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Havelock to St Arnaud

Te Araroa - days 73 to 80

By Nature Is Calling

February 9^th, 2020

Day 73 - Havelock to Pelorus Bridge Campground

Start: @ km 1783.5
End: @ km 1804.5
Hiked: 21 km

We had set our alarm for 8 am; we knew we needed a good night’s sleep, and after pushing it hard and having little sleep the past few nights, we also deserved it.

The weather forecast was calling for another super hot day, which we could already feel had arrived when we woke up. We filled out packs with all the contents we had mailed to ourselves and then it was the moment of truth: putting the packs on our backs. It could’ve been worse... did we pack enough? Too much? We’ll find out and let you know.

We made our way to the coffee shop Tash had recommended the day before. It was perfect! (Thanks, Tash!) Stopped by the pharmacy to grab bug spray (apparently the sand flies are super intense on the South Island... and even though the spray doesn’t really work, you still have to try), and an outdoor store to get an extra gas canister because even though we might be badass TA hikers, we don’t want to eat cold dinners.

The first 3km were on the ‘highway’ and the next several were on a gravel road. We were lucky that the cars were scarce and the wind was plentiful. Without the wind the heat might have destroyed us. We decided to take breaks every 5 km to rest our feet and hydrate. The 5km turned into 6km... but we stuck with that, until it became 7km.

After the road walking we continued onto private farmland. Stile, pasture, stile, pasture, group of cows, stile, pasture. We could see the mountain ranges in the background and were wondering which one of them we would be climbing the next days. By this point the wind had died down an as a result, the sun became more intense. When we sat down to take our last break before getting to camp we met a new TA hiker from the Czech Republic. He had not done the North Island and this was just starting his adventure.

The final couple of kilometers went into the nature reserve through some forest (we missed you) and over a suspension bridge. We made it to Pelorus bridge campground just after the cafe had officially closed. Lucky for us though, we could still get cold drinks and ice cream... and there were covered picnic tables where we could sit and enjoy.

We found our site for the night, pitched our tent and made our way to the Pelorus River for a dip. The water was surprisingly not too cold and we could enjoy the fresh clear water. We quickly made our way back to the tent to change, as the sandflies where already making themselves known. Then it was an early dinner, some reading up and planning for the days ahead and a little bit of chill time in the tent.

Sleep.

Day 74 - Pelorus Bridge Campground to Middy Creek Hut

Start: @ km 1804.5
End: @ km 1831.5
Hiked: 27 km

The weather was calling for rain so we set our alarms early in hopes of getting the tent down before it could get too wet. It was a good plan, and worked. Just as we were finishing up, the drizzle began. We had breakfast in the sheltered kitchen area and were glad we payed the extra $12 for amenities. By the time we left the light drizzle had already passed.

The trek began with 14.5 km of road walking. It could have been worse. It was on a dirt/gravel road and we only saw around 5 cars along the way. Also, there was shade periodically, which was welcomed by us. The humidity on the other hand was ridiculous. We were drenched, even without the rain.

When we reached the Pelorus River Track we were glad to say farewell to the road and hello to the softer forest floor. The path followed alongside the river for the most part; climbing up the hills beside it and back down again. It was a pretty chill hike.

We arrived at the first hut: Captain Creek and enjoyed a snack and a little nap. After the nap it was back on the track, heading to the next hut: Middy Hut. We made great time. At the hut was the Czech hiker Petr we had met the day before.

We thought about going to the next hut, which was only 5 km away, but quite a bit uphill and the rain had just arrived and deterred us from moving on. So instead, we headed on down to the river and had a nice, little swim in the crystal clear fresh water. As soon as we came back from our swim (in the light rain), it started pouring, which made us feel so glad we had not moved on!

Then what was there to do? Make a big pot of mashed potatoes, peas, smoked cheese (yep, we’re still carrying cheese for multiple days in this heat), tomato soup, and fried onions. It. was. Delicious. Afterwards, dishes, filter water, hang all the food from the drying rack so the mice won’t get it, write about the day, sleep.

