I was pretty excited to receive a call from Brent 6 months ago regarding a hiking trip to New Zealand. A mate of his, Mike, was taking his son to the southern island on a four day hunting trip in the mountains. His plan was to chopper in, get dropped of high in the mountains and stay at bush hut while having some bonding time with his son. Fortunately for Brent and I there were 2 seats available on the chopper, so bang, we were in.
After arriving in Christchurch to similar weather to Melbourne, we picked up the rental car, crammed in all our gear and hit the shops for our supplies. First thing the next morning(Thursday) we started the journey across the south island towards the west coast. It was soon clear what we were in for as the flat landscape was changing into mountainous countryside, with those mountains topped with snow, the excitement was growing.
Passing and stopping at the delightful towns of Arthurs Pass and Hokitika, we finally made it to our destination for the night, Whataroa, where we were to stay at a cool little pub, enjoying some local beer and a nice steak.
Whataroa Pub.
Before we settled in for the night we traveled 20 minutes further south to have a look at the very touristy Franz Josef Glacier. I was surprised with the amount of backpackers in the area, especially the female variety, "dam it Mike, why didn't we stay at Franz Josef"? After a quick look at the glacier which was pretty cool as it was the first glacier I had seen, we made our way back to Whataroa where we enjoyed a few beers in a great pub before hitting the sack.
Mike and Brent walking back from Franz Josef Glacier.
Well this was it, Friday dawned and the excitement, along with the nervousness was building. We all woke early and split our gear into what we were going to take and what was to stay in the car. The short drive to the helly pad was silent as we were all probably thinking of what was to come. 9.30 was our pick up time and not long after we could here the sounds we were waiting for, the incoming chopper.
It wasn't long before we started to ascend and we could see the little speck that was to be Whymper Hut, our home for the next few days.
The hut was located up on a ridge, about 1000mt above sea level, and a tough climb down to the river, an amazing location with the jagged snow capped mountains circling in every direction.
This hut was different to anything we had been in. In Australia, the huts in the high country and there for adventurers who may find themselves in trouble in poor weather and and frowned upon if you use them for anything else. This was different, the bush huts in NZ are there to be used and are very welcoming. We walked into to a spacious hut, full of food and fire wood, foam mattresses and instantly knew we were in an amazing place, excited about the days ahead.
Still in awe of where we were, we unpacked our gear and immediately chopped enough wood to last the 3 days, being mindful that we leave some in the hut for the next guests should they arrive in poor conditions. With a sweat up already it was time for a coffee and some lunch and a chat on our plans for the arvo.
With some pretty cool glaciers within eye shot of where we were, the plan was to load our day packs and head out on a hike up one of the near mountains to hopefully reach the snow. It was about 11.30am and we were eager to explore the terrain and get a scope of the countryside.
We dropped down from the ridge in which the hut is situated and headed in a south direction before we come to the valley that would take us up the mountain. It was at this point that I realized that hiking in this countryside was going to be tough. Fast flowing rivers, huge boulders and steep mountains were going to make our pace relativity slow.
Whymper Hut is distance.
Climbing the mountain side was tough going. If we weren't scrambling across huge boulders, we were struggling to get a sure footing on the lose stones then wading through tick grass that was knee deep. Slow going, tiring but a load of fun and as we got higher and closer to the glacier, the views were breathtaking.
Brent and I took a different path up the mountain to Mike and Joey, but we were all heading in the same direction for the same target, the snow. Looking back over the mountain range was like nothing I had ever seen before, the enormous rocky peaks made me feel as if I were in the Himalayas, simply stunning.
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As we climbed higher we come into a grassy knoll which was a welcome relief from scrambling up the rocky mountain side. We had a well deserved breather and took in the views as we digested a banana and a muesli bar and contemplated our next move.
After catching our breath we continued onward and upward still with the glacier in our sight. The going was tough through the thick grass but a lot safer than climbing up the rock face. It was now we came to a grinding halt. Lying between us and the heavily sort after glacier we a deep valley that had to be navigated with great difficulty before we could reach our destination.
So close but yet so far, it was at this point that we reluctantly chose to turn back and start the argues journey down. We soon come across Mike and Joey who were relieved to see us and also ready to head back.
