Trips based at Christchurch Tramping Club Hut, Arthurs Pass National Park

Generally there were several groups out at any one time doing different things so someone from each group has contributed to the following account.

Friday 14th April  2017 | Cave Stream

After arriving late on Thursday night, the first carload of four people, (Andrea, Sue, Steve and Chris), attempted Cave Stream on a day that was, at best, drizzly throughout. The foursome had to abort when they were nearly through – because of the high water level. Various walks and short bike rides filled in the rest of their day until the other two cars arrived in the late afternoon.

It had been agreed that most of us would share a pot-luck dinner which turned out to be an odd affair. David had brought garlic bread, there was a stew of sorts contributed by Pat and broccoli, Brian had bought lots of eggs and he cooked several omelettes with a generous cheese ration. Michelle and Peter had provided an apple crumble. Steve, although cooking independently with Andrea, had roast vegetables to spare. There were also several communal bottles of wine and port. Earlier, Debbie had served some crackers, relish, cheese and raw vegetable sticks as an aperitif.

Saturday 15th April 2017 | Mountain bike group

Mountain Bikers will always be seeking out fresh rides to thrash their bikes and, more often than not, offer up body parts, skin and blood to the trails. So, we had to include some wheel time on the purpose-built Grade 3 Craigieburn tracks.

Starting at Flock Hill off SH73 the Coal Pit Spur track was first, linking over 24km of single track. Thereafter, a jaunt up the ski-field road and a grunty track led to the Lyndon Saddle at 1100m. Here, a conglomeration of bikers were bracing for the first significant 2km of downhill. We eyed up their extra padded knees, threw caution to the wind and honed downhill. Needless to say, the first aid kit was soon put to use.

We had marked the track on behalf of NTC. Out of saline and gauze, we pressed on. Not all the tracks cut through rooty beech forest. We broke out on to stunning views of the Craigieburn Range and a particularly sweet, gentle, rolling track through low-lying dracophyllum with welcoming afternoon sun.

As the sun waned we got incrementally muddier, our bikes and trusted steads rolling on. After around five hours we arrived at Castle Hill, an easy hitch back to the cars was secured. Meanwhile, cooling off quickly, we crawled into the mail bags in a rural mail box to keep warm and await our lift. Attracting a bit of curious attention, we entertained ourselves by rifling through the mail to read the Castle Hill emergency plan and village news. It was a fascinating and informative end to a lovely day.

NB. For the more sensible, there are walking tracks in the area that are not habituated by dirty, smelly bikers!

Participants: Steve, Chris and Andrea (scribe).

Saturday 15th April 2017 | Lagoon Saddle, Mt Bruce

While there had been a partial clearance overnight there was still drizzle at the township so it was agreed that eight of us remaining would look at Lagoon Saddle and Mt. Bruce where the weather appeared to be much better.

We were able to set off from Cora Lyn at 9:40am; first detouring to Bealey Hut before climbing up to the bush edge without problem. Debbie found some ‘Sticky Bun’ mushrooms growing in the pine forest section and she picked some. The traverse section through the tussock was very wet, the recent rain not having had much chance to drain away.

Once over Lagoon Saddle, the descent to the hut took some time but we were at the A-Frame Shelter a bit before 12:30pm. We made the side trip across the neophytic Harper River to visit the Lagoon Saddle Hut on the other side. This had a fireplace and four bunks but was fairly rundown. We returned to the shelter where most lunched in the sun. The logbook showed that most visitors were walking the Te Araroa Trail.

While more than half of our group wanted to climb Mt. Bruce, the loss of altitude and the need to regain this height discouraged some. So Peter, Graeme, Debbie and David retraced our steps while the rest climbed Mt. Bruce, taking a short-cut descent to regain the track near the bush edge.

The first car-full returned to the village where Debbie bought some bacon and cream for her mushroom dish. We had time for leisurely showers before the other group returned. Then, we stumbled along to the Wobbly Kea. As the MTB group were delayed, we started without them. Lamb shanks were a popular choice, though a few preferred the fish and chips. Most of us walked back to the CTC Hut after leaving the restaurant about 8:15pm.

Participants: Brian, Debbie, Graeme, Michele, Pat, Peter, Sue and David (scribe).

