Brian and his brother David, the chauffeur and chanteur, arrived at Pete’s for an 8am rendezvous, where Kate, Andrea and Simon were already waiting, having picked up Mike at Kohatu.

After lunch at Maruia Springs, we disgorged from David’s seven-seater at the St James car park and were soon underway up Cannibal Gorge.

There was no certainty about when and where the trip would finish, but the plan was to be collected at Sabine Hut on Monday morning by Hamish Simpson, the Rotoiti water taxi operator (the Rotoroa service being temporarily suspended while the operator was enjoying a low season break).

 

As it turned out, we kept to the schedule perfectly! We are grateful for the service Hamish provided, at no extra charge, despite having to tow his boat between the lakes and back for this one-off.

The tramp to Ada Pass Hut was leisurely, and we arrived in good time to enjoy the last two hours of daylight. Tayla, a young lady from Christchurch, was good company. She was the last person we saw until Hamish at Sabine.

A chilly 6.30am start had us filled with anticipation as we left the hut and started climbing up the rocky, tussocked slope to the head of the valley.

As we strapped on our crampons we surveyed the best route up the snow-covered slope to the first of the tarns and the pass. We continually broke through the snow crust as we trudged up, over and then down to the West Matakitaki river valley floor and thankfully, some solid ground. Our now foot-weary group spent another hour wandering down beside the West Matakitaki River before we reached a formed track below Gloriana Peak. Our expectations of picking up the pace were quickly dashed when we encountered the first of many large areas of wind-throw. After much scrambling, muttering and contortionism we fought our way through the maze of tangled trees to finally reach Bobs Hut just on dusk, after an eleven-hour day. A blazing open fire warmed the small eight bunk hut as we settled in for a hot meal and well earned kep.

We left Bobs Hut early and proceeded up river flats and forested track. We were concerned we would encounter more windfalls, but lo and behold, this track was maintained. You could see evidence of cleared treefall all the way along – thanks DOC.

Our first challenge of the day was my first three wire bridge – something I’ve been wanting to tick off my tramping bucket list. So, though I was rather nervous, I was excited too. I put my head down and focused on my feet, one step in front of the other. My biggest problem was my short stature. Trying to wrap my arms around the top wires while my feet and pack were pushing the bottom wire down. I felt like my arms were getting stretched to their limit as I was hanging on for dear life!

We continued up to East Matakitaki Hut for a leisurely lunch in the sunshine. This is possibly the club’s next hut project, so I did a quick survey of the hut’s condition. It is in very good nick but still has lead roofing nails which should be replaced. It also needs a woodshed as well as some minor structural issues.

From there, it was a bush bash up the East Matakitaki to find a bushline campsite to give us a head start on to the snow in the morning.

 

 Day 4 | Author: Mike

The previous day’s decision to camp beyond East Matakitaki Hut put us in a good position to get onto the snow early in the day. Once out of the bush we were soon making our way up a dry stream bed aiming for a gully that would take us into the basin below D’Urville Pass.

A small avalanche rumbled down not far from where Peter and Brian were donning crampons. A hare was observed to extricate itself from the moving snow then bound clear. Was it the culprit that triggered the avalanche, or an innocent caught up in the drama? Snow conditions were good so the basin was quickly attained to gain D’Urville Pass.

After a short down-climb we started to traverse around the head of D’Urville Valley. A decision was made to descend to the gully that leads to Thompson Pass. Once over this pass, we were in the Upper Waiau Valley. Light snow was falling. 

Once off the spur from Lake Thompson, crampons were removed while patches of snow rapidly turned into a bush track on the true left.

We quickly left the inhospitable snowscape to find a great campsite amongst tall trees. A fire-side dinner on the beach by the Waiau River rounded the day off nicely.

We caught sight of Waiau Pass on our descent from Thompson Pass. ”It looks a bit sketchy, doesn’t it?” Brian remarked, sporting a manic grin.

  Ascending from the Waiau Valley, we were now on the Te Araroa Trail. Rather than seeking comfort in the poled route, (the markers felt like an intrusion into the landscape), we picked our own route to the saddle, deviating east to avoid the steeper slopes. While it is, perhaps, the more technical of the passes to ascend, we initially front pointed the steep, lower slopes. 

Once at the saddle, we were treated to amazing views down to Lake Constance, nestled under the impressive Franklin Ridge.  Simon shimmied up a wee peak as we relaxed, enjoying the ambience and a well-deserved lunch. 

The descent was mainly butt-sliding down to the tributaries that fed Lake Constance.

 

Ahead lay our nemesis, at least for one member: the last bluff to climb to the upper terraces above the lake. Recalling the sad fate of Andy Wyatt, who perished after falling off this bluff three years prior, changed the perspective of an otherwise moderate, short climb.

Somewhat wobbly, she was supported with a view to traversing east of the lake. The water levels were low and it looked do-able, apart from one bluff near the northern end. The rest of the team practically skipped up, then slogged their way through deeper soft snow on the terraces.

Meanwhile on the other side of the lake, it was a gentle stroll to the bluff, where the cruisy walk came to an abrupt end.

In sight of the shore, Andrea was having a Bear Grylls moment. Or rather, Bare-and-Grin-it moment. Inflating her Black Wolf Pillow, she transported her precious cargo by swimming and propelling herself off underwater rocks 20m around the bluff. Yikes it was cold!

We all reconvened at the hut after our third 11-hour day. Brian and Peter kept the home fires burning Sleep came easy.

We had a good night’s sleep in the tent, surprising after the previous day’s stress and risk. With no more snow or passes, we had a slower start. Blue Lake was shallow and clear. We ambled off in groups of one or two, with Mike happy to send us on our way and meet us for lunch.

Today’s walk felt lacking in adventure, following in the footsteps of a zillion TA walkers and day trippers. Still, the bit of avalanche debris was fun to cross. DOC’s avalanche warning signs were an eyesore and not needed. Large boulders had rolled down from high above on the opposite side of the river, perhaps fracturing into couch sized pieces to litter the track.

The hungry robin at West Sabine Hut was welcome at lunch-time. Mike arrived at the hut in time for the five of us to head off on the last section.

The Sabine’s short gorges and rapids were a highlight for me. Cupola and Hopeless had plenty of snow on their Western slopes. Brian and Kate had enough cell reception on the hillside above the gorge to arrange our extraction vehicles for Monday. Peter switched into zombie mode and Brian entertained Kate with his life story.

We finally made an empty Sabine Hut with sunshine to spare. Some had a wash from the jetty with an eye on hungry eels. Mike showed up after our third cup of tea. Andrea practiced yoga. Ever wary of snorers, I retired to my tent 100m away to the sound of gentle waves lapping the lake shore.

During the night Andrea and Kate moved to the lounge in a bid to escape someone’s death rattle. Come morning, Brian announced a revision of his breakfast menu was in order, due to the required 32-chews-per-mouthful which slowed his getaway time.

The water taxi delivered us to our singing, dancing chauffeur, David Renwick. It was the tramp of a lifetime, with great company.