February 4th: Hitching Day
We spent the entire day getting 4 hitches from Kaiteriteri beach to St. Arnaud
The first hitch was from an incredibly nice Young French man who had taken off a year from his IT job to work odd jobs and travel around NZ.
Our second hitch was from an American who had taken a vacation with her husband and ended up buying a house! We've heard this story several times, it seems like people come here on Holiday and are taken under some kind of spell that never lets them leave. Don't worry family members, Cody and I have not been bewitched. Both of us are enjoying New Zealand but we can see that living in the States has many more advantages that New Zealand will never have. So we will be happy once our trip is completed to board a plane and head home. What's the first thing we're going to do once we get off the plane you might ask? Eat GOOD MEXICAN, it's amazing how strong the cravings are for chips and salsa when you are hiking long distance.
We finally made it to the road leading up to St. Arnaud and it was there that we had a stall out of hitching luck. It took over two hours but finally we got a ride from a very nice British hippy chick and her van (Brian) who desperately needed to go to the mechanic in St. Arnaud. it was a bit of a scary ride with Brian backfiring and chugging along up hill going ten miles an hour. But we all made it!
Finally back on the TA trail and ready to hike the beautiful Waiu Pass. We had good timing and met up with our familiar gang who were all set out to leave for the trail in the morning. We had a very nice room at the only place to stay in St. Arnaud- Fortunately we were inside, and with a heater! The weather had finally gotten very windy, and chilly. Yay! We finally felt like we were on the South Island!
February 5th: St. Arnaud to John Tate Hut
We set out on the trail by 11:45 with an easy 20km between us and a warm hut with our friends. We walked along Lake Rotoiti and meandered our way around the valley floor. The winds and rain really picked up in the afternoon and kept on for the rest of the day.
It was a very welcome sight when we finally got to the hut. Someone had started a fire and the little chimney was busy smoking away. We were ready to be warm, dry, and well fed. Cody and I finally developed an appreciation for being in a hut. With all the other warm bodies and the fire going it was actually quite toasty.
After a brief dinner; I had dehydrated Mexican rice and Cody had Kathmandu Curry (Glad to have the dehydrated meals to break up the couscous and ramen monotony) We headed to bed, happy, mostly dry, and full.
February 6th: John Tate Hut to Sabine hut
We were the last ones out of the hut, leaving around 8:20. It was a very chilly morning-yay! This was the first time either of us had actually felt like we were in the South Island. Just two days ago we had been roasting on a beach. Now we were up in the mountains with chilly air and snow...yes I did say snow. It was so cold the previous day that it had snowed on the higher mountains and also on the pass we were trying to go over today.
We had a brief stop in another hut before Travers pass where we said goodbye to Gil and Peter who were going to take a Nero Day.
The climb up was steep but moderate by NZ standards and very beautiful.
Cody was so excited about snow that he kept taking pictures of the little bits of snow on the trail. Little did he know of what was lying ahead of us....
Lucky for us the snow had melted on the side we descended.
After a knee aching descent we finally made it to Sabine hut. A very popular stop for overnight hikers.
Cody getting the fire started
We had chicken and dumplings for dinner (more like chicken porridge and peas) and passed out early to the pitter patter of rain on the roof. Not the best sign as we were concerned about snow on Waiu pass (known for its steep descent) Cody and I decided to hike a short ways in the morning to Blue Lake hut and stop for the day; hopefully allowing time for the snow to melt...We'll see if the weather decides to play nice.
February 7th: West Sabine hut to Blue Lake hut
The weather decided to play nice after all and cleared up in the morning. We hiked a half day to Blue Lake hut to enjoy it's beauty and wait for the snow to melt some before going over Waiu Pass. Waiu was supposed to be a little taller, and its descent more challenging than the previous days pass.
Blue Lake
So we made the best of our half day off. Sleeping in luxuriously and then hiking about 3 hours to reach the hut. The view was well worth staying the extra day. Blue lake was stunning! Supposedly it was confirmed through scientific tests to be the clearest water in the world.
See for yourself...
So far the views on this trip have proved to be well worth the effort of the hike. Tomorrow we'll take on Waiu Pass, hopefully the last of the gnarly treks.
