Windy. Lots of wind. My campsite was well protected by trees, so my assessment of the wind conditions was based solely on the fact that the tops of those trees were moving violently back and forth and making a loud noise.
I enjoyed my oatmeal in bed and then hesitantly stuck my head out of the tent to properly assess the conditions. Absolutely frozen was my succinct and very accurate assessment.
I really hope that one day New Zealand sticks to summer temperatures in summer. Nothing for it. I put on my threadbare cloaks, pack my bags and hit the road. There are two options available for finishing the Richmonds. One is the original trail, a quick descent down a 4×4 track to the road and, with luck, a fingertip to the town a few kilometers away. The second is to use the newer and more current Te Araroa option, which follows a ridge on an MTB trail.
Due to the strong winds and subsequent sub-zero temperatures, I very happily chose the first option.
The first kilometer was still above tree line. This required maximum speed as I couldn’t feel my hands or feet. I took a quick photo using my nose to press the phone screen and continued running down the hill.
It was with great relief that I entered the forest. Removing the wind from the equation resulted in much better conditions. We were still in single digit temperatures, so I kept moving quickly to generate as much body heat as I could manage.
The track was beautiful and seemed like a fitting end to what has been a fantastic ten days. Upon reaching the base of the ridge, I was confused by a maze of MTB trails running back and forth. I headed as best I could toward the road and shortly after emerged into a parking lot.
Hitchhiking and city
It turns out that the road to St Arnaud is not busy early on a Saturday morning. I stood sadly by the road for almost an hour with no car appearing on the horizon. I ended up chatting with a cow who spent some time wandering around. He’s not the best conversationalist.
Then I saw my first vehicle coming towards me. I put on my best smile, extended my arm and stretched my thumb as far as it would go, and prayed to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy gods.
Of course, the car stopped. It’s New Zealand. I got on and twenty minutes later I was in the hustle and bustle of St Arnaud. It is a small town that is not very welcoming to the hiking fraternity.
My first quick task was to pick up my next box of food at the hotel. There is only one grocery store in town that is next to the gas station. To give you a price that helps you understand how important a box of food is in this city, a king size Snickers Bar costs $7.95. Replenishment here requires a kidney donation.
Picking up the box went smoothly. He had sent me food for seven days. He might very well be in Hanmer Springs in five minutes. My idea was to have a rest day before the next section and have an extra day as the weather in Nelson Lakes can be very unpredictable.
I walked to the DOC visitor center because my phone definitely needed a charge after ten days in the wilderness. You might be wondering why not just cash out at your paid camp. Well, there’s a ridiculous reason for that. The DOC removed all electrical outlets from the camp. Yes, in a camp where you pay to stay there are no exits. At all.
Once my devices were charging, I relaxed in the visitor center and waited for their return. This hour or so was entertaining as hiker after hiker came in and asked the unfortunate staff member the same question. Is it too windy to go for a walk today? The answer was always the same. Yes, winds are forecast to reach 100 km/h this afternoon in the park.
The next two days seemed even worse. As I mentioned before, New Zealand doesn’t know how to experience summer very well. I booked the camp for two nights. I hadn’t had a day’s rest since I started in the South Island twelve days ago, and the weather convinced me to stay outside and let it pass.
In the afternoon I did very little. I found a reasonably sheltered spot and set up the tent. I lay there and read my book. He probably would have spent the afternoon talking on the phone, but some local workers had cut off phone service throughout town and didn’t have an estimated arrival date to repair it.
I decided to treat myself to dinner with some rare food from the city. Twelve days without a hot meal was my excuse to go get some fish and chips. And to be fair, the fish and chips were very cheap.
It was absolutely delicious. I would be remiss not to note that there was no chance I would think it wasn’t delicious. A great gift on a cold, windy day to celebrate a successful run up a large mountain range.
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