The decent down was great and a lot of fun. Scrambling down the rocks along a fast flowing stream was cool. We slowly edged closer to the bottom and we could soon see Whymper Hut in the distance, knowing a warm coffee and a lie down was in order on our return.
The Hut, top right.
We arrived back a little after four and were more than happy to relax with a warm drink, replacing our boots for the more comfortable crocs and chatting about what we had just done.
Before dinner we had decided to go for another walk, not long about an hour, just to get a good look at the Whymper Valley from above and do some recon on the walk we have planned for tomorrow.
Whymper Valley.
With the cloud lowering and the fire going, there was no other place I would want to be as we cooked up our dinner and reflected on the adventure so far. The sun disappeared behind the hills about 8pm and the light rain started. This didn't dampen our spirits as the sound of rain on a tin roof, in a hut in the middle of nowhere is a sound like no other.
We woke Saturday morning to low cloud but the light rain had eased. The billy boiled with warm oats on the menu and we were soon gearing up for another day of exploring this amazing valley.
The plan for today was to try and reach Lake Barrowman, a huge lake located south east of our location. Looking at the map we had to drop down into the river bad, trek south then follow the valley up toward the lake, a task that scared us but also raised the excitement level to extreme.
Day packs loaded, boots laced up and we were on our way by 9am. We hadn't been down to the main river as yet and had only seen it from a distance. The climb down to the river was intense in itself, very steep and slippery in places from the rain the night before.
From above it looked like a nice little stream, dangle your toes and have a picnic type of deal, but when we finally reached the bottom, we realized we were faced with a raging icy torrent that looked like it could swallow you up and spit you out a kilometer away.
We started making our way south along true left side of the river, trying at all costs not to get our feet wet, meaning in places we had to go a little inland through the grass and meet back up with the river. In places the river was quite tranquil and very inviting to take a swim, if it were warmer of coarse.
As we edged closer to the start of the valley that snaked and climbed its way to Lake Barrowman, we were faced with a slight problem, we were on the wrong side of the river. Brent and I tip-e-toed our way along the river bed, trying to avoid getting wet feet while contemplating the best place to take our boots of and cross.
At that moment without warning Mike had hoisted Joey onto his shoulders and was wading through the river without a care and within seconds was on the other side making his way closer to where we had to be.
Bewildered, Brent and I looked at each other and knew this was the time. We had to stop playing Nancy boys and man up. It was actually fine as long as you picked the right spot to cross and took extra care. Before the day was out we had made at least a dozen crossings, some well above the knees.
Hiking boots, 100% water proof or not, our feet were now soaked, socks were squelching but surprisingly toes weren't cold. As long as we kept moving all was good.
We had arrived at the base of the valley that was to lead us to the lake. We all stood there and looked up at it, thinking this looks bloody impossible.
We started making our way up and it wasn't long before Mike realized that this was going to be far too much for Joey. They turned back and were going to head further south down the river, maybe even reach the glacier in the distance.
Brent and I edged on as the clouds were lowering and the sky started to look threatening. The pic above shows the size of Brent compared to the boulders we were trying to scale, along with the raging stream running down the middle. For the first time on a hike, I was a little reluctant to continue. We made a decision to go little higher but both soon agreed that it was becoming quite dangerous, and we are not rock climbers. It was time to con-seed defeat, again, and make our way slowly down.
We both agreed it was the right decision and were soon back in the river heading south to try and meet up with the others.
A lot more river crossing and scrambling across huge rocks we eventually caught Mike and Joey having a breather by the river.
Navigating the river was a huge amount of fun, very challenging and choosing the right path was sometimes a gamble, but it was time to slowly start heading back to the hut, we were soaked, tired and almost over climbing these huge obstacles.
After stopping for a light break and a snack were were soon climbing back up the steep mountain side heading towards the dry comfort of our temporary home.
We were back by 3.30, a long tiring day but a lot of fun. It wasn't long before we were in our dry cloths with the fire going and a hot coffee in our hand, perfect way to end the day.