Sunday 16th April 2017 | Avalanche Peak

The day dawned clear and fine with a half-moon standing in the sky. A moderately early start by the whole crew was accomplished without too much fuss. Andrea and Steve headed for Scotts Track and while we started the scramble up the Peak Track at the back of the Visitor Centre.

Brian and Chris shot off ahead and were not seen again all day. David was having back problems after the exertions of the previous day, concerned about delaying the party. So, after 30 minutes, he called it quits and turned back. That left the tight bunch of eight.

The first hour in the forest was certainly tough going with steep rocky steps to be clambered up. A steady stream of young tourists passed us. We wistfully envied their lithe bodies and noted their often rather meagre kits for a mountain outing.

As we cleared the bush onto the somewhat gentler tussock slopes, we could see the low and high peaks of Mt Bealey. However, cloud and mist billowed on the tops. Soon the ridge between Bealey and Avalanche disappeared – along with our hopes to complete the traverse and circuit. A stiff breeze picked up so we were glad of shelter as the track skirted beneath the ridge-line.

A solitary, mournful kea was seen circling. After about two hours, the mini-saddle below the main peak was reached. Some bellowing in the mist alerted us to the transit of Brian and Chris. Soon we were at the rock cleft marking the junction of our track with Scotts Track that Andrea and Steve duly arrived on.

We all pushed up the summit ridge to the main peak, misty and crowded. No views; so it was back to the shelter of the cleft for an early lunch.

We then descended Scotts Track – easy going and very pleasant, especially down the tussocked escarpment above McGrath Creek.

A second lunch was consumed above the bush before the final descent as some weak sunshine emerged from the lifting mist. Some visited Punchbowl Falls. Thence back to the CTC Hut via a coffee break in the township.

This night’s meal was planned to be self -catered, but there was so much food that it was almost another pot-luck affair. Debbie prepared a mushroom, bacon, onion and cream dish using the Sticky Bun mushrooms collected on Saturday, which went well with the left–over garlic bread. There was more broccoli and a fresh omelette was cooked... in addition to the sundry collection of Easter eggs, crackers, relish and raw vegetables.

Monday 17th April 2017 | Cave Stream

After hearing about the previous attempt, we knew we were in for a challenging journey. Dressed in wetsuits, waders, and multiple layers of polypro, we soon found out the value of having a spare torch, as one member had forgotten theirs, and a second failed not five minutes into the cave.

Meanwhile, David waited five minutes to ensure that they negotiated the first deep pool, then returned to the high terrace; walking round the Lookout Track to the cave entrance to wait.

The cave twists its way through 594m of darkness, with the chilly stream being fast-flowing in some places and waist deep in others, and with two waterfalls to negotiate as you make your way upstream. The smooth white limestone looked much more slippery than it actually was, and in several places we made our way along narrow ledges on the edges to avoid stepping into the deeper pools. The roof arched impressively high above, and there was even a side passage to explore.

About two thirds of the way through, we came to the waterfall which had turned the previous group back. We could certainly see why, as the force of water coming down was too much to push up against, especially with the slippery rocks. However, with the help of a solid push from behind, Michele was able to haul herself up, and Peter followed with a combination of pulling from above and pushing from below. Graeme and Debbie took the alternative route of scrambling up the steep limestone on the side.

Further along, we found another equally challenging waterfall which we negotiated in a similar way. Then, before we knew it, we could see the natural light of the far entrance shining through.

The last bit required a step up over another waterfall, before grasping the iron rungs which to climb onto a ledge then crawl along to the exit. Having achieved this, we celebrated a unique experience with high fives and chocolate all-round.

Cavers were: Debbie, Graeme, Peter and Michele (scribe), and David via the overland route.

Monday 17th April 2017 | Helicopter Hill

After waiting patiently above ground for the ‘cave group’ to reapppear, David was very keen to test his walking boots once again before departing Arthur’s Pass. The suggestion was a quick walk to the top of Helicopter Hill (1256m) for lunch. This is part of the popular Craigieburn Forest Park and being only 90 minutes drive from Christchurch is popular with both mountain bikers and trampers.

On arrival at the busy park, the wet gear from the cave was spread over the car roof with Peter left in charge. David headed off at a very steady pace with Graeme, Denise and Debbie struggling to keep up. (Debbie found many interesting toadstools and mushrooms to distract her walk) It was a steady uphill track for just over 450m of climb. The track time of an 1.5 hrs took us just an hour! Lunch was a chance to rest, soak up some sunshine and enjoy the expansive views.

