At a recentish significant birthday the support crew had the inspired gift idea - a guided tramping trip in the deep south. After a bit of shopping around she settled on one offered by Aspiring Guides and billed as NZ's hardest guided tramp - 8 days over Rabbit and Gillespie Passes. They require information about prospective punters' tramping prowess - so far so promising.
Dates were duly set, and as they were a good way out, I forgot about it. But as the date approaches, the frequency of emails from Aspiring Guides increases and I think I'd better do a bit of prep. Fitness should be fine, the new boots are broken in, a few bits of gear needs replacing - with that in hand and bookings done I guess I should read up on the route.
Aspiring - the tail end of the Southern Alps. It's in that large bit of wilderness between the bottom of the inhabited West Coast and Fiordland - the closest look most people get is when they peer across Lake Wanaka. Home to the Olivine Ice Plateau and numerous peaks, it is fairly serious country.
Description
The route looks like it is predominantly along wide glacial valleys with two forays over passes. The second of which (Rabbit Pass) has a bit of a reputation, including a woman who slipped to her death in 2015. That got my attention - this could be interesting. But is the support crew sending me to certain doom in order to cash in on a life insurance policy I don't know I have?
The last (and first) time I tramped in Aspiring was a 7th form field trip where we did our best to drown half the class in a flooded West Matukituki River and set fire to a hut. Not the most auspicious or recent experience to be sure.
What: Guided tramp over Gillespie and Rabbit Passes
Where: Aspiring National Park
When: 12-17 January 2019
Who: Bill, Sandy, Thierry, Adam (guide) and me
Map
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| Where is it? |
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| Closer view - Wanaka at bottom |
Day 0: The prematch
Flight into Queenstown, Ritchie Shuttle to Wanaka via Cromwell (good service) and the cheapest accommodation I can find - a four bunk dorm at Base Wanaka. I kill time wandering around the beach front to the Wanaka tree (aka willow fence post that sprouted) before checking in, then it's off to Aspiring Guides for the prematch briefing.
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| Aspiring National Park with some irrelevant foreground |
The brief is a combination of checking we have the requisite gear, a run down of the trip, issuing and practicing with the harnesses, and identifying missing kit that we can either rent or purchase in town. I'm sure they also check that we have the claimed number of limbs and don't look like we've provided a completely made-up resume.
We are five: Adam the guide (Australian and contracted guide), Sandy the Australian crop farmer, Bill the English producer (big theatre stuff) who asks a million questions, Thierry the Ministerial advisor from New Caledonia - he has a commando knife strapped to his chest harness which is a bit of a worry, and the only Kiwi - me.
Back at the dorm the other three inmates are quiet and civil but the place is noisy 'til late so I don't get much sleep. I can't possibly be getting too old for places like this? The room also smells like wet dog - I open the windows and don't complain, seeing as it is the boots in my pack causing the offence.
Day 1: Makarora to Young Hut
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| Day one to Young Hut |
In the morning we convene at Aspiring Guides to make our lunches before jumping in the van for the drop off point north of Makarora. Our driver, Tim, is from Wales so I am even more out-numbered.
Tim drops us in the middle of a paddock at Sawmill Flat just north of Makarora. There's a bit of farfing about but eventually we set off across the grass for the junction of the Makarora and Young Rivers. You can go in 5km up valley if you don't want to cross the Makarora but Adam is confident the river will be crossable.
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| Setting boldly forth - Young Valley ahead |
There's a group on the other side of the river that shout something, but we can't hear them so we wave politely and keep going. We find out later that they had some trouble with the crossing and one of them fell in, getting her entire kit wet.
The river is up a little so Adam scouts out a good crossing point and does a quick lesson on linking up. Adam, Bill and I go first and find it pretty easy - about midthigh with reasonable flow, but the schist bottom is smooth and not at all slimy i.e. completely unlike most Tararua Rivers.
As we come out of the water we turn to see Thierry exiting right behind us.
