Day 50 - Waiau Hut to Blue Lake Hut, 16km, 7 hours

I don't know which got the greater workout today, my legs or the camera. Probably my legs - I was pretty exhausted by the time I finished, in a way I haven't been since the 2200m day on the Motutapu. Certainly it was the most technically difficult day on trail, the most tiring mentally, and up there with the Motutapu day physically.

But I get ahead of myself. I had another fairly sleepless night last night, which is confusing - I was tired enough after a biggish day's walking yesterday and a sleepless night the night before. I'm carrying a bit of a cold picked up from home, but I doubt it's that - I just have a runny nose and not much else. Perhaps the prospect of Waiau Pass today was concerning me.

Starting off up valley it didn't feel like I was climbing, but given the river was a raging torrent beside me, I must have been.
After an hour or so the pass was revealed. If looked very bluffy.

Moving up river there was some difficult loose scree to traverse dropping away at 30+ degrees down to the river. As I made my way across numerous stones and boulders would cascade into the Waiau 20 meters below me. It made for nervous, exhausting and dangerous times. It took me 15 minutes to get across 100 metres of it, and this was still on approach to beginning the proper climb!



As the steeper stuff towards the pass began, the Waiau River was now less that than just a series of spectacular cascades. It made quite the place to celebrate crossing the 1000km milestone.


The pass was a formidable sight; an unbroken line of enormous cliffs and bluffs with no immediately discernable easy, or even safe, line of attack.

However the lower 400 meters of climbing turned out to be not so bad. The top 400 meters was much more technical though, at least in a tramping sense. I'd probably characterise it as low grade rock climbing; requiring careful line selection, 3 points of contact, thought given to hand holds, the odd toe jam and even a mini chimney. Difficult stuff with a heavy pack on. Fortunately it was good, stable rock and not slippery. The exposure was also pretty minimal. Nevertheless the concentration required here actually made the effort of climbing easier - the meters to the top melted away through this section.


I reached the top in time for lunch, once again on the main divide and this time also on the dividing line between Canterbury and the Nelson Lakes, and at 1880m the second highest point on trail.
I was able to enjoy views south down the Waiau Valley, where I had come from...

...and north down to Lake Constance which I would shortly be dropping down to.


The descent was largely scree. I expected an easy drop down to the valley floor by skiing it. These plans dissolved when I ended up on my bum 2 or 3 times, then in an uncontrolled slide with a mildly banged up elbow and a massive hole in the bum of my shorts. It was just too steep and reluctantly I went back to knee bashing down the track.  I was pleased to reach the valley floor.


After a swim to dust off in Lake Constance I continued on, up onto some bluffs skirting high above the lake. This was difficult travel after the arduous pass, albeit provided some great views down to the lake.

Across the lake there is an enormous scarp where a large part of Mt Franklin has at some point in the past few thousand years fallen to the valley floor, blocking it and forming the lake. The trail goes across the literal mountain of stone that fell, and washed wave like up the other side of the valley. If you ever wanted to know what the inside of a mountain looks like, here you go.


From the edge of the scarp I had a view of the ethereal Blue Lake. Lake Constance, a couple of hundred meters above it, does not have an outflow point. Instead there is a spring in the scree wall that blocks Constance, which then flows into Blue Lake. This scree filtering results in exceptionally clear water. In fact Blue Lake has recently replaced Pupu Springs as having the greatest clarity in the world.  It has been measured as having a view distance of 80 meters, theoretically the same as pure distilled water. If you ask me the recently discovered Lake Vostock, or whatever it is called, down in Antarctica, which has been covered in ice for millions of years would have to be clearer, but I guess maybe they haven't measured it yet.  Certainly both Lake Constance and the Blue Lake are clear enough to be able to easily pick out individual rocks lying on the lake bed, when perched high above them.


And so to the hut and a much needed rest. I sewed my shorts up. How to describe my sewing skills? Let's just say that if I was a surgeon my patients would be left with horribly disfiguring scars. Needless to say my shorts are now looking decidedly second hand.

Week 7 Summary

A full 7 days walked, 136km covered, pretty much identical to last week.
My back is really starting to complain about things and I'm now taking voltaren pretty regularly, every 3 days or so.
Having moved away from home for the last time, my focus is now solely on finishing the walk, which should be done in about 3 weeks.
I'm now walking alone for pretty much the first time on trail and enjoying the solitude, although I'm not sure I'd have enjoyed it for the whole island. Walking solo I am a bit nervous about the difficult Waiau Pass and Richmond Ranges that are coming up.

Day 49 - Anne Hut to Waiau Hut, 28.2km, 6 hours 15 minutes

I had a restless night last night with little sleep. I'm not sure why, sometimes it just happens.

I started off down valley, making for the confluence with the Waiau River, where I would be leaving the St James Walkway and forging off towards Waiau Pass.

Shortly after the turn I happened upon the famous St James wild horses. I was glad to see them, I had an idea that they had been culled after the aversion to public land of the St James Station.


I continued on. I was in a self congratulatory mood, having walked the best part of 1000km without once having erred off trail by more than a couple of hundred meters, not realising that even as I was having this thought I was forging a good 3km off track. In my defence I was heading on a trail, just the wrong one - the St James Cycle Trail. Never mind, it did take me down the Waiau River to where it dives off into a spectacular gorge; I'm just unsure whether it was worth the extra 6 km there and back again to see it.