The return trip to the cars was equally fast. Peter had been tending the gear drying on the car and reading a Wilderness magazine that coincidentally had a short article by Graeme Ferrier.

Debbie again found mushroom hunting a distraction but had found a good supply of mushrooms (pine bellettas) for those brave enough to try them.

Walkers were: David, Peter, Michele, Debbie and Graeme (scribe).

Monday 17 April 2017| Temple Basin & Mt Blimit

Typically, the finest day of the long weekend was the day we were heading home. But before that we had another mountain to climb. While some of the group went to splash in the cold dark confines of Cave Stream, the remaining five piled into Steve’s car for the short trip to Temple Basin carpark... leaving Andrea, who was feeling poorly, tucked up in bed.

After grunting up the steep rocky track for 40 minutes we arrived at the ski field in calm conditions, glorious sunshine and with magnificent vistas across the valley towards Mt Rolleston. A conspiracy of kea were there to greet us.

Both Pat and Brian had fond memories of the area; Brian in his well-spent youth crawling over the surrounding peaks and Pat delving into the murky depths of his memory to when he helped build some of the buildings with the Canterbury University Ski Club back in the dark ages.

Our objective for the day was Mt Blimit (1921m), still some 600m above us, and clearly visible on the ridge above. How to get there through the bluffs was not so obvious.

After a steep 300m climb we reached Bills Basin, with Pages Shelter far below. Further up, below Mt Blimit, were three lovely tarns where we stopped for a while to take in the serenity and beauty.

After sussing what we thought would be the easiest route to summit, it was off again, up an ever-steepening scramble, over frozen rock to the ridgeline which led to the top. From here we could see down into the Mingha Valley, the cascading Kennedy Falls, and across to Mt Oates, and along the Southern Alps. It was a far cry from the cold clag of the previous day on Avalanche Peak.

The ridge had looked fairly benign from below but once on it, it was anything but. Rather than risk life and limb, we decided to stop about 200m and 60 vertical metres below the summit and return to the tranquillity of the tarns for lunch, eventually returning to the ski-field.

A check of phone messages revealed that Andrea had awoken. She had hitched to the carpark and was somewhere in the basin. However, we didn’t see her until, with perfect timing, she arrived back at the cars as we were changing to leave. Six into five seats didn’t work, so Sue climbed into the back for the ride back to the village.

Along for the climb were Pat, Brian, Steve, Sue, Chris (scribe) and a belated Andrea.

Riding the Otira viaduct

Riding lots of fast downhills on a mountainbike, you view everything for its potential to give you a buzz. We had decided on the way home we would unload the bikes at the top of the Pass, then bikeless Sue would drive down to Otira, while Steve, Andrea and I would race over the viaduct to meet her.

Coming down from the viaduct lookout, we spotted a gap in the traffic and belted it, Steve at the rear with his flashing tail light, and keeping to the centre of the lane – so any cars would have to fall in behind till it was safe to pass.

Not so, as there are always some moronic clowns around. Halfway along the viaduct, flat out at around 60kph, a couple of f***wits decided they couldn’t wait another 30 seconds till we cleared the bridge and overtook us in the other lane, then swerved back in front to avoid oncoming traffic.

Even gentle Andrea, who loves and forgives everyone, said she was so incensed that she gave them the finger as they sped past. I wasn’t feeling so charitable and would have gladly dropped them over the side by their ankles. There was also one corner further down, Candy’s Bend, that we hit far too fast, but we all managed to get round safely without being spat over the edge into the Otira River gorge.

The ride was fun though, despite the idiots, and an exhilarating way to end the weekend’s activities. Riders were Andrea, Steve & Chris (scribe.)

EASTER : A Summary

The following items of lost property can be reclaimed from the club’s Gear Custodian:

• a sleeping bag
• a Bank Card
• a water bottle
• a torch
• two cases of lost balance
• one in an overnight bag
• the other is in a day pack

In addition we have a request from DOC: they want their mushrooms back.

Personnel:

Andrea Cockerton (Organiser), David Cook (Continuity Scribe), Michele Cunningham, Graeme Ferrier, Sue Henley, Debbie Hogan,
Pat Holland, Chris Louth, Steve McGlone,
Peter Phipps & Brian Renwick.