Day 83 | Lake Coleridge
4 January 2023 | 6km
I observe a baby sheep bumping with its head against its mums belly in order to drink. Does that start the milk flow or is that just a hint for mum that baby sheep is thirsty? Is that anchored in a little sheep’s genes or where does it learn that?
I am walking towards Lake Coleridge while my thoughts wander around that issue. Phil’s Auntie whom we had met for lunch in Methven had just dropped us off a bit earlier by a car park at the trail head which thankfully saved us hitchhiking or paying a shuttle.
The path around the lake gets very narrow at some point and as I manouver around some broken boardwalk I get to a small beach. I am a bit off trail and in an attempt to find my way back, I discover a bigger flat area with some old boat an old picnic table below a tree. Looks like that’s our home for tonight!
Highlight of the evening: Phil’s fishing endeavors are not successful this time but I manage to film a big eel approaching the shore various times. Looks like it is sensing us. Or just looking for food?
Day 84 | Campsite at km 790
5 January 2023 | 22°C | 28km
Dust! Dust! Dust!
Not much more to say about this day. 22 km on a gravel road around a lake without even seeing it. For a backcountry road, it is pretty busy, quite a few cars with boat trailers, hunters or fisherman.
What a relief to get off this road after 22 km!
Highlight off the day: A campsite beside a stream where the water for the evening bath is not as cold as usual. Sweet!
Day 85-86 | Arthur's Pass + 1 zero day
6/7 January 2023 | 19°C | 30km
I toss and turn during the night to find a position where i don’t feel any pain. Consequently, I am still pretty tired in the morning. But I am hungry and looking forward to a coffee. Though the weather forecast predicted rain close to Arthur’s pass it looks quite good in the direction we are heading.
After 30 minutes walking I have to stop to take some pain killers. The first time since I am on trail. My groin, knee and calves are in pain, it feels like some nerve is stuck somewhere. I feel much better once Vitamin I (Iboprofen) starts doing its job. There is wie a few hits on our way today. Hamilton hut - our stop for a second breakfast - has sparkling clean, has 20 beds, a huge porch overlooking the river and a chimney.
Only two hours later we reach West Harper Hut. I see two hiker having a break below a tree and then - surprise - it’s Headlights and Lavender - a Swiss couple I used to meet on the North Island. They skipped the Tararuas and made it until here. One of the first people of our wider trail family of southbounders (Sobos) we meet on our northbound (Nobo). journey. Funnily, I also meet Oskar whom I was in touch with via the ultralight hiking forum in Germany.
After another 3 hrs walk when the rain starts pouring down, Lagoon Saddle Shelter comes into sight. Perfect timing! Fortunately it was just a rain shower that strips an hour later when we head out again.
Beautiful views over the Waimakariri River Valley one of the locations where the well famous CoastToCoast race takes place each February.
Once down by the road, I call a few accommodations in the valley but they all seem to be fully booked. We booked at The Sanctuary at Arthur’s Pass for tomorrow but now we are one day ahead of schedule. They still have one bed for tonight but not two, says Bill the friendly owner. I try another hostel but accidentally call the same number and now Bill tells me he can work something out. He even offers to pick us up. 😊
Day 88 | Locke Stream Hut
9 January 2023 | 26°C | 21km
What is poison for my groin problem in my right leg? Sand, moving stones and wobbly ground. How is the terrain all afternoon today? Sand, moving stones and wobbly ground while walking through the river bed of Taramakau river all afternoon.
I am quite surprised though how relatively good my legs feel after yesterdays “trail run” over Goats Pass. Amazing what the body can do after a good nights sleep (and my daily stretching routine), Very quiet in the dorm today, only 1 other Canadian guy who apparently likes to sleep in as well.
It’s Monday morning and hitching takes some time now that all the weekend tourists traveling through Arthur’s Pass are gone. Eventually a tourist shuttle stops and takes us to Morrison’s footbridge for 10 bucks each.
Surprise on the first few km’s in the forest: I bump into Margot, Jasper and Anouk whom I know from the North Island. They are so surprised that they almost pass me by. 😅 We have the usual chit chat. While I tell them about the nicest spots in the South, they mention some natural hot pools coming up in about two days further North. Looking forward to that! The wobbly, stoney river bed walk starts after lunch. The sun ☀️ is full on today. Good to be close to the water but few spots to find shelter. Consumption of sun screen at its maximum!
Still it’s a walk through a nice valley. What a pity that you have to watch each step very closely. I stop once in a while to look back and once getting close to the hut I am amazed once more how much ground one can cover by foot in a day.
