ST ARNAUD – BOYLE VILLAGE 

Section Distance – 115km

Total Distance – 3020km

ST ARNAUD – UPPER TRAVERS HUT

After weather conditions caused me to skip this section for safety reasons when I completed the rest of my South Island TA I’ve come back to fill in my gap!

I circumnavigated Lake Rotoiti on my first attempt at this section making it to John Tait Hut before turning back and had cyclones forecast for my second, so this time I got the water taxi to the lake head and set off for my third (finally successful) attempt to cross from St Arnaud to Boyle Village over both Travers Saddle and Waiau Pass.

Nelson Lakes NP is one of my favourite places to hike in NZ. Beautiful beech forests, abundant birdlife and some pretty epic views.

The trail by the river was much drier than the last time I passed through (in which the river was on the trail), and I had fantails, tomtits and robins follow my path. The robins especially are super curious and brave enough to come and sit on my pack or by my feet when I stopped for a snack. They like to eat all the bugs disturbed by passing hikers (but make sure never to feed them, no matter how close they may come, as it may be harmful to their health).

I made it to John Tait Hut with plenty of daylight, so I pushed on to Upper Travers Hut. It is much cooler here in the alpine areas of the South Island so I have a few more layers than I did only days ago in the winterless north on Ninety Mile Beach!

Another reason I love alpine areas, is that if you go high enough you don’t have any sandflies…

UPPER TRAVERS HUT – WEST SABINE HUT

My morning began by discovering a family of Kea trying to break into the loo… welcome to New Zealand! Lots of photos later I finally set off to cross the Travers Saddle.

The initial descent from the saddle was slow as there was a thin layer of ice on all the rocks not yet touched by the sun. I decided to do a short day today and enjoy the landscape so it was a leisurely 1300m steep descent back into the tree line to West Sabine Hut.

An afternoon of swimming (until the sandflies and the freezing waters scared me back inside), reading (yep, I carry books over mountains) and snacking!

WEST SABINE HUT – BLUE LAKE HUT

It only took 3 hours to reach Blue Lake Hut so I had plenty of time to explore this stunning location! The lake is beautiful and lived up to its name. It has the reputation of being the clearest water in the world. Hikers are not allowed to swim, gather water from or even touch it, to try to keep it clean and prevent algae or ‘lake snow’ from being transferred into it.

Autumn is coming and the trail was covered with an orange tint of early falling leaves. I had an early night with the fire on as tomorrow I finally reach/cross Waiau Pass.

BLUE LAKE HUT – WAIAU HUT

Getting ready by head torch again (although I think I could probably pack my pack in the dark by now) and sneaking out of the hut to avoid waking the other hikers. I’m the only one taking the Waiau Pass route today and I want to make an early start.

Farewelling Blue Lake I climb up to Lake Constance (a bit scrambly in places with lots of gravel and slippery narrow tracks to traverse), and tackle the vertical scree slope to the Pass. It’s not a huge distance but it is slow going due to the terrain. I had a Himalayan Tahr which I’m pretty sure was laughing at my clumsy attempts to climb the scree supervising the ascent.

The only cloud was resting below me in the valley so there were excellent views from the top. Obligatory check in while I had reception to prove I was alive and then the steep slope down to the Waiau River. I quite enjoyed this section (some bouldering required at one point). With my poles packed so I had hands free to clamber I descended the gully and made it to the scree path that popped out at the river.

This section could definitely be challenging especially in poor weather so I was glad I had made the call to bail out on the first two attempts. It was worth it for safety and also to get the stunning views.

It was faster going along the river with the occasional rockfall to negotiate. Markers cairns show the best route (I hope no one ever builds cairns for fun or photos along this route as that will thoroughly confuse backcountry hikers).

I made it to the hut with plenty of day light and had the whole 6 bunk hut to myself. I could see Waiau Pass through the window, which looks really high now that I’m back in a river valley. I got a little overenthusiastic with the fire after staying in larger huts the last few nights and roasted myself because I didn