'In New Caledonia we do this all the time!' I can pretty much hear Adam make a mental note that he's going to have to watch this one.
Adam goes back to pick up Sandy who has a somewhat shorter wheel base and wasn't about to follow Thierry's example.
The track is well marked and mostly of a high standard, alternating between mature beech forest and grassy flats. The valley sides are high, with rocky faces and cascades. We see piwakawaka, and the odd rifleman (but hear lots more). The bird life is reasonably prolific but it seems to me that there is less interaction with people than I have seen elsewhere. This may simply be that the canopy is higher than I'm used to, or that people are so frequent they don't warrant any attention.
During the morning we settle into a pattern and I start to get the measure of the group. Adam leads at a reasonable pace. Thierry is very fit and follows hard on his heels champing at the bit to keep things moving
('Poosh, poosh!'). Sandy and Bill come next, sometimes hurrying to keep up. Bill is an experienced hill walker in the UK but I suspect finds the terrain on our tracks somewhat more challenging. Sandy is an Australian farmer so I figure that he will find the hills tough but is likely to be determined. I adopt the tail-end-Charlie spot. Here I can keep an eye on things, stop to look at stuff and take photos without getting in anyone's way.
Fitness wise, Thierry and I have the most in common - he has biked the length of New Zealand four times and has biked and walked all over the world. Of the four we find ourselves with the most capacity to be able to pause and soak in the spectacular landscape. Periodically he notices me gazing up at a face and I'll hear him murmur:
'It ees verry bootiful.'
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| Close formation |
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| Looking down South Branch into the main valley |
The Young River is clear and gentle in the wide flat valley. On either side the valley walls tower 1300m over us with steep rocky faces shedding cascading water falls. Above is a clear blue sky. We are mostly in tall beech forest, but occasionally cross large grassy flats where we can peer up at the impressive but unnamed peaks.
A little after midday we cross the river and head into the narrower South Branch. The river drops steeply over large boulders. Adam calls a lunch stop by a pool and we sit happily munching in the sun (or in my case, the shade).
It's a well timed stop as the track immediately starts a sharpish wee climb.
In the upper valley the track sidles up the true left in forest. The river is more active with the steeper valley floor. I keep an eye out but don't see any whio.
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| Shortly before reaching the hut |
About 5 and half hours after setting out we arrive at Young Hut to find only one couple is in residence. It's large and pretty flash (gas cookers!). There's a big deck above a helipad, looking across the valley at an impressive rocky face.
We take turns to pop up the track a bit for a bracing wash in the river. All, that is, except Thierry. It seems our tough adventurer finds the water too cold and the sanity of anyone immersing themselves in it questionable.
More and more people come in during the afternoon until the hut is full and people are taking spaces on the common area floor. One of the parties includes the woman that fell in the river - she spreads her damp sleeping bag in the sun.
Adam disappears and comes back with food and cooking necessities from a secret stash. Aspiring Guides passes the food test by supplying a tasty meal with fresh ingredients.
In the evening I hear a kea high above the hut but don't see it - this proves to be the norm for the trip, with just the occasional glimpse as one or two commute past but no interest in interacting with people (a good thing).
We all seem to be in reasonable nick after day one - although looks can be deceiving. After the trip, Sandy says he found the day pretty tough and was just about ready to chuck it in. I'm not sure if he would agree, but beech roots, slippery rocks and the odd steep pinch take a bit of getting used to - I reckon both he and Bill's technique improved noticeably over the course of the trip. Either way, good on him for sticking at it - particularly as he knew that the first order of business tomorrow is a stiff climb over Gillespie Pass.
We chat to the other inmates and watch the last of the sun catching the tops of the jagged ridge above before turning in. We discover that Bill has an almost inexhaustible capacity to grill Adam about details of the trip - including stuff that we've been told already, is in the notes and that he has already asked about twice.
Adam has checked in via satellite phone and wants to get over Gillespie Pass before some weather comes through - it will be a 5am wakeup tomorrow.
