St Arnaud to the Lewis Pass

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St Arnaud to the Lewis Pass Hugh Middleton Grunting up the Pinchgut under a blaz- Several boats here but no sign of anying sun is an energy sapping exercise. one. Just insects. By and by odd Yet once on top things will surely family groups appear, and disappear. improve. And the views are marvellous. Despite the oppressive heat and the At least we're not trudging along the lack of any discernible breeze we press Speargrass in the rain. Lindsay with on, sticking stoically to our schedule. his 50 lb pack is a cunning devil. Trudging up the Sabine we pause briefly I must try to find out how he does it. to watch a fisherman land a respectable After all we are carrying eight days looking trout, and eventually pitch food plus primus, fuel, crampons, camp about three hours from the lake. rope, and a lot of other heavy stuff. The fit party draw well ahead (they An early start in the morning sees us do claim to be fit and thus have well on our way before heat again takes reputations to protect). As for the its toll. Before long we're surprised FEs = we haven't seen them since last to find the track under water - a most night at the Buller bridge. peculiar circumstance considering the weather. But then the reason becomes On top the views unfold and a cool clear - a large log jam. A little breeze makes its presence felt. On go further and we find ourselves negotiastuff parkas as the long plod to ting a large snow avalanche. This has Angelus gets underway. Snowgrass at smashed a swath through the bush just first, then rock. Near Julius Summit below Sabine Forks, filling the river we pause for lunch. Down below we with snow and trees. The river has can see Hollis & Co. lunching beside subsequently cut through it, but the a snowed-up tarn, but we decide to vegetation has piled up downstream save our energy and shelter behind causing the river to flow through the rocks while eating ours. Skirting bush. Just shows that even the most round on steep snow we catch up with innocent seeming valley can produce the fit party and follow them up and surprises. down along the last section of the ridge to Angelus basin. Plenty of Today is Labour Day and party after snow here - the lake edges are scarcely party of trampers and climbers pass us discernable. A rather slushy glissade heading down river. We detour to West and we're down at the huts. For- Sabine Hut for a look see. Then on tunately Mike moves his lot on, leaving up river. Several more avalanches the hut to the four of us, another are crossed, culminating in a really party of three, and a casualty of the big one just below Moss Pass. This blistering pace of the FE party (who must be a mile or more across and, seems to be asleep in his pit). A high above the debris, we can even see flash sixteen bunk hut this, but the trees that appear to have been flatcoal range makes billies far filthier tened by wind blast. A short steep than a wood fire, and there is no climb in the mid afternoon heat through toilet to be found. some of the prettiest surroundings anywhere and we emerge at Blue Lake. Morning dawns brilliantly fine and The rest of the day is spent lazing clear. Tracks made yesterday by Evan beside that incomparable pond. Only and Dave (the surviving FEs) ease the one other here, a lone German. Very snow plod up to the crest of the ridge. tranquil. Even the avalanches A sizeable cornice here conveniently rumbling down above Moss Pass seem waits till we've passed before collapfar away. sing over our tracks. (Later that morning, on observing our tracks disappearing beneath the debris, Mr. Up at 5 a.m. and away by 6.30 after Hollis considers investigating but smoking the hut out. Today its the decides against it. Nice to know who crux of the trip, Waiau Pass. Two of friends are). us have crossed it before and the weayour ther looks good. But the very deep snow is worrying. If there ever was It's getting pretty warm now but the a track around Lake Constance there route is all down hill and the views isn't now. Avalanches have removed all are superb. Tasman Mountains, Mt Owen, traces except for a cairn on top of Thousand Acres Plateau, Sabine Valley, the bluff. The snow in the gully is and Lake Rotoroa with scarcely a frozen hard, so on go the crampons, ripple on its inky blue surface. not to come off again until we reach Lindsay even takes his shirt off. And the Waiau River almost four hours later. that, he informs me, only happens when Climbing up to the pass the sun shines he really is hot. Then, after numerrelentlessly down and the snow slowly ous pauses for photographs, lollies softens. Snow, rock and a clear blue and drinkies, its off into the bush sky dominate the view. It is superb. and down to Sabine Hut for lunch. But just as we reach the top a chill wind springs up and cloud blots out Warren pauses briefly to chat to a lone the view. On go parkas and mitts. possum trapper who chases us on a trail Then almost as suddenly as it appeared bike. More birds, cattle, grass and the cloud lifts and we can see both matagouri. Starting up the Ada though headwaters of the Waiau. 