Day 75 - Middy Creek Hut to Starveall Hut

Start: @ km 1831.5
End: @ km 1856
Hiked: 24.5 km

It was quite a sleepless night for Mathias and others in the hut due to the scrambling mice. Leah, with ear plugs in slept peacefully (for TA sleeping... not her normal blissful sleeps) for the most part. We had hung our food, so luckily the mice could not get it, but Petr had forgotten some in his bag and the mice were on a mission. At one point, Mathias heard what sounded like a splash and then some movement; when getting out of bed he got a sight of the incident that occured; two dead mice in a water bucket. Leah's reaction: poor mice. :(

We had intended to finish the day at the last hut on the Pelorus River Track. We spent the day enjoying the track and taking in the beautiful views of the river and the mountains backdrop. We went over yet another shady-esque swing bridge, but have become more secure while crossing them. Mathias seems to be conquering his fear of heights (or at least not letting it hold him back), while Leah seems to be developing a fear of heights. We then embarked on a steady incline of about 600 meters up a ridge. We were feeling strong. We continued to climb over various high points before making our way down, steeply in places to Totara Saddle... then some more steepness down to where we had planned to stop for the day... But why stop when there are still a few hours of daylight left?

So, we began our climb into the Richmond Ranges on the Richmond Alpine Track. This track in known for being 'rugged and unformed in places. The summits are consistently above 1500m and the track has many steep, exposed sections and stream crossings. It's only suitable for fit, experienced, and well-equipped trampers'(trail notes). We embarked on a 900 meter climb and crushed it! We made great time on the first section which involved many river crossings; pushing ourselves to our limits. As it got steeper, our pace decreased, but rocking the first part gave us the time for the second part.

We made it to Starveall Hut about 30 minutes before sunset. A group of hikers were enjoying their dinner at the picnic table just outside of the hut. We were happy to see Petr, who had also pushed on. The view was incredible. We layered up, now that it was cold at higher altitudes and had ourselves some well deserved dinner. Oh, and there were still two available beds! Icing on the cake.

Side note: Leah's eye has been acting up; quite red and a bit itchy. Dirt? Pink eye? Other infection? We shall see. Tomorrow, glasses will be worn.

Day 76 - Starveall Hut to Old Man Hut

Start: @ km 1856
End: @ km 1869
Hiked: 13 km

Mathias was the first one in the hut to wake up, even though we had decided not to set an alarm. He laid in bed hoping that others would start moving. Leah opened her eyes some time later and Mathias jumped at the opportunity to engage. Leah closed her eyes again.

It was a cold morning, the coldest we’ve had so far. Mathias got out of bed and prepared breakfast outside at the picnic table for himself, as Leah was still refusing to exit her sleeping bag. She later emerged and he made breakfast for her as well (because he is lovely).

We were the last to leave the Hut, which was fine by us as we had decided to have an easier day. Had we gotten up earlier, we would have aimed to go over the summit of Mt Rintoul, but were thankful to have had a bit more sleep, and now a more relaxed day. The views from the hut and beyond were breathtaking. Mountains as far as you could see and views of the Abel Tasman Bay. We were loving life.

We made our way to the next hut, Slaty Hut, and embraced a good long snack break. Without the pressure of needing to go too far, we could just relax (while drying the tent and filtering water of course). Sebastian, a Belgien guy doing some section hiking, rolled up. We chatted for a bit and learned that he was heading to the same hut for the night as us. After learning this, his first question was, “Have you seen a lot of others go by?” He, like us, was hoping to get a bed in the hut for the night and it is on a first come first serve basis.

We ventured back out onto the track and had an awesome day of hiking while taking in the views. The hut we were planning on staying at was bit of trail and ended up being even more so than we had thought. The descent to the hut was steep and seemed to be never ending. But things aren’t always as they seem, and it did, to our delight end.

We arrived before 5pm and had a few hours to relax. Sebastian arrived a bit after us and Petr and Ben had arrived earlier. First we took a little nap, which was magic. Later Mathias worked on sewing his shoe while Leah filtered water. We also looked over the amount of food we have left and realized it’s going to be tight, especially concerning snacks. But we should be fine. Then it was dinner time. We all ate outside, sitting around the picnic table sharing stories and enjoying the beautiful surroundings nature had given us.

The hut had the most amazing new mattresses and we (Leah specifically) were stoked to lay down and sleep. Moments before we closed our eyes, Dennis and Brittany appeared at the door, having just finished their day’s hike. Leah gave a quick wave and then we fell quickly to sleep.

Day 77 - Old Man Hut to Mid Wairoa Hut

Start: @ km 1869
End: @ km 1889
Hiked: 20 km

It was an early morning for everyone in the hut. We decided to set our alarm for 6:10am and tried to be quiet, but when you are sharing a 12 sqm hut with others, you can only be so stealth. So rise and shine everyone. Mathias had a surprise when he opened the door to go out of the hut: Dennis and Brittany were sleeping on the ground just outside the door.