Day 2: Over Gillespie Pass to Siberia Hut
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| Day two over Gillespie Pass to Siberia Hut |
Getting up early and not waking the whole hut is a bit of an art - one that our group most definitely hasn't mastered yet. The rustling of plastic pack liners, the clatter of dropped gear, and the beams of head torches ensure the whole hut is awake to enjoy our packing.
We're out before the sun is up but it's light enough not to need torches. The track climbs to the head of the valley and out of the bush. It's not hard going.
I kept my eye out for whio all the way up the river yesterday but no luck. Shortly before the bridge in the upper valley I'm delighted to see a pair chilling in a pool below a wee cascade. The rest of the party are probably a bit nonplussed by my excitement and Thierry enquires if they are good eating.
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| Mountain daisies without anything to show how big they are |
The upper valley is flat and the track leads towards a cwm with no sensible exit apparent. Mt Awful dominates, surrounded by massive rocky faces. There's a few wisps of cloud about and the sun is just starting to creep down from the tops. A wee collection of tents on the grassy flats indicates a fair amount of overflow from the hut. Not a bad spot to wake up.
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| Mt Awful |
As we get further in I still can't see where we are going to ascend - it all looks pretty steep. However, a wee wooden sign in the grass points to our left. Adam calls a halt and we top up water before tackling the climb.
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| Still cheerful - Sandy, Adam, Thierry, Bill |
The climb is about 600m and quite steep. You have to be careful of your footing, especially when the wind starts to get up and push us around. The ground trail is good though, and the spur is mostly tussock rather than rocky faces, so there's plenty to hold on to.
The track zigzags up the spur which doesn't lead to the lowest point in the ridge but is the only sensible approach apparent.
As we climb, the clouds darken around the shoulders of Mt Awful and the sun is soon shrouded. The air cools.
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| Mt Awful starts to disappear |
We crest the ridge and the wind whips the first stinging drops of rain across unprotected skin. Adam checks everyone has enough layers on and we follow the track as it runs along and up the ridge for a short way before easing into the lee and starting to descend.
There are a few patches of snow up here and a bit of care is needed through some rocky rubble. Across the next valley snowy slopes are visible but with the cloud ceiling now at about 1600m we can't see the tops. The rain comes through in bands and we are treated to occasional rainbows. It's a long way off being truly nasty and visibility is still pretty good - however, if the weather had been like this during the climb up, it would have been a lot more unpleasant.
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| Adam and Sandy rugging up |
The descent is a long sidle on a reasonable track - Adam notes the hazards of holes hidden in the tussock, which broke someone's ankle on a previous trip (just like the Tararuas!). The rain has developed that relentless quality that suggests it's quite happy to keep it up.
Our destination for today is a campsite shortly after the track reaches the valley floor. The plan is to camp and put up a kitchen tent. However, when Thierry asks where the kitchen will be and Adam points at a piece of ground with puddles on it, his face indicates just how keen he isn't to spend the rest of the day and night here.
Siberia Hut is about 2 hours away and Adam is clearly amenable to a change of plan. Thierry is very keen as am I, Bill and Sandy go along with it. Adam dives into a spinney (or copse?) to ferret out the stash and I chuck the group food in my pack before we head down valley in the rain. The only potential fly in the ointment is that Siberia Hut requires booking so we may still be sleeping outside.
The track sidles down valley and then drops steeply when it reaches the Siberia Valley. At the bottom of the hill we are passed by two trampers from Young Hut who give us the welcome news that one party has decided not to brave the pass - maybe we will get bunks!
On a good day, at this point you might decide to head up valley to climb the opposite side to Crucible Lake - apparently quite picturesque nestled at the base of cliffs, with floating ice that has fallen from the tops.
We knuckle down in the drizzle for the 40 minutes along grassy flats to Siberia Hut.
Gerard the hut warden is happy that Aspiring Guides will stump up the hut fees and agrees we can claim any unwanted bunks. The hut is booked, but if the party behind don't turn up we will be ok. We spend the afternoon scanning the flats hoping that the other party is in fact a no-show.
