TA Days 113 to 118: Waterfalls and river walks; Leaving the rain behind towards Arthur’s Pass

*Disclaimer: I wrote this in January, but I’ve been slow to post it! I’m sorry in advance!*

We have reached Arthur’s Pass. Taking a rest day here to wait out the rain and wait for the rivers to recede before starting the next section.

We were lucky with our timing; traversing Arthur’s Pass National Park with its many river crossings before the rain returned.

This section started with a few nights. Returning to Boyle Village to restart the trail after Hanmer Springs took a while. It was already after noon when Animal Encounter and I returned and began the hiking section to Windy Point before beginning the Harper Pass trail.

Normally there is a section of track to avoid walking on the motorway, but after the recent rain we knew it wouldn’t be possible to cross the River Boyle.

The hours passed and very soon it was 8 o’clock. Hope Kiwi Lodge finally came into view around 8:40pm. We pitched tents under some nearby trees and had a late dinner before going to bed.

The next day, I slept a little before setting off to Hurunui No. 3.

On the way, I met a friend from training to cross the river I took. We had not seen each other since Pirongia several months before.

It was fun catching up with her. Later that day, we also went to some hot springs.

Since it was getting late, we didn’t stop to swim. Instead, we briefly washed our hands and feet before continuing on our way.

When we arrived at Hurunui No. 3, the cabin was already full.

Fortunately, I was able to find a flat spot outside next to a DOC storage shack that offered my tent some protection from the wind.

The first real day of river crossings would soon arrive. I was a little nervous about the next few days, because this was where one of the hikers I knew had passed away in December.

Animal Encounter and I were planning to meet at the Kiwi West cabin for the night. Sometimes I walk with friends during the day and other times I go alone. That particular morning, I left alone.

There was a lot of walking along the riverbed and some crossing, but nothing too bad. The hardest part was trying to get through the thick vegetation on the trail.

The spiky gorse plants hurt my legs. At one point, while trying to climb over a tree on the other side of the road, I also managed to get thorns stuck in my legs.

As expected, Kiwi West was packed when I arrived. I didn’t really like the nearby campsites, so I signed the book of intentions and returned to the main trail.

I had a snack and waited a while hoping my friend would show up. There was still no sign of her, so I sent a contact message and moved on.

It was very hot, which made the river crossing refreshing. Walking along the exposed river beds looking directly at the sun was a different story.

However, I pressed on; walk another 8 km (5 miles) and camp in a field about 2197 km away.

The sandflies were terrible, but otherwise it was a beautiful night.

In the morning, I woke up to a strange noise outside my tent. A couple of wekas were walking around looking for breakfast.

I wasn’t entirely sure what the weather was going to be like the next day, but I knew the conditions were perfect today, so my plan was to go as far as I could.

It was going to be a long day with lots of river crossings and elevation gain, but I was optimistic that I would make it to the Klondyke Corner campground, 20 miles away.

I started early and was moving pretty well across fields and then wooded hills towards the Morrison walkway.

A pleasant surprise greeted me just before the catwalk. At first I thought someone had thrown a bunch of beer cans. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a bunch of different sodas. There were also some chocolates and oranges in a kea-proof rock cache. Trail magic at its finest, and what a great surprise!

From the catwalk, it was time to start the Mingha-Deception track. This trail follows the river into the mountains and down the other side. With many river crossings, I was looking forward to crossing while the weather was nice.

Although I did all the river crossings alone, I felt quite comfortable. I also knew there would be a lot of other hikers coming and there would be a lot of trail runners out there as well.

The track is the coast-to-coast portion of the race, and on this clear day; Many runners were practicing.

It was crazy to see them just crossing the rivers, when I crossed slowly looking upstream and using my trekking poles for support.

As I walked, I realized that it had been exactly one month since hiker Adam had passed through this very spot. He was on my mind all day as I followed the river up and up.

I noticed that the intention book in the Upper Deception cabin was new, so I realized that he didn’t make it from there to the Goat Pass cabin.

We met him in Paihia in October and last saw him at “the farm” in Northland. It was quite memorable and in the following months we continued to look for his name in the book of intentions and often wondered about him. What a waste.

Beyond Upper Deception, the trail across the river becomes confusing in places. At one point, I was literally rock climbing in the middle of the river.

The last stretch to the Goat Pass cabin involves hiking over a waterfall to the top.

Under a blue sky, the surrounding mountains were impressive.

I was almost out of water when I reached the cabin, so I filtered more, signed the cabin book, and spoke briefly with other hikers before beginning my descent.

I still had a long way to go to Klondyke Corner, but I figured I could get there around 8:00 p.m. Late at night, but still light.

However, at 6:45 p.m., when I reached the end of the trail, I found a nice campsite between some trees next to a field.

Getting tired and feeling satisfied with how far I had come, I decided to call it a night.

I set up camp and then made dinner by the river.

I took my time getting up and going in the morning. Despite feeling a little sluggish at first, when it started raining about five minutes into my walk, I really hit the gas.

“Oh no,” I thought as I crossed the river once more.

I put on my rain poncho and my pace immediately quickened. The last place I wanted to be was walking on a riverbed flanked by mountains in the rain.

Fortunately, it wasn’t raining too much and I was able to make it to Klondyke Corner.

From there, it was a little more difficult to determine where the trail went and whether there was an actual path or not.

According to the TA app, I was on the right track. Mostly, though, I felt like I was following the tracks of goats or other lost hikers.

Finally, I reached the Bealey River for the last crossing of the day.

Although it wasn’t raining directly where I was, the river would soon rise. Plus, it was already much wider and faster than any of my previous crossings.

I spent a lot of time exploring the safest area.

The water was deep and with strong currents. If I didn’t feel like I could find a safe place, I was preparing to return.

Fortunately I was able to make a series of shorter crossings to reach the opposite shore. I got a little scared on the last stretch. The current felt very tense. I told myself to take it easy and concentrate, shuffling to safety.

As soon as I washed the stones off my shoes and took shelter among the trees, it started pouring rain.

I hid under the trees for a bit before heading out into the rain to complete the hike to Coralynn Road (where the next section begins).

From there, a nice German family took me to Arthur’s Pass. It was good to be in the city. After picking up my last resupply pack of food, I headed to my accommodation to dry off and rest.

Here in Arthur’s Pass I will spend two nights at the Alpine Lodge. It’s basically a big cabin in town where about twenty of us TA hikers have been having a giant sleepover in two big bedrooms.

Since yesterday, the recurring question was whether people would stay or leave knowing that it would be raining and that more river crossings were coming tsn3.

I had already booked two nights, so my decision was made. However, there was still a lot of fear and uncertainty regarding the weather.

I think we are making the right decision by waiting another day. Even if the weather improves, the rivers still need time to go down.

Plus, it’s nice to have a rest day in the city. I saw my first kea (mountain parrot), did some painting, enjoyed a tasty brownie and met up with my family.

Take care and enjoy the trip!