We had breakfast (Leah is struggling with the oatmeal but we can’t think of an alternative that will give the same energy to weight ratio) at the picnic table and then quickly (for us) packed up and headed out. We knew today was going to be a big day. The trail notes and a sign in the hut both referred to the section we were doing as one of the most difficult sections of the Richmond Ranges and TA in general. We were pumped!

There was an intense incline just to get back on the trail. This was followed by another intense uphill to Little Rintoul summit. There was a lot of cloud coverage but we still managed to get a few mystic views. We sat on top of summit taking it all in; Petr and Ben were there as well.After just a few minutes, it got pretty cold. We had to put on more layers, including our gloves. Then it was some intense downhill- scree galore!

We were thankful when it was time to go back uphill to Mt. Rintoul which was not too bad. There was still quite a bit of cloud coverage, but still felt good on top of the second summit. Leah’s FOMO (for perfect weather/views) was at a surprisingly low percentage of 7. We broke out of stove and enjoyed coffee with Petr. The way down from Mt. Rintoul was not as bad as it was coming down from Little Rintoul, but Leah fell twice and Mathias once. Luckily the falls weren’t bad, but our stomachs still dropped.

We got to Rintoul hut and were looking forward to snacking. We saw Petr at the picnic table and a bunch of cute goats grazing on the grass surrounding the hut (Ziegenpeter?). Petr as just leaving and we said we’d see him at the next hut where we had decided to stay. We thoroughly enjoyed our snack time: wraps with olives and tomato paste and Mathias’s addition: fried onions! Yum. We then began toying with the idea of going further than planned.

The sign said 5hrs to the next hut. We crushed it in 3. Petr’s thoughts were aligned with ours, as he too decided to push forward. We followed him up the first accent. What followed was lots of downhill and towards the end our bodies were getting tired. The ground was slanted for a bit, which is not at all fun or easy to walk on. We still pushed it and made it to the next hut in 2:45 (notes said 4). Petr had gotten to camp an hour before us. Unfortunately, and quite surprisingly, the hut was packed and there were already 5 tents up as well. We managed to find a spot and hoped that we would not be a target for rats, mice and opossums.

We were (as was everyone else) a target for sandflies. They were horrible; swarming our entire bodies. We had a quick dinner and wished that we had more food (at this point we were rationing as we weren’t sure we’d have enough to get out of the ranges... our appetites had heavily increased up in the mountains).

We decided to take a quick dip in the icy cold river before bed. Immediately after coming out of the water, we were attacked by sandflies. They took no mercy. We made it back to the tent, with multiple bites, and settled in to our sleeping bags to get warm. We then spent ten minutes killing the sandflies that had gotten into our tent.

Finally we ended our day/night with a little Anti-Flamme and blog writing. It was an epic day; the last day before Leah joins the 40s club! We fell asleep to the soothing sound of the flowing river.

Day 78 - Mid Wairoa Hut to Hunter’s Hut

Start: @ km 1889
End: @ km 1906.5
Hiked: 17.5 km

Happy birthday Leah 🎉

Leah woke up, checked her watch and saw that it was 2am: It’s my birthday! Mathias rolled over, gave his most enthusiastic 2am ‘happy birthday’ and then we both passed back out. When we awoke for the second time, Leah read the birthday card Mathias had waiting for her. ❤

It was a slow moving day. Leah got to enjoy a birthday breakfast of Ramen noodles (which is actually a really big deal because she is struggling to choke down oatmeal these days). The start of the trail was not fun (nor was the middle or end... but we didn’t know this yet). The ground was slanted and not stable in sections. It was also quite narrow and a little slip could result in a big injury. There were multiple obstacles along the trail as well: fallen trees, steep rocky ups and downs, loose rocks... just to name a few. We were also exhausted. Upon reflection, we realized that we hadn’t eaten enough after the big day yesterday and our bodies were probably craving food! But we pushed on.

At one point we were passed by Ben and Petr. Petr said ‘Happy birthday’ and then got a present he had prepared: a Chocolate bar! Amazing!! We finally made it to the first hut (it took us the full time predicted in the trail notes... is it because I’m forty??) We decided to eat one of our dinners for snack as we knew we needed more energy to get through the day. We chatted with Dennis for a bit who was eating heaps (as he always seems to be doing... he eats more than us combined). We also met Kirby from Australia who seemed lovely.

It was an intense go to the second hut. The weather kept shifting and we had to keep taking our rain gear on and off, on and off. The wind picked up and Leah’s pack cover kept blowing off. Then came the never-ending downhill. 😩. But we just kept going because really, you have to.