During the afternoon the weather improves and we even get wet kit hanging out to dry. Above us a peak sheds waterfalls and then clouds. Despite its impressive presence, and being higher than Mt Turner 2km to the south, it is simply 2151 on the map.
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| From Siberia Hut - starting to clear |
Up valley (nor-nor-west), Mt Dreadful appears out of the gloom. It starts catching sun while rain is still drifting out of the Gillespie Stream valley we descended earlier.
I spot a couple of figures then groan as more appear and it grows to a group of 5. False alarm - they have done the day walk up to Crucible Lake and are returning to the hut. They turn out to be a cheerful mixture of nationalities and are good company.
It's a completely different day by the time we turn in after another tasty dinner. Gerard the warden pops in to do his 'hut talk.' These are a nice PR exercise by DOC and include a mix of 'respect the hut' type messages and local interest stuff.
Day 3: A short day to Kerrin Forks Hut
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| Day three Siberia to Kerrin Forks Hut |
Because we skipped the campsite yesterday, we have a very short day today. We wait until everyone else has left then set leisurely off across the grass in bright sun. Mt Kuri (2141) dominates the skyline to the west.
A helicopter buzzes up the valley to land across the river and drop a party, which starts following us down valley - nice for some!
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| Up valley shortly after leaving Siberia Hut |
The track is on a very well cut bench that climbs through forest to round the western spur of Mt Turner and zigzag gently down to the Wilkin Valley floor at Kerin Forks. It was a bit of a mission to build apparently, and I assume was for farming access to Siberia Valley.
It's heating up again as we emerge from the forest on the edge of the Wilkin River - wide grassy flats greet us as we potter down to the jet boat pickup. The boats come up the Wilkin from Makarora and do a roaring trade as most people don't bother with the long tedious walk down the river flats. The relics of farming are still visible up here - old fence posts and a musterers' hut (there is farming up the valley but I'm not sure how far).
We just want the boat for a very short ferry across the river, you could probably cross if you hunted for a suitable spot.
The boat has brought a barrel of gear for us, including the harnesses and food - we will be leaving it tomorrow to be returned with our sleeping bags and other unwanted kit.
It's a little too far away to be 100% certain but I'm pretty sure I see a whio watching us from a rock by the river, with at least one more in the water. I don't go any closer, and follow the others the half km or so to the hut. And we're done for the day.
We have the place to ourselves until a party of three turns up. This turns out to be the Aspiring Guides Manager (Whitney), with her partner and a friend - they've come up in the boat and are whistling through to Top Forks Hut and aiming for Rabbit Pass tomorrow. I watch with some envy as they head off up valley.
There's a steep scramble off the terrace to get to the river for a swim (Thierry is still not game for full immersion), but the day is so hot you have to be pretty careful about how long you have bare skin exposed.
Back at the hut, gear dries in the sun and some of Theirry's kit picks up a not so welcome hitchhiker. A native wasp has nailed a large spider and is struggling with it. There are a number of species of
hunting wasps in New Zealand, and it looks like the spider is in for a miserable end to its existence - being paralysed and slowly eaten by the wasp larvae.
There used to be a hut warden that volunteered here every season. Ivan was apparently north of 80 by the time he gave it away and was somewhat of a celebrity. Like most of the huts around here there's a separate room for staff. It would have been good to chat to Ivan.
During the afternoon Adam does a dummy run of donning harnesses and clipping on and off the rope. It's all good practice that lowers any potential anxiety about the Rabbit Pass day. This is of course accompanied by a stream of questions (mostly from Bill) which Adam handles in good nature.
Day 4: Up the Wilkin to Top Forks Hut
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| Morning from Kerrin Forks Hut |
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| Day four Kerrin Forks to Top Forks Hut |
Another sunny day. The first order is to cram unneeded gear (including sleeping bags) into the barrel. I feel like a complete fraud as we set off with minimal packs. There will be food and sleeping bags for us at the next hut and two campsites.