February 8th: Blue Lake Hut to Waiu Forks Camp
We headed up towards Waiu pass past Blue Lake and Constance Lake.
The "track" around Constance was a bit ridiculous. It has to navigate around cliffs so it gains and looses a fair bit on a very steep, and slippery gravel footpath. I was starting to regret following those orange markers.
View of Constance
Happy to be off the sidle around Lake Constance
Our first view of the pass
The climb up to Waiu was just silly. It literally went straight as an arrow up very slippery and steep scree to a saddle between peaks. I'd heard that the descent off Waiu was worse so needless to say I was imagining something more ridiculous than what we had just ascended.
But the views were nice...
View of Lake Constance from above
The top of Waiu was little more than a ridge with few rocks to shelter from the wind. We had a brief lunch of Cliff bars/ Pro bars and potatoe chips
Cody climbed to the nearby peak to get a better view.
Then we headed down...
We had been led to believe that this climb would be a terrifying shear drop off...not quite. What we got was a tough rock scramble. Sure we were free climbing in sections, and yeah we had to put our poles away and secure anything delicate. But this climb wasn't a big bad monster. The scree on the other side was far worse. At least here if you fell you'd be pretty banged up. If that scree decided to give way on the other side there was nothing stopping you from sliding to the bottom in a heap of rocks.
Either way both climbs were done and I was in a very good mood that we were able to put the tougher mountain sections behind us. Supposedly the trail would be a bit easier in the future.
We camped next to a river by Waiu Forks. Had an excellent dinner of Pad Thai and hit the hay early. We did roughly 10km total which is about 6 miles yes that's how steep and slow going it was. I've never taken so long to go such a short distance. Not to repeat myself but I do really miss switchbacks!
February 9th: Waiu Forks to Anne River Hut
It's truly amazing how different the scenery and trails can be. From Waiu we went from high mountains, and snow; to a wide valley floor. Some of the track was "maintained" as a rough vehicle track. And the rest was overgrown unmaintained grassland.
Meet our new enemy: Matagouri
It's a thorny bastard
We crossed the river many times, which meant wet shoes all day. Not really a concern for us, but the rivers were so cold that each crossing became a dreaded foot cramping experience. The rain picked up heavily, coming down in heavy sheets which all but completely soaked us. Anne river hut was a welcome delight. We stayed there with two TA hikers Bobby (USA) and Andrew(Canada). Cody built a large fire which dried most of our things out. The next day was forecasted to be good weather and we wanted to make it to the small resort village of Hamner Springs. Warm, natural hot pools were a powerful motivator in our decision to walk over 30k to get there.
TA hiker crossing a swing bridge
Anne River hut
February 10th: Anne River Hut to Hamner Springs
The morning was clear but very cold. We were soaked from all the wet dew on the grass as we walked. The trek was uneventful, and moderately beautiful. It was nice to walk amongst the mountains instead of on top of the ridgelines. We got to the HWY at about 3pm; and in less than 2 hitches (covering 52k) we were in Hamner Springs. We ran into the TA gang that we were familiar with at the pub and chatted a bit while stuffing our faces with food. Afterwards we booked a room at the YHA backpackers for 3 nights. Both of us were looking forward to relaxing, and taking a Valentines break from the trail.
February 11th-15th: Stuck in Hanmer Springs
While in Hanmer we visited the famous hot pools which were moderately warm but at least had massage jets. They did the trick, and we were quite relaxed after our visit.
After a few days spent in hamner springs we were ready to get on the trail. Apparently Valentine's Day was not a good day for hitching a ride. No one would pick us up, and we ended up walking 7 kilometers on a road just to get to the nearest place with accommodation. Everything else in Hanmer Springs was taken up with holiday travelers.
For Valentine's Day Cody surprised me with candles and my favorite chocolate coconut Whittakers. I also got him his favorite chocolate almond Whitakers.
That night he ended up getting horribly sick; he was shaking from cold and had a terrible fever. The next day he wasn't fit for going on the trail, so back to town we went. It seems that Hanmer Springs just won't let us go, we may have to live here forever.