The weather cleared up and the sun came out. It was hot, we were exhausted. Cue: emergency snack: Petr’s birthday chocolate, a jar of peanut butter and a spoon. Just what was needed! The snack gave us a boost and we made good time. Before reaching the hut we stopped to take a birthday swim in our birthday suits: great decision. We got to the hut which was absolutely lovely: great views of the surrounding mountains. And we got beds!!!!

Everyone at the hut talked of the hard day which made us feel better (it wasn’t just us getting our asses kicked, but everyone getting their asses kicked... we found comfort in that). We met Anuk from Netherlands, who we had been hearing about from others along the trail. Leah shared her birthday chocolate with everyone in the hut, including Tessa from the Netherlands who we were happy to see again. Mathias and Leah cheersed with bubbly (magnesium tablets). True to form,Dennis, Brittany, Giulia and Tom arrived just as everyone else was going to bed.

Day 79 - Hunter’s Hut to Red Hills Hut

Start: @ km 1906.5
End: @ km 1924.5
Hiked: 18 km

We were the second to leave the hut this morning and had a very nice start to our trek. We could feel that we had way more energy than yesterday! There were 8 river crossings involved before the first hut, where we would take a little break. We made good time. The river was very low and we could get across without getting our feet wet by stepping (sometimes a little leap) from rock to rock. We snacked with Petr and soon Ben and Anuch showed up to do the same. We were all pretty much in good spirits, mostly because the trail was so much better than it had been yesterday.

The rest of the day was super hot and there were moments were some steep rock climbing was involved. Leah loves rock climbing, but when you take away the harness, belay device, ropes and add a 13+kg bag to your back, it’s a bit unnerving... but still cool.

Later in the day, Leah slid on some loose gravel coming down a steep bit and had herself a fall. Luckily it wasn’t too bad, just some scrapes here and there, but still a scary feeling. We later learned that Leah cracked her phone on the fall, but we both agreed this was much better than cracking bones!

The day kept getting hotter and hotter. We knew we needed to get water for the rest of the day and tomorrow but weren’t quite sure how we were going to do that because our 3 water bags all had holes in them. Mathias came up with a great idea: use one of the dry bags! So, we emptied out the electronics and Mathis gathered water while Leah headed on to the hut. The hut was lovely, like a little home, with a nice porch area to relax on.

When Mathis go to the hut he continued to create tasks for himself, some of which included fixing and cleaning the windows, and reorganizing the inside layout of the hut to make it more Feng shui. Leah read through the trail notes and tried to create a plan for the upcoming section while Mathias headed back out to gather more water from the stream with Petr.

We enjoyed dinner and chats with Kirby, a lovely and hilarious Australian. True to form Tom and Giulia arrived later and then Dennis and Brittany. Tom built a fire which we got to enjoy (and our clothes got to absorb the smell... love campfire smell). Nice day.

Sleep.

Day 80 - Red Hills Hut to St. Arnaud

Start: @ km 1924.5
End: @ km 1945
Hiked: 20.5 km

Today we had a choice: complete the full Richmond Ranges experience or take a shortcut. St. Arnaud was the small ‘village’ that was waiting for our arrival... a place where we could get overpriced coffee and snacks (there was only a one stop shop: gas station/cafe/groceries) and where we would be staying at a lodge for the night. The Richmond Ranges has been so epic and we have loved our time, but we were also ready for a proper shower and some food!

So we had made the decision last night: the longer scenic route. Because of this, we had an early wake up and were out of the hut in less than an hour (wooo wooo!). Although our choice meant a longer journey, we were so glad to do it. The track, which was partially on a mountain bike track, was really enjoyable. It was a mixture of going through forests and popping out to enjoy beautiful mountain views. The last section was road walking and sucked a little, but we pushed on and arrived in St. Arnaud around 2pm. First stop? One stop shop for food and coffee. We obviously ran into everyone from the trail there all doing the same thing.

After indulging in treats, we made our way across the street (the only other establishment) to the Alpine Lodge. We weren't impressed with the front desk, as they seemed to have pre judgements about smelly TA hikers, but whatcha gonna do? We retrieved our package and headed to the room. Then it was laundry time (thank you Mathias).

Mathias headed to meet Tessa for a 'good-bye' celebratory beer while Leah took a much needed nap. She later met up to give Tessa a hug just before she headed off. We stocked up on food from the one stop shop (as we had learned that we needed more food in the mountains)... well, what was left. So many TA hikers = less food in stock (and we all want the same items).

Then it was dinner time! We enjoyed three courses in celebration of Leah's birthday, and wine and beer! It was glorious. We managed to stay awake through dinner and then crashed hard with full stomachs and happy hearts.