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| Morning in the hut |
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| Sandy, Bill, Thierry, Adam |
The valley is narrower and the river more active. The track is good but sidles for a fair while so is a bit up and down. The valley wall opposite is periodically interrupted by large stream valleys - first Newland Stream and then Wonderland Stream. Between them squats Mt Aeolius (2283).
Planes periodically drone up or down the valley (maybe 4-5 movements during the morning).
As we round the flanks of Mt Arne (2011) the valley opens again and the rest of the day is on the flats. The map shows the route on the south side but it's the wet weather route and by all accounts a bit ropey in places.
We cross the river at the start of the flats and stop for lunch using a handy patch of moss for a table.
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| Jumboland - Wonderland Valley behind |
After lunch the group sets off in military formation across the flats - crossing a grass airstrip on the way.
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| Heading up valley towards Mt Betsy Jane |
Top forks hut is dwarfed below Mt Betsy Jane (to the west) - a tiny black box among golden grass. But it's not until you look north that you get the full impact of the location. It's a ridiculously beautiful picture postcard view. We've taken about 5 1/4 hours to get here, so once again we have plenty of time to kill.
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| Top Fork Hut and Mt Betsy Jane |
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| Mt Pollux |
Mt Pollux (2536) is framed between the flanks of Mt Betsy Jane and Mt Perseus. Ice fields teeter on the brink of rocky cliffs promising to drop at any moment. To the right and behind are Mt Castor and then Apollo Peak. This is the backbone of the Southern Alps.
Out of sight in the valley are three lakes - usually the trip involves a day trip up and back but the forecast is a bit shaky so Adam has made the call that we will cross the pass tomorrow which lies south-west of here.
There's two huts and gear in both - no people around so we assume they are up at the lakes. Once again we have plenty of hot afternoon to swim in the river and dry clothes.
During the afternoon a family group returns from Lake Castalia - they're from Makarora and have shouted themselves a flight in and walk out. They have commandeered the old hut.
A couple return a little later and turn out to be from Auckland - it feels unusual to see just Kiwis. He manages to slip into the conversation within two minutes that he once played rugby with Sean Fitzpatrick - not sure how the topic came up. From the look on her face I get the impression that it's not the first time. It somehow feels like a very uppercrust Auckland thing. We give them fair warning that we are leaving early in the morning and apologise in advance for waking them.
Once again Adam digs out an Aspiring stash which this time includes sleeping bags.
Later in the afternoon we hear a rumble and catch an ice fall tumbling off Mt Pollux and crashing down a series of rocky chutes. As the sound fades we watch the white tongue lick further down the black rock. A little reminder of the forces at play.
We have another practice with the ropes and Bill peppers Adam with questions about Rabbit pass tomorrow - some of which he hasn't asked previously. Adam patiently runs through the information again, most of which was in the pre-trip notes and briefing.
Day 5: Over Rabbit Pass to Picklehaube Camp
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| Day five over Rabbit Pass |
In just a few days the process of packing and leaving has become much more efficient; we may even have not entirely woken the other couple up. Head torches with a red light setting are useful in these situations.
The stars have faded but lights are still required as we follow the trail into the forest behind the hut and start climbing.
The track sidles above the Wilkin River South Branch; around the flanks of Mt Twilight (2127) and into Snow Bridge Gorge (no bridges but some snow avalanche debris). It's noticeably rougher now and Adam takes care to warn about a few tricky bits. We climb out of the forest into scrub and then onto the alpine grassy flats and the approach to the Waterfall Face (cue dramatic chords). Part way up Adam draws our attention to a silhouette with funny looking forward curving horns on a spur above - it's an elegant wee Chamois peering down at us.
We round a corner in the shadow of Mt Twilight and the Waterfall Face appears. The basin ahead is catching the morning sun and the face forms a (at this distance) low rampart across the far end. A massively high waterfall (400m) draws the attention right.
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| Waterfall Face below Mt Taurus |
At the base of the face we stop, don harnesses and Adam gives a final briefing. Take care, hold onto the snow grass, don't fall off ... travel in this order etc.