Cody has been getting a lot of good use out of that Kindle
We spent the entire day getting 4 hitches from Kaiteriteri beach to St. Arnaud
The first hitch was from an incredibly nice Young French man who had taken off a year from his IT job to work odd jobs and travel around NZ.
Our second hitch was from an American who had taken a vacation with her husband and ended up buying a house! We've heard this story several times, it seems like people come here on Holiday and are taken under some kind of spell that never lets them leave. Don't worry family members, Cody and I have not been bewitched. Both of us are enjoying New Zealand but we can see that living in the States has many more advantages that New Zealand will never have. So we will be happy once our trip is completed to board a plane and head home. What's the first thing we're going to do once we get off the plane you might ask? Eat GOOD MEXICAN, it's amazing how strong the cravings are for chips and salsa when you are hiking long distance.
We finally made it to the road leading up to St. Arnaud and it was there that we had a stall out of hitching luck. It took over two hours but finally we got a ride from a very nice British hippy chick and her van (Brian) who desperately needed to go to the mechanic in St. Arnaud. it was a bit of a scary ride with Brian backfiring and chugging along up hill going ten miles an hour. But we all made it!
Finally back on the TA trail and ready to hike the beautiful Waiu Pass. We had good timing and met up with our familiar gang who were all set out to leave for the trail in the morning. We had a very nice room at the only place to stay in St. Arnaud- Fortunately we were inside, and with a heater! The weather had finally gotten very windy, and chilly. Yay! We finally felt like we were on the South Island!
Food for one person for 8 days
All packed up and ready to go
We set out on the trail by 11:45 with an easy 20km between us and a warm hut with our friends. We walked along Lake Rotoiti and meandered our way around the valley floor. The winds and rain really picked up in the afternoon and kept on for the rest of the day.
Had to break out the Ebola suits
It was a very welcome sight when we finally got to the hut. Someone had started a fire and the little chimney was busy smoking away. We were ready to be warm, dry, and well fed. Cody and I finally developed an appreciation for being in a hut. With all the other warm bodies and the fire going it was actually quite toasty.
After a brief dinner; I had dehydrated Mexican rice and Cody had Kathmandu Curry (Glad to have the dehydrated meals to break up the couscous and ramen monotony) We headed to bed, happy, mostly dry, and full.
February 6th: John Tate Hut to Sabine hut
We were the last ones out of the hut, leaving around 8:20. It was a very chilly morning-yay! This was the first time either of us had actually felt like we were in the South Island. Just two days ago we had been roasting on a beach. Now we were up in the mountains with chilly air and snow...yes I did say snow. It was so cold the previous day that it had snowed on the higher mountains and also on the pass we were trying to go over today.
We had a brief stop in another hut before Travers pass where we said goodbye to Gil and Peter who were going to take a Nero Day.
The climb up was steep but moderate by NZ standards and very beautiful.
The top was a real winter wonderland.
Lucky for us the snow had melted on the side we descended.
Cute little stalker that we met on the trail. He followed Cody before we noticed him, then he put on a show vibrating his legs and digging for worms
I'm taking a photo of a spot where there was a huge crevice with water flowing through it, it was so deep and narrow that a person could barely squeeze through it. Unfortunately the crevice was also very dark and hard to take photographs of
After a knee aching descent we finally made it to Sabine hut. A very popular stop for overnight hikers.
We had chicken and dumplings for dinner (more like chicken porridge and peas) and passed out early to the pitter patter of rain on the roof. Not the best sign as we were concerned about snow on Waiu pass (known for its steep descent) Cody and I decided to hike a short ways in the morning to Blue Lake hut and stop for the day; hopefully allowing time for the snow to melt...We'll see if the weather decides to play nice.
February 7th: West Sabine hut to Blue Lake hut
So we made the best of our half day off. Sleeping in luxuriously and then hiking about 3 hours to reach the hut. The view was well worth staying the extra day. Blue lake was stunning! Supposedly it was confirmed through scientific tests to be the clearest water in the world.
See for yourself...
So far the views on this trip have proved to be well worth the effort of the hike. Tomorrow we'll take on Waiu Pass, hopefully the last of the gnarly treks.
