant walk up Bush Stream - now a lot smaller than yesterday - to Royal Hut.

From there starts a 700m climb, first up a little side stream, and then increasingly steeper sections at the head of the valley. After 2 hrs I reached Stag Saddle - at 1925m the highest point on Te Araroa. By now it was drizzling, and strong wind gusts were trying to blow me over.

But I had to stop to take a  photo of where the Lake Tekapo view should be - but wasn't - because of the low cloud. Not too worry - some stunning photos from last time I was here.

Now strong cold winds and drizzle / rain were chasing me off the mountain - just when I was thinking this was my worst Te Araroa weather day yet, the lightning and thunderstorms started - not a happy tramper !

Pleased to reach the quaint old Camp Stream Hut (photo) and to get a fire going to warm me and dry my clothes. A wild night with strong winds, rain, and plenty of thunder

Off Again - South of the Rangitata River

Tuesday, 8th January 2013  8.5 hrs 21kms

An early start from a comfortable cottage at Mesopotamia Station saw me off repeating the start of an ATC trip from 2011. Farm tracks to Bush Stream, then up the valley, with a few river crossings - river a bit higher than last time.- but OK .. just.


The last crossing before the big climb up to Crooked Spur Hut was just manageable on the second attempt. A brief stop at the hut (picture looking back down Bush Stream), then up another 500m to the saddle for lunch. A super clear day with great views of the mountains all around.

Then undulating tussocky country all the way to the (partly) Stone Hut - the rest was rebuilt after a rock fall demolished it some time ago.