Locke Stream Hut is quite a big one with 2 dorms with 9 bunks each separated from the main room. We expect some northbound hikers there but once we open the door, there is: Nobody!
Total kilometers on the South Island by the end of the day: 870
Day 89 | Lake Sumner
10 January 2023 | 23°C | 28km
While the tedious walk in the riverbed continues in the morning, followed by a climb to a saddle, I send some wishes to the universe for an easy to walk trail that is easier on my knees, ankles and groin.
And yes, my wishes are fulfilled after lunch when grassy meadows alternate with soft forest trails!
We pass quite a few southbound hikers and several huts before entering into a forest with several (unnecessary) ups and downs and I wonder why we did not just continue walking by the river when suddenly it smells strange …. and there we are at some natural hot pools several hikers have told us about.
It is mega hot und burns like 🔥 when I slowly step in with my scratched legs covered with sunfly bites. I cannot stay to head down to the river for a refreshing cook down there.
Looking at the map we decide to not take the Te Araroa trail leading again through the forest but an alternate trail through some paddocks along the river. It’s a lovely walk meeting many cows once gain until we set up camp close to Lake Sumner.
Day 90 | Boyle Outdoor Education Centre
11 January 2023 | 13°C | 30km
Mossie alarm at our campsite! We quickly pack up to have breakfast somewhere up the trail to avoid being eaten by sandflies. There are heaps in my tent and when I pack it in it becomes a big grave.
It’s a walk in forest and grassy meadows today with quite a few hikers and huts on the way.
My knee starts hurting again and I release my hipbelt during the afternoon to get load off my hips which helps but I still wonder how I made it through the afternoon. I just turn on autopilot and follow Phil who is speeding ahead.
Once getting to the trailhead carpark, it’s too tempting to hitch the last 10km. Once arriving at the education center in Boyle village, it starts raining. Perfect timing!
Day 91 | Boyle Flat Hut
12 January 2023 | 17°C | 13km
When I wake up, most of the hikers have left already, including Phil who wants to catch up with the 10km we hitched yesterday. It’s been a while that I slept so well (big thanks to my earplugs).
It is very quiet until some people arrive for cleaning. Today - as I would find out later - it’s the yearly cleaning day of the lounge and kitchen including an intense cleaning of the carpet with a machine that makes a hell of a noise. There it goes my relaxing rest day …
Once Phil comes back, he is in favor of moving while I am still unsure due to the pain on my groin and knee but guess I can give it a go with a couple of Voltarens.
Due to our late start in the afternoon, we would only do 13km today in not so difficult terrain. Our destination is Boyle Flat Hut but we already see from afar that there are already several tents around it so we don’t even bother to cross the bridge but pitch our tents sheltered in a group of trees on this side of the river.
Day 92 | Fields of Gold - Camp at km 978
13 January 2023 | 21°C
My knee and right leg hurt and keep me from sleeping at night. I start crying as I don’t know what to do. Should I turn around to Boyle and take a few rest days? How many? Will the pain not come back then? Do I need to leave the trail?
I fall back to sleep again eventually and waking up I am still undecided. I think about all the hikers that take pain killers for several days, something I tend not to do but why not try it out? It’s a bit risky I feel with a bigger stretch and two major passes coming up but in decide to give it a try by taking two ibuprofen with my breakfast.
This is the point of no return. If I continue I have to walk through. I still feel the pain for about an hour when I start walking but then I am pain free. It’s easy walking today with just a tiny almost unnoticeable pass. We meet some common faces today.
First of all, a Korean guy we nicknamed Pinnacle, after meeting him for the first time close to a rock formation called “The Pinnacles” about a week ago. He is section hiking in the area and we have been bumping into him several times now.
Later in the day, “The Fishermen” how we call them cross our way, two young German brothers we already had met on the north island. It was the start of walking through the dry grassy meadows of the Nelson lakes area today and at the end of the day we pitch our tent in exactly these “fields of gold”.
Day 93 | Waiau Pass & Lake Constance
14 January 2023 | 21°C | 29km
Last evening, Phil and I had an argument of how far we would go today. He feels we could make it over the pass today while I am a bit worried that I will overexert my injured leg. It’s still roughly 22km to where we would start to climb. A useless discussion, as too much planning does not really make sense as things might turn out different anyway.
It’s a lovely sunny day and we are flying over the beautiful “fields of gold” along a river all morning. We cross quite a few southbounders these days and the first ones today are Jens and Connor from our old trail family up north. What a joy! We chat for quite a while and it’s almost a bit sad to move on. When we have a break at Weiau Hut it’s only 1h30pm, it’s seems like we would get to the bottoms of the pass late afternoon, actually a good time to go up and over when it’s not so hot …
The terrain gets a bit more technical with several bowlder and scree fields to cross and we reach the last flat spot for camping by 4pm. Point of no return. Would be weird to stop now, still so much time left, perfect temperature, legs feel good and just 2 (steep) kilometers to go.