Our plans for the final day were discussed and pondered for quite a while. We were keen to head down stream and try and get to Butler Junction Hut, then return, but after reading some of the notes in the visitors book, this was a tough walk and would take over 6 hours, one way. The chopper was going to pick us up from our current location on Monday morning, but Mike and Joey were keen to stay so Brent and I decided we would pack our gear and head for the hut, and get picked up there on the Monday morning.
We had steady rain all night and when we awoke, it had eased but still a light drizzle was falling from the sky, enough to don the wet weather gear.
We said goodbye to the others and told them no matter what would happen we would be at Butler Junction Hut in 24 hours, no exceptions as we had no communication with them. It was 8.30am and we were of.
As we started making our way down stream, our goal was to make the suspension bridge by lunch time, it was about half way to the hut, about 3 km away, sounded easy.
Immediately we knew the day was going to be a long one, but were super excited with what was ahead of us.
We went from raging river beds to thick muddy forest, then back to river beds then again to climbing steep muddy, rocky walls, was awesome, and time consuming.
Looking down stream was think bush, tall tree covered mountains and a raging river, very nice. Looking back as we were descending we still had the amazing views of the rocky peaks that were covered in snow.
As expected about 3 hours into the days trek and about 3 km we had reached the suspension bridge that was marked on our map and that I had seen flying in on day one. From afar it looked like something from Indiana Jones and we were itching to cross it. Great spot to rest for 15 minutes and have something to eat. It was wraps, banana and peanut butter, yum. It was nice to stop but also got quite cold so we were keen to get the blood pumping again. We geared up and hit the track again, next stop, Butler Junction Hut.
We were across the river, but nothing had changed, we were still battling the river bed at parts then we were deep into the forest navigating our way over huge tree roots and negotiating slippery, muddy sloops.
By 2 pm we were getting close as we had reached the second suspension bridge that crossed the Butler river.
From this bridge looking east were some of the best views I had seen. We were looking straight at some peaks that soared into the sky, I knew they were the biggest I had seen, towering over 2500mt above sea level.
By 2.30 we had finally reached our destination, Butler Junction Hut, exactly 6 hours after leaving Whymper, and by far probably the hardest 6 hours walking we had done. We were soaked, sore and struggling to move, but on top of the world as we had both agreed that it was probably the best hike we had done, and it would take some beating.
This was the best set up hut we had stayed at. There was a wood stack. plenty of water and food, great stove and 8 bunks with mattresses, you could easily spend some time here without a worry.
Before we settled in for the arvo, we had one last look around, chopped some wood that we knew we were going to use that night to keep warm, took some cool pics, then it was time, dry cloths and coffee, boy it felt good.
I think it was about 8.30 when we were ready to call it a night, we were physically exhausted and done with reading the endless amounts of hunting magazines. We knew we had to be ready waiting for the chopper to pick us up at 8.30am the next morning. I was feeling sad that it was coming to an end.
We woke to dewy grass and bright skies, we knew there would be no worries with the chopper picking us up. Our bags were packed and the hut spotless and right on schedule, 8.30, the sound of the chopper in the distance was getting louder. Sure enough within minutes it had landed. Holding onto our hats as the wind from the rotors was intense, we could see Mike and Joey on board with Dave helping us into our seats, and in a flash we were of and sadly on our way back to the car.
It was good to see the others again. Mike told us on the way back in the chopper through the headphones that Ol Mate Dave, the chopper pilot took them over Lake Barrowman for a quick look before he picked Brent and I up, he said it was amazing. As soon as we were up, we were down, back at the car and chatting about the last 24 hours.
Mike thanked Dave again for the excellent service he provided and his friendly nature. Dave replied kindly, "its was a pleasure, and my names Nathan". Before Mikes face turned red, Dave/Nathan was gone.
Chopper Pilot Dave and Mike.
We spent Monday driving back across the island having plenty to chat about. No stone was left un turned as we all wanted to chat about the incredible few days that we had just had.
A few beers and a nice steak was on the menu that evening in Christchurch as we prepared ourselves for the flight back to Melbourne early the next morning.
This trip was a little of an eye opener. Although we have been on some great hikes and feel we know a lot, there is still so much to learn and spending a few days with someone like Mike in his part of the world was great, we took a lot out of this trip.
Mike mentioned of a possible return next year to the same region, but next time, in mid winter....