Ideas of an extended lunch were curtailed by the legions of sandflies that descended as I sat, so I continued on up valley. There was some very pretty river walking but Waiau Pass, which had been looking intimidating all day, was looking progressively more so as I approached the end of the valley.


Oh well, tomorrow's problem. I had reached the brand new Waiau Hut, which had opened since I had started the trail - an extraordinary donation to the country from an ordinary guy who lives down in Timaru. I'd been really looking forward to staying here - it's a great little hut with a fantastic fire and a beautiful scenic outlook.

Day 48 - Boyle Flats Hut to Anne Hut, 16.6km, 4 hours

I woke from a really good sleep to a beautiful morning and set off into the upper Boyle Valley.
It wasn't long before I passed Rokeby Hut. Last time I'd been here was with my brothers Paul and Stephen. We'd just had a memorable night, for all the wrong reasons. We'd dropped over Anne Saddle late in the evening and taken the first tent site available once we got to the river - indeed the only tent site for some distance. It snowed over night, a small stream we were camped beside rose, and we ended up with 3 inches of slush in the bottom of the tent, seated back to back to back, waiting for the first glimpse of dawn. No sleep, with probably my longest ever night. As soon as dawn started touching the sky we packed up and stumbled down to Rokeby Hut, near hypothermic. We lit a huge fire and warned up for an hour or two - I can still recall the steam in the tiny hut as we dried ourselves, and everything else, out.


Today's weather couldn't have been more different. My legs couldn't have felt better, and in 30 minutes I was up Anne Saddle and down the other side.


The top of the Anne Valley is a beautiful place. The St James Walkway, which it is part of, is very worthwhile, especially since it has reverted to public land and been largely de-stocked. It has a sub-alpine feel yet has no significant climbing, the 200 meters over the Anne Saddle the only exception.


Pushing on down valley I got a bit of a shock when I saw what at first glance I first took for 3 opossums immediately beside the track. In actual fact they were 3 piglets - I have no idea where the mother was and there was nothing I could do for them in any case.


I had been intending to push on to Waiau Hut today - I had plenty of time to do so. However this would have me exiting to St Arnaud on Easter Sunday. I'm hopeful of finding some accommodation there thereby avoiding the tent, so it would be better to come out on Monday. Therefore I decided on another really easy day by stopping at Anne Hut. Since I had been here last the old Anne Hut had burned down, with a beautiful hut built another kilometer down the valley as a replacement. It sits really well into the landscape.

A hard afternoon of sunbathing on the porch in my knickers ensued.

Day 47 - Boyle Village to Boyle Flats Hut, 12.6km, 3 hours 30 minutes

Back on trail for the last stint - kind of. I'm planning a couple of 2 day breaks, but moving away from home now I want to finish off the walk fairly quickly.

Not being confident of getting some of the food I'll need in St Arnaud, I have the biggest pack of the trail so far, with the best part of 3 weeks snack food on board plus other extras. My pack is straining at the seams, but surprisingly felt fine on my shoulders.

Mum and dad dropped me off at Boyle 'Village' then accompanied me for the first hour, during which we followed the Boyle River along its bank. A beautiful section of track to walk before we all sat down for lunch.

After lunch I took my leave of mum and dad and within minutes came out onto wide river bed.  At tjos point I abandoned the track knowing that it meanders all over the place, whereas there is a beeline route to Magdalen Hut across the flats. Magdalen has been rebuilt recently, retaining none of the character of the previous hut, but I guess at least it'll keep the mice out. I wasn't stopping in any case; I'd only had lunch an hour beforehand.


Carrying on up the Boyle the valley narrows again with some more beautiful river walking.


Only a couple of kilometres away was Boyle Flats Hut.  Again I wasn't intending to stop, preferring to soldier on to Rokeby further up valley. However with a strong wind springing up and rain starting I made a last minute decision to take advantage of Boyle Flat's fire and stop for a really short day. Cest la vie, I'm in no rush. I have the hut all to myself, a first on trail, with the rain absolutely belting down outside, so all in all a good decision.

Hiatus 7 - Home for 4 days

So many breaks off trail!  I have enjoyed the breaks home, however this is the last.  I'm off towards the Nelson Lakes and out of range of home after this.  3 solid weeks walking, over the hardest terrain on the trail will see me finished and home again.
Tomorrow morning I set out from the Lewis Pass, bound for Waiau Pass, so a fair bit of climbing ahead of me.  I've chosen to really load up too, I've got the better part of 10 days food on board, as I don't think I'll be able to get all the supplies I'm after in St Arnaud. Oh well.  A good chance to burn off some of the calories I've been loading up on at home!

Day 46 - Hope Kiwi Hut to Boyle Village, Lewis Pass, 26.7km, 6 hours 15 minutes

The beautiful bird life from yesterday continued on the final walk out to the Lewis Pass.  I'll definitely be coming in here a lot more often to enjoy it.

There were some beautiful bridged gorges to cross on the way out.

Once we got to the road there was a decision to make. There is a new piece of track linking Windy Point to the Boyle Village and the St James Walkway, however it involves a couple of fords. With a lot of rain over night we decided to exit to the road instead and 10km of walking with vehicles.

I'm heading home for a few days before I move out of range towards the Nelson Lakes, whereas Neil is going to soldier on, so the bestie break up has finally happened! Sayonara Neil!