It’s a steep rocky climb but I absolutely enjoy climbing like a mountain goat above tree line. Very rewarding to see how quickly we gain elevation and look at the path and the valley behind us.
Reaching the pass at 7pm reveals beautiful views of Lake Constance in the next valley. We head down down a scree field which seems almost harder than going up, no traction on the ground. “You can just slide down” as some southbounders suggested, seems a bit to sketchy.
Luckily, the grassy spotted while going down is as dry and as flat as it looked from above and will become our campsite the the night.
Day 94 | Traverse Pass & Upper Traverse Hut
15 January 2023 | 23°C | 24km
It’s the first night on trail that I slept a little bit cold. Not a big surprise, our camp is at 1330m elevation. We pack up quickly and postpone breakfast to the next hut in roundabout 5km. It’s a narrow valley and the sun just reaches our campsite when we are about to leave.
It’s a lovely morning stroll around Lake Constance until we miss a turnoff that leads further up. Well, why not just walk around the lake whose water level is so low these days that it must be possible to walk around, we think. 🤔 But the water reaches up to the mountains after the next corner and even though we climb over some rocks we soon come to the point where moving further is not possible. We still don’t want to turn around and try to climb up to where the GPS shows the trail.
It’s very steep and I hold on to all kinds of plants and leaves in the hope that they are well rooted in the ground, if not I would directly slide down and fall into the lake. A realization that causes a big fear. Just do not panic now, I tell myself. A creek about 10 meters further left looks like a way out and once I get there, I can see that climbing up over the stones in the creek is pretty straight forward.
We take a deep breath as we realize how dangerous this unplanned morning adventure was. Soon we reach Blue Lake, apparently one of the clearest lakes on the planet. It’s not allowed to take water from it or even swim in there, but we use the nearby hut as our late breakfast location. The day flies by and we fuel up at West Sabine Hut before starting our climb to Travers Saddle in 1787m. It’s all up through forest, not too difficult.
Once we are halfway up I start struggling, my calves hurt and I find it mentally hard to keep moving without seeing any progress. The cutest looks the same no matter if I am 100m up or down. I start crying and get angry shouting that I don’t understand anymore why I am doing this.
We take a break and the map shows that we will soon be above tree line. What a relief! Once above the trees and able to look back, I pick up speed again and make it all the way up to the saddle in a short time. It’s already 7pm when we start the descent down to Upper Travers Hut just a couple of kilometers down.
There are still a couple of free beds but it seems so busy that we prefer to look for a campsite in the grass close by. After quite some searching - it’s not as flat as it seems - we find a spot and cook our well deserved dinner while the sun is setting.
Day 95-96 | St Arnaud & a zero day
16/17 January 2023 | 25°C | 30km
Sant Arnaud, the next little village, resupply stop and source for “real food” is calling. It still is roughly 30km away but we are determined to get there today.
It’s still humid, shady and a bit chilly at our campsite in the grass close to Upper Traverse Hut at the wake up call at 6am so we decide to pack up and get moving to have breakfast a few kilometers down the hill at some sunny spot. My legs are still tired from yesterday’s climb but I slept quite well and after a calf massage I feel ready to go. And the temptation of sleeping in a real bed tonight is just too appealing.
It’s a 2 hrs walk down to John Tait Hut over rocks and roots. Some hikers are still packing up there while we are sitting on the porch of the hut making breakfast. It feel great to have had a super early start today. By 2pm we reach our lunch spot, the jetty at Lake Rotoiti. Phil jumps in right away despite seeing a giant eel swimming by. Urghhh!
Though the last 11km along the lake sound good they are as bit boring as one can’t see much of the lake while walking in the forest. I try to distract my mind by listening to my audio book. The last few kilometers seem to drag along forever but by 4.30 I finally reach the “beach action” at the upper and of the lake by the tiny village Sant Arnaud.
After 120km in less than 5 days including 2 passes of more than 1700m, we surely have deserved a nice room, a first class dinner and a zero day in the lovely Alpine Lodge! 👍
Day 97 | Camp at km 1082
18 January 2023 | 24°C | 23km
Though we get up early, it’s a late start today until we say goodbye to everyone, make some phone calls ( I learn that my cat back home has skin cancer and needs treatment) and have a last coffee and fresh snack for some time.
The Richmond Ranges are ahead and estimations to get through range from 5 to 10 days. We plan to hitch out to Richmond or Nelson inbetween to avoid a longer food carry.