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| Thierry, Bill, Adam |
We'll be climbing in three stages - the first couple without protection so it's a question of careful foot placement and grabbing handfuls of whatever comes to hand. We'll then be waiting while Adam lays out a rope which we will clip to and make our way across the most exposed section one by one.
And that's pretty much what happens. The conditions are perfect, it's a sunny morning but not hot yet, and any overnight dampness has dried off. It's steep and exposed so you feel the need to be careful but you're not terrified. I am however a little nervous as I'm below Sandy and Bill - I decide to follow as close as possible on the grounds that it will give me the best chance of stopping someone that slips before they pick up momentum and clean me out.
At the end of the second stage we are in an area where the slope is shallow enough to sit comfortably and admire the view. Adam meanwhile does his thing to set up the third stage - he walks carefully across and up to the top of the face without protection. Shortly he comes back paying out a rope and clipping it into nearly invisible pitons.
Thierry is clearly champing at the bit and after watching Adam seems about to head across without the benefit of the rope. I'm up first though. It's not difficult - but I don't dwell on what's below as I follow the faint trail along the rope, crossing each attachment point and relocking the carabineers. The last bit is the trickiest but without the drop below you'd do it in your sleep.
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| Thierry itching to scamper across without the rope |
Once over the lip I unclip and give the required shout. I come back to watch the next punter which turns out to be Thierry. He's out of turn so I suspect Adam sent him across before he took matters into his own hands!
Bill and Sandy come across without any slips and we regroup while Adam comes through derigging.
At the top of the face we have a final view back down the now sun drenched valley we came up. Turning our back we are in a different landscape.
The first impression is of a barren valley huddled below Mt Taurus (2265) - lots of rock, scattered snow and a wee stream. However, as we follow the stream the valley takes on an almost gentle aspect and we end up wandering through an alpine meadow. I'm not fooled - there is precious little shelter and in bad weather you would be caught between a rock (the tricky descent ahead) and a hard place (the waterfall face behind).
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| Up valley towards Pickelhaube - Pearson Saddle on right |
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| Looking back towards the top of Waterfall Face |
The stream dwindles as we follow it up valley. In the pass the schist pebbles look like they have been polished into the ground by the wind. The ground ahead disappears abruptly and we are looking down into the Matukituki River East Branch far below. This is what you call a hanging valley.
The route doesn't drop straight down but heads left (east) and up for a kilometre or so before the precipitous valley offers a way down. The wind starts to get up as we work our way up with sheer drops on our right. Although easy going it is very much an alpine environment and it wouldn't take much weather to make this place pretty hostile.
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| Looking back towards Rabbit Pass - Pickelhaube above left |
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| East Matukituki on right |
At about 1600m there's a wee notch in the ridge with a marker - this is the top of the second 'crux'. We climb into our harnesses for the last time and Adam gives instructions before walking carefully down to a belay point. We take turns to walk down to him, clip onto the rope then descend around a little buttress and down a rocky scramble.
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| Preparing to descend |
I'm first through and reach the bottom with out drama. The hardest bit is that Adam is so diligent in keeping a tight top rope that I have to wait for slack. Sandy is next and appears quite relieved to reach the bottom. Next comes Bill who has worked up a bit of a sweat, then Thierry - this time in the right order. There might even have been the merest hint of chagrin -
'I follow instructions this time'.
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| And with more camera angle for effect |
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| Bill navigating the last bit of the descent |
Below the climb we regroup for lunch and that's the hard bits done. It's still quite a descent to the valley floor as we transition from scree to tussock and grass scattered with alpine flowers.
Shortly after reaching the stream Adam dives into the scrub and fossicks around to find a faint trail to the Aspiring Guides campsite. It's near the head of the valley - Mt Pickelhaube looms so high above that you get a crick in the neck as your eye is drawn up the waterfalls to the ice fields below the peak. We're far enough away not to worry about stuff falling on us, although Adam mentions that they found the massive steel crate moved mysteriously at the start of one season - presumably from a snow avalanche off Pickelhaube.
