Start of the Trip - CollingwoodKaramea - Heaphy TrackRolling River, WangapekaMurchison, New ZealandLewis passArthurs PassRakaia RiverLake Clearwater, New ZealandLake Ohau, New ZealandWanaka, New ZealandArrowtown, New ZealandTe Anau, New ZealandTuatapere, New ZealandTe Waewae Bay
 | walk4kiwis |  | A long walk to Save the Kiwis |  | Lewis pass |
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Jan 31 2010, 04:52 PM
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Lewis Pass, New Zealand
As soon as we started heading up towards the West Sabine hut (about 5 hours walk) we could see just how much rain had fallen recently. Although not actually raining as we started off, the track was very waterlogged and muddy. About an hour up the track I managed to stand on a slippery log in the middle of a mud puddle and fell flat on my back like an upturned turtle!! I had to unhook my pack to get up again and then realized a far greater disaster. POOR TIRI WAS HOOKED ON THE BACK OF THE PACK!! He was completely immersed in the mud and we even had to pour the mud and sludge out of his gumboots. He does seem to have made a full recovery now and has had a shampoo and blow dry on our return to civilization. He is now sunning himself on the porch as I write. (Strange behavior for a kiwi one can’t help but think). The track up was a mixture of beech forest and across some pretty large avalanche tracks. We actually got up to the West Sabine hut in the time that was stated, which was a pleasant surprise after the Wangapeka. There was a hut warden in residence at this hut for the night. Henry, (as in Henrietta). Although German by birth, she has spent a large portion of her life her in NZ and has probably tramped over more tracks than 95% of NZers. She covers 6 huts on her circuit, usually staying in each hut a night or two and then moving on to the next one. A very fit young lady as I am sure you can imagine. Day 2 was a 4 hour walk up to Blue Lake hut, our next stop on our way to the pass.
The track up this stretch was a lot drier than yesterdays but the avalanche tracks were a lot bigger. The last K or so of track climbs pretty steeply up to the hut, a gain of about 500 meters from the last hut. Blue Lake is set in a really beautiful setting.
The lake really is blue and surrounded by awe-inspiring mountains with cascading waterfalls hundreds of meters high. A young lad from the Czech Republic by the name of Kokkie was also heading over the pass next day so we decided we would all head out together next morning at first to cross the infamous Waiau Pass. He was actually the first of a number of young Czech people we met on this trip and what wonderful ambassadors they all were. All very friendly and outgoing and all loved the NZ mountains and our great track and hut system. We were up at first light and moved out of the hut at 7 am. The cloud was right down to ground level, but the pattern over the past couple of days was for it to burn off as the sun got higher. Unfortunately, today proved to be different. We had to climb up around some bluffs at the top end of Lake Constance, which, from all accounts, is a very beautiful lake. We never saw a sight of it until we dropped down from the bluffs and walked along the side of it for a short distance. The cloud appeared to be getting thicker and at times the only way we could make any progress was for one of us to wait at a marker pole, while the others fanned out ahead looking for the next one and the called the others over to him. At times visibility was down to a few meters but the marker poles were regularly spaced so it was just a matter of finding each one.
We soon left the lake valley shore and started a very steep climb up a rock and scree slope. It was half way up this climb I experienced something I never have before or ever want to again. I did what I think is known as "hitting a wall". All of a sudden my pack seemed like a 100kgs and each boot felt like 50kgs. It was a huge effort to put one foot in front of the other. It was two steps forward and one step back. Chris stayed with me all the way to the top, quietly encouraging me on and feeding me a constant supply of barley sugars. I thought the top was never going to appear. Had I been on my own, I would have turned around and gone back to the valley floor, pitched my tent and waited for the cloud to clear. Whether that would have made any difference or not, I don’t know as seeing how far off the top was might have convinced me to turn around and go back the way I came in. I think back to my years guiding in Fiordland and remember the times I had to do exactly what Chris did for me, just quietly talk, encourage and convince that it can be done. I did get to the top, but would never have on that occasion if Chris hadn’t been there. I owe him for that big time! On reaching the top, the cloud actually starting thinning out a bit and we were treated to glimpses of high, rugged tops all around.
As we approached the pass itself it cleared up completely for a minute or so, giving us a clear view of the last 400 or so meters we had to climb to the pass itself. Whatever demon had been sitting on my shoulder had gone and I got to the pass no trouble at all. We had gained nearly 900 meters since leaving the hut. There we were treated to the most amazing sight. The cloud had thickened up behind us again, but there to the south of us we could see forever! The most fantastic views way down the Waiau valley, over to the Thompson pass and lake and the towering ranges, some with the last remaining snow still lying around on the tops. We paused on the southern side of the pass for a very welcome lunch of salami and peanut butter on corn cakes. A meal fit for a king! The descent down to the valley floor has been described as very steep and difficult, but in my opinion, it wasn’t all that horrendous. Sure, you had to watch every step and make sure of your footholds, but so long as you take your time it is very doable.
I did have a problem on the descent with one of my walking poles. The lock on the lower extension came undone and as I went to pull it out from between a couple of rocks, it extended to its maximum length so I had to quickly lean backwards to compensate for the sudden change in angle and the bloody thing snapped in half!! Next day, the lock on my second pole also packed up so to say I was somewhat annoyed would be an understatement! I have been in touch with the shop I bought them from and will keep you posted on their response. They did admit to me that they have had a problem with the locking device on this particular brand. Anyway, back to the trek. One of the most interesting things on the way down was the angles and bends the marker poles had been twisted into. Have you ever tried to bend a steel waratah? We even found one that had been broken into 4 pieces. The mind boggles at the forces that caused all this! We finally reached the Waiau valley floor about 2 hours after leaving the pass and found a great campsite at the forks of the river.
They is still a lot of evidence that this used to be farmed, but there is also signs of the bush just starting to regenerate and we were treated to walking through large areas of wild gentian flowers, which, in a week or two will look stunning. We pitched our tents under some pretty big Matagouri trees for the night and other than the fact this particular place was home to about 50 million sandflies, it wasn’t a bad spot. Just after dark we heard the rumble of thunder and sure enough, a few minutes later we got the rain. I wish someone would invent a tent that was soundproof! Chris also had the pleasure of a hedgehogs company for part of the night. After leaving the Waiau valley next morning, we joined up with the St James Walkway for the last 2 days walk out. What bliss!! Benched tracks AND bridges! We had a very leisurely lunch at Christopher hut (we had to stop here with a name like that!) and then an easy walk up over the Ada Pass to our last hut for this trip.
We set off for the road at the unbelievably late hour of 9 o’clock and had a magic last day. The track follows along the river with the wonderfully romantic name of Cannibal Gorge. Apparently in pre European days, a couple of the local maori tribes had a slight set too up here and the victors dined on the vanquished! We were entertained by a variety of birdlife including a Kaka who showed how easy it is to tear large pieces of bark off trees. I don’t think anyone has told him he is classed as a nectar eater! Our final lunch stop was about 40 minutes from the main Lewis Pass highway were we enjoyed the last of the peace and tranquility of the beech forest.
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