Cody starting a fire at Blue Lake Hut
His book was an aweful read, and an equally terrible fire starter. You just can't win Bill Cosby
February 8th: Blue Lake Hut to Waiu Forks Camp
We headed up towards Waiu pass past Blue Lake and Constance Lake.
The "track" around Constance was a bit ridiculous. It has to navigate around cliffs so it gains and looses a fair bit on a very steep, and slippery gravel footpath. I was starting to regret following those orange markers.
The climb up to Waiu was just silly. It literally went straight as an arrow up very slippery and steep scree to a saddle between peaks. I'd heard that the descent off Waiu was worse so needless to say I was imagining something more ridiculous than what we had just ascended.
But the views were nice...
The top of Waiu was little more than a ridge with few rocks to shelter from the wind. We had a brief lunch of Cliff bars/ Pro bars and potatoe chips
Cody climbed to the nearby peak to get a better view.
Can you spot him?
Then we headed down...
We had been led to believe that this climb would be a terrifying shear drop off...not quite. What we got was a tough rock scramble. Sure we were free climbing in sections, and yeah we had to put our poles away and secure anything delicate. But this climb wasn't a big bad monster. The scree on the other side was far worse. At least here if you fell you'd be pretty banged up. If that scree decided to give way on the other side there was nothing stopping you from sliding to the bottom in a heap of rocks.
Either way both climbs were done and I was in a very good mood that we were able to put the tougher mountain sections behind us. Supposedly the trail would be a bit easier in the future.
We camped next to a river by Waiu Forks. Had an excellent dinner of Pad Thai and hit the hay early. We did roughly 10km total which is about 6 miles yes that's how steep and slow going it was. I've never taken so long to go such a short distance. Not to repeat myself but I do really miss switchbacks!
February 9th: Waiu Forks to Anne River Hut
It's truly amazing how different the scenery and trails can be. From Waiu we went from high mountains, and snow; to a wide valley floor. Some of the track was "maintained" as a rough vehicle track. And the rest was overgrown unmaintained grassland.
We crossed the river many times, which meant wet shoes all day. Not really a concern for us, but the rivers were so cold that each crossing became a dreaded foot cramping experience. The rain picked up heavily, coming down in heavy sheets which all but completely soaked us. Anne river hut was a welcome delight. We stayed there with two TA hikers Bobby (USA) and Andrew(Canada). Cody built a large fire which dried most of our things out. The next day was forecasted to be good weather and we wanted to make it to the small resort village of Hamner Springs. Warm, natural hot pools were a powerful motivator in our decision to walk over 30k to get there.
February 10th: Anne River Hut to Hamner Springs
The morning was clear but very cold. We were soaked from all the wet dew on the grass as we walked. The trek was uneventful, and moderately beautiful. It was nice to walk amongst the mountains instead of on top of the ridgelines. We got to the HWY at about 3pm; and in less than 2 hitches (covering 52k) we were in Hamner Springs. We ran into the TA gang that we were familiar with at the pub and chatted a bit while stuffing our faces with food. Afterwards we booked a room at the YHA backpackers for 3 nights. Both of us were looking forward to relaxing, and taking a Valentines break from the trail.
February 11th-15th: Stuck in Hanmer Springs
While in Hanmer we visited the famous hot pools which were moderately warm but at least had massage jets. They did the trick, and we were quite relaxed after our visit.
After a few days spent in hamner springs we were ready to get on the trail. Apparently Valentine's Day was not a good day for hitching a ride. No one would pick us up, and we ended up walking 7 kilometers on a road just to get to the nearest place with accommodation. Everything else in Hanmer Springs was taken up with holiday travelers.
For Valentine's Day Cody surprised me with candles and my favorite chocolate coconut Whittakers. I also got him his favorite chocolate almond Whitakers.
That night he ended up getting horribly sick; he was shaking from cold and had a terrible fever. The next day he wasn't fit for going on the trail, so back to town we went. It seems that Hanmer Springs just won't let us go, we may have to live here forever.
Cody has been getting a lot of good use out of that Kindle
I had to use my hand to close my mouth! Amazing! Rough and cold! I'll bet the huts remind Cody of fishing in Northern Manitoba! Cosby was no help there either. I remain literally stunned by what you two are seeing/experiencing!!
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