The site has all the gear we need for a comfortable night - tent platforms with a strong PVC tepee to pitch each tent under and a large mess tent complete with table and sideboard (steel crate). All we have to do is assemble them.
Despite there being no instructions we get the tents up okay, although the mess tent looks like something that fell out the back of a Russian helicopter.
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| The mess(y) tent |
With the accommodation sorted most of us head for the stream for an icy wash before dinner.
Everyone is pretty satisfied with the day. Adam says we are the first group to get through this season and that it is quite common for weather to throw a spanner in the works - he seems pleased that the group is getting through faster and with less issues than any others he has lead. Sandy and Bill were well out of their comfort zones but followed instructions and tackled the tricky bits without problems. Thierry took it all in his stride and although he would have done it far faster and with less rigging on his own, I think he was impressed by the landscape - and who wouldn't be?
I'm sharing a tent with Sandy and to our mutual relief neither of us snore. There is some good natured banter on the subject between Bill and Thierry - perhaps Thierry's knife could come in use after all ...
Day 6: Haring for the road end
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| Day six first half |
There's porridge for breakfast after which we efficiently break camp. There's no track as such beyond the occasional orange pole. However, we periodically find we are following the foot prints of the Aspiring manager and friends (whom we saw at Kerrin Forks Hut).
There are a lot of easy river crossings as we meander down the flat valley bottom, at this point the flow is low. The valley broadens at Ruth Flat where we can see west into a valley surrounded by icefalls and peaks. Somewhere up there is Wilmot Saddle. There's a lot of cloud around the peaks and we can see rain in the distance but it leaves us alone.
Shortly before we climb the true left valley wall above the gorge section, a track of sorts develops on the left.
The climb is steep in places and has a few of us sweating profusely. Mostly it is under a tall beech canopy with occasional glimpses down to a now more rocky river or across to cliffs on the opposite face. The route climbs then sidles through wee streams and around a few bushy bluffs. Near the top we break out of forest into the open then into an old burn. I don't hear how it started but quite a large area was burnt over some years back. It will take decades to recover.
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| Thierry - near highest point of climb above gorge |
We regroup with the main topic of conversation being - do we head to the campsite for an afternoon in the sun and a leisurely walk out tomorrow, or do we carry on to the road end?
People's positions are similar to previous decisions of this nature: Thierry
"poosh, poosh!", me:
"prefer to head out but will go with the group," Adam not saying (but clearly keen to see what the group can do), Sandy and Bill more reserved about the prospect. I tactically suggest that we decide after lunch - knowing full well that a favourable decision is more likely once legs are rested and the inner man sated.
Over lunch Bill asks a lot of questions and Adam talks down how long it will take to the road end
('I reckon you guys will kill it'). And, rather unfairly, it gets harder for Sandy and Bill to say no. By the end of lunch we have decided not to climb the short distance to the campsite but to follow the track steeply down and head for the road. Adam gets on the satellite phone to negotiate a pick-up.
As an aside, I think the decision was reasonable - the longer than intended day was well within the capability of the group and the time available. I think the group quietly enjoyed the bragging rights as it sounds like no other guided group had done it before.
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| Day six finish |
The view west from up here is into the Kitchener River Valley and Aspiring flats. Another impressive circle of peaks and a 370m water fall. Mt Aspiring is invisible somewhere behind.
The descent is steep on a good track. At the bottom we leave the track which crosses the river and instead follow the true left to Hester Pinney Creek.
These are a very pretty series of cascades over polished rock into a perfect little spa pool. Bill suggests I jump in - which, to his surprise I promptly do (having already divested myself of my cell phone for precisely this reason). The refreshing plunge is worth the wet clothes for the next hour.
We continue down the left bank through open but untracked forest into a large area of dead trees. It looks like the river has come through and dumped a load of stones, killing the forest.