2,000 feet we walk right back into the rain and of almost loping strides down deep begin to look about for shelter for soft snow, followed by a short stretch lunch. We know of a small NZFS hut of tussock and we're in the river bed near the Christopher confluence so we for lunch. head for that despite a large green building, resembling a lodge, clearly It remains hot and sunny, but a stiff visible on the opposite bank. The wind blowing across the tops gives us Forest Service hut log book solves some misgivings. Our intention is to that mystery. A new Lewis Pass Scenic camp at Lake Thompson and the weather Reserve hut is located just 10 minutes just might hold. So off we go, across down river, it says. more avalanche debris and then up a grassy spur to the lake at 5,500 feet. The Ada seems to look beautiful no Actually the lake is nowhere to be seen matter what the weather (come to think under the snow but we find a windswept of it I've never yet seen it on a grassy knoll on which to set the tent. really fine day). So despite the Warren sets off to reconnoitre a route steady rain we quite enjoy the walk up through the D'Urville headwaters to to the pass. No avalanches here. the Matakitaki while the rest of us The old Canterbury University hut has pitch the tent. By 3 p.m the wind is gone, replaced by another plywood and stiff. By 5 p.m it is really buffeting Fibrolite palace. Very comfortable the tent and Warren returns still uninside, what with rubber mattresses certain of the route. Clouds are and a pot belly stove. The only drawscudding across the sky. Eventually back is the stove has no cooking top, discretion gets the better of valour forcing us to use our primus stoves. and we retreat to the Waiau bush edge. Fortunately we've just enough fuel Here it is much calmer. But it is also left to get by. evident that the fine spell is over. Upper atmosphere turbulence is causing The next day it continues to rain So clouds, tinted orange and red by the we stay put. After all we aren't due setting sun, to heave, tumble and curl out at Maruia Springs until tomorrow. over with amazing rapidity - just like At night it snows, but this time there a speeded up motion picture. can be no malingering. So off we go crunching through the frozen grass. At night it starts to rain and the It is very cold but the track is a good clouds descend, presenting us with a one. And the bridge across Cannibal very bleak outlook in the morning. Gorge saves us from what might have There can be no question now of crossbeen a touch and go ford. Conditions ing to the Matakitaki. Instead we are so miserable that we scarcely halt set off down river in the cold and until we emerge on the almost thankful that highway rain, the fine weather exactly four hours after leaving the has lasted as long as it has. A track hut. But here it is even worse. of sorts leads down through the scrub A freezing sleet blows straight into and saves us from a really miserable our faces leaving us almost time. shivering But the river is up and the inside our double parkas and lack of a track down to Caroline Creek Real leggings. exposure conditions as makes prevail the going slow, not that a track we stride off down to the hotel some would be much use where avalanche four miles away. The hot pools, as debris covers everything. We huddle usual, aren't working (it seems the in the tiny (two man) NZFS hut at river took the pipes last Decem- Caroline Creek for lunch. At least away ber) but the allows us to from here we proprietor on know it will be easy, use the changing sheds. clothes if rather uninteresting, travel. Dry and a hot dinner assuage our disappoint- Our trek down the Waiau is notable ment at not getting a swim, and the bus arrives on schedule. So everymainly for rain and birds. Canada thing turns out O.K. after all. geese in particular dominate the scene. Even their nests seem to be everywhere Those on the trip were: Clive we go. They are near the river and Lindsay Cuthbertson, Hugh Middleton Hellyar, completely unprotected. It wouldn't (leader), and Warren Thorburn. surprise us in the least if some clumsy cattle beasts tread on the eggs occa- 25 Oct - 2 Nov 1980 sionally. With the river running around two feet above normal we give away the idea of crossing to Lake Guyon and camp under the trees near Glacier Gully instead. By morning the rain has eased and we set off for the Ada with rising spirits.