Legs are fresh and after some road walking I find the first climb surprisingly easy. The terrain is dry and kind of reminds me of Northern California on the PCT.
We reach the first hut around 6pm. Not much of a surprise that it is already full and several tents already pitched outside. We head on over the narrow trail with red stones and rocky ground.
Will we be able to find a flat spot at all here? I am tired already and hope that there will be something suitable around the next corner, and the next corner and the next corner… and suddenly there it is: a small spot by a creek with a bathtub, rocks to sit on and even a wardrobe!
Day 98 | Camp at km 1105
19 January 2023 | 23°C | 23km
“The Richmond are hard but beautiful” many hikers say that crossed our way. “Hard in which way?” I ask back. “It’s just very slow. Two steps forward and one back” as a fellow Swiss hiker we know from the north island described it is probably one of the best descriptions.
Little moving stones and almost sandy ground require many little steps in order to not slip forward or backward. The terrain is ondulating, many small climbs but nothing major all day until we reach Hunters Hut at around 4pm.
It’s a bit tempting to stay here, nice little hut with a porch all around it overlooking the surroundings but as it’s still “early” and some southbounders show us saddle we would cross (visible from the hut), I am keen on tackling that one as well.
After the descent from the hut the climb is steep and we move up quickly. I notice some flat spots sheltered by trees further up which gives some hope that we would find something similar for camping on the other side going down.
Once at the top I am squinting: is that the ocean far in the distance?
Day 99 | Camp at km 1126
20 January 2023 | 24°C | 23km
Hey Richmonds, another chance for you to make an impression. Up to more I am not that excited!
The morning on the ridge is pretty windy so we head down for breakfast to the next hut in 3km (Upper Weirau). It’s downhill but not an easy stroll as we thought: hard to see the trail and a lot of rocks in the way. Not good if you are not a morning person anyway, we both swear and get a bit into a bad mood. A lot of people still hanging out at the hut once we get there wondering where we come from so early in the morning.
It’s further downhill after breakfast though the terrrain is pretty “technical” : a lot of rocks and roots, river crossings, earth slips and … wasps! They live in fallen trees and there a quite a few in this section. Luckily we make it to the next hut without getting stung.
A lot of swimming holes on the way and we jump into on before starting a bigger climb in the afternoon. No bigger saddle or pass just a steady up for northbounders that might not be noticed by southbounders.
Tarn hut is a lovely place at a small lake and as we are the only ones when stopping there, we think hard if we want to stay or continue. If we want to have the chance to get out to Nelson we still have to do a few kilometers, we reckon.
I put on my headphones to listen to an audiobook which makes walking easier sometimes and after a couple of hours there it is: a small sheltered spot with ocean views. Our camp for the night!
Day 100 | Over the Rintouls and all the way down to Aniseed Valley
21 January 2023 | 17°C | 41km
It’s dark, I am alone in the forest and I am not sure where I am going. Just the weak light of my headlamp is shedding some light onto the dusty gravel road I am walking on. Occasionally when pointing my headlamp into the trees several green eyes stare at me … what the heck am I doing here?
13 hours earlier …
I wake because someone pulls the closure of my air mattress. I am still tired but it’s a sunny morning and we have some nice scenery and a big day ahead.
The first northbounders we meet at surprise when we answer the usual question “where are you trying to get to today?” with “Hacket Hut”. Long way but doable. There show is where we would roughly go to and the steep climb to Mount Rintoul is easy to see. Looking forward to it!
But first a good and solid breakfast at the Rintoul Hut where a goat family is hanging out too.
The climb up to the summit is steep but very enjoyable and much faster than I expected. It’s very rocky and above tree line, the kind of terrain I like! Unfortunately, some clouds are coming up from the valley once we are up si views are limited. There is something mystical in the air, what a great day. Full of energy up to the summit of Little Rintoul. Very technical at some spots. Exciting! It’s all white around us at that summit so we head on pretty quickly. We snack a lot on the way to Stodys Hut where we have “lunch” at 4pm.
Is it still doable to get to Hacket hut and the closeby car park so that Mary in Richmond (an aunt of Phil’s friend Steve) could pick us up? We eat quickly and a lovely lady at the hut who is just cooking her meal makes us a coffee. How awesome is that! We decide to give it a go and arrive 2 hours later at Starvall Hut. Phil gets there first and learns from hikers that the car park is further away than expected. 6km, easy terrain, probably doable in an hour. Bummer! Plus the distance from Starvall to Hacket.
It’s only downhill from here but how is the terrain? Estimated time for arrival communicate to Mary 9.30pm just before it gets dark. I feel a bit uncomfortable and stressed but before I can think we are already running down the hill. Thigh there is still quite a few hours of sunlight it’s already darker in the forest. Just before Hacket the trail crosses the river several time. Exhausting but I am on autopilot at that point, just push through I tell myself. Then finally the hut. 6km/2 hrs to the car park as per the DOC sign. Phew! Is it really doable in 1 hour as someone at Starvall hut said? It is already 9pm but Mary said she would wait for us. We look at the map to see which way to go and start walking quickly but I soon cannot follow Phils pace anymore and loose sight.
It’s getting dark and a little panic starts rising inside of me. But wait! Haven’t I done a lot of night hiking on the PCT? I calm down and get my headlamp out before it’s completely dark. Also my phone is sufficiently charged so I can check the map.
Once in a while when I point my headlamp into the trees some green eyes stare at me … deer wondering what I am doing here.
Around 11pm I look at my map again. How long have I walked? I should be by the car park already. Did I take a wrong turn? But I just followed the road, there were no other options. I decide to start looking for a flat spot to pitch my tent, better working it out in daylight the next day.
Suddenly as small white light comes towards me. It’s Phil’s headlamp. He got to a junction with the main road about 1km ahead and found out that we took a wrong turn early on. It’s not far but Mary is surely gone.
40km and at least 1500m of elevation gain today. If it needed a proof that I am fit I guess that’s it. Totally exhausted and tired, we setup the tent by a paddock further down the road and fall onto our sleeping pads.
Days 101-102 | Richmond/Nelson (resupply & zero day)
21/22 January 2023 | 0km
Highlights of almost almost 2 zero days in/around Richmond/ Nelson:
Auntie Mary takes us to Kaiteriteri beach (and a few other nice spots on the way there and back)
Lunch at the “Boat Shed Cafe” right by the Nelson waterfront (so tasty that I even order some beef tartar 😱)
Phil finally buys some new shoes (giant holes in the old ones)
I have a “deep tissue sports massage”, best investment ever, especially when on a trail
Cooking dinner in a “real” kitchen with ingredients bought in the supermarket instead of going to a restaurant or fish&ships shop
Being in a real house/home instead of a hotel or hostel
Day 103 | Middy Creek Hut
24 January 2023 | 22°C | 24km
It’s about almost 11am when Mary drops us off at the cat park at the start of the Hackett Track, the “right” car park :)
We wanted to be ready to go at 9am (about 30mins drive from Richmond to the car park) but the bed was too cosy and the wine the evening before too good. I’d an easy walk though and halfway back to Hackett we get to a junction that shows us to g directly walk to Browning, the next hut going northbound.
Two learnings there:
- Eva who I hiked with the first week on the north island has been coming through here 2 days earlier and also went to Nelson! Seems like we missed each other. Shit! Was looking very much forward to seeing her again.
- A hunter who also had a break at the hut offers us some venison he brought from home. While I decline, Phil is happy about the “meat add on” to his sandwich and tells him that we saw quite a few dear the other night. The hunter get excited. Luckily, we died not very a rifle but I guess he is coming next back one day. Oh no! Just took some venison to reveal this piece of information. 🫣 Rocks Hut looks nice and is totally empty once we get there. Very tempting to stay but it’s an easy stroll down to Middy Creek Hut and the Pelorus river. Two people already in the hut but lots of flat space for camping. Lovely place for swimming in the Pelorus river. Absolutely love it! Just the sandflies try to eat me alive once out of the water. 🤪
Day 104 | Pelorus Bridge
25 January 2023 | 21°C | 24km
Dear Richmonds, we soon have to say goodbye!
It’s our last morning by a hut in the mountains. Just a few more kilometers on some forest trail with sometimes more, sometimes less roots and stones until we pop out onto a gravel road leading to Pelorus bridge.
It’s roughly 14km of road walk along farmland … a new feeling to be able to look around AND walk instead of watching every footstep and stopping to take a look around.
We reach the bridge and thus the road from Nelson to Havelock at 4pm. Too late to get something from the popular coffee place that closes at 3.30pm we think but to our surprise the door is still open and we can quickly grab a piece of a yummy carrot cake.
It’s sunny and still relatively early so instead of pitching our tents, we decide to hitch to the town of Havelock and slackpack (leave our backpacks at the hostel and walk with a light pack) the missing 22km the next day.
Day 105 | Havelock
25 January 2023 | 22°C | 22km
Walking without our big backpacks from Havelock back to Pelorus Bridge to catchup with the kilometers we hitched yesterday.
A walk on a dusty gravel road and farmland along the Pelorus river. Not much more to say ….