Shortly after, we cross to the true right and join a very well formed and marked track on which Adam sets a cracking pace.
The forest section is once again through beautiful, high canopy beech. In comparison the end is a bit of an anti-climax with a long plod across farm land. Sandy, however is transported at the sight of plump, non-dusty cattle at a mind boggling number of head-per-hectare. He gets quite sentimental about one beast and shows us a picture on his phone of one he used to have just like her.
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| Aussie farmer taking pictures of what cattle are supposed to look like |
The final act of the tramp is a crossing of the West Matukituki River. This is quite large and although Thierry once again heads blithely across on his own, Adam teams up with Sandy and I stick around to link with Bill.
It's about 4.30 and a little under 8hr30 from our campsite this morning - hardly a full days tramp but spanning two scheduled days. There's certainly a lot of leeway in the times. A few minutes after we arrive a taxi turns up and we load up for the long drive back to Wanaka. The driver is a bit of a maniac, he has us drifting about on the gravel perilously close to the edge at times whilst telling stories about the accidents he's seen. We get there in one piece but I envy those in the back row who can't see the driving.
Wrapping it up
Because of the impending weather we didn't spend the usual extra day visiting the lakes from Top Forks Hut. And by combining the last two days we ended the 8 day tramp on day 6. I reckon Adam decided on day four he wanted to see how fast he could get the group through.
Looking back I reckon it is doable in 3 to 4 days in good weather but you would lose those balmy afternoons lounging about in impossibly beautiful landscapes.
Aspiring Guides was good about rebooking accommodation given the early exit - they made an arrangement for us for two nights at a book-a-bach type place in Arthurtown. Thierry shot off the first morning to meet family and friends in Queenstown, whilst Sandy, Bill and I hired mountain bikes and pottered around the lake edge to the outlet, Arthurtown, and a short way up the trail towards Hawea.
The next day Bill headed off, Sandy went to his hotel, and I took on Thierry's booking at the YHA instead of slumming it at Base Wanaka. The weather packed in and I walked in the rain to two breweries in the industrial zone - Ground Effects and Rhyme & Reason. The beers were not particularly memorable, although it was pleasant sitting with rain drumming on the shade umbrella while reading my book with a smoked rauch (smoked) beer at Rhyme.
Postscript
A really enjoyable trip into absolutely gorgeous country. Aspiring Guides have a well planned operation and the necessary gear and safety arrangements.
I found the pace easy, the days short and felt a bit of a fraud not carrying full kit - but that's inevitable as they have to cater for all comers. The technical bits were relatively straightforward and the rigging made them pretty safe. There was enough exposure though that you had to be careful and got a bit of a buzz from doing something beyond usual tramping activities.
Adverse weather would rapidly render parts of the trip far more hazardous, particularly the waterfall face (falls), Rabbit Pass (exposure), and the Rabbit Pass descent (falls).
I would be comfortable soloing all the trip accept the waterfall face and the short technical bit on the descent from Rabbit Pass. I would be wary about the initial crossing of the Mavora River, of attempting a crossing of the Wilkin at Kerrin Forks (you can book the jet boat for this), and of crossing the West Matukituki (I think there is a bridge upstream). I would also be mindful of the weather through Gillespie Pass.
We lucked in with the group - no moaners, and despite a bit of farfing about at times, we got pretty good at just getting on with it.
No gear issues - walking poles were useful and no problem with my boots; the first river crossing sorted out the smell!
Would I do another guided tramp? It's quite expensive but it is nice to have someone else do all the logistics. This one completely fulfilled its purpose; providing a great introduction to the area and I am now comfortable about tackling some other routes down there. I would only do the guided thing again in order to get to places needing rigging or alpine skills.
After the trip, Aspiring Guides did some inspired post service marketing. They set up a drop box for photos then, after a suitable period, an email came providing a feedback questionnaire, saying the guide thought the group was great and suggesting I might be interested in coming on one of their alpine courses or a guided climb of Mt Aspiring. Great upselling!
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| Bill, me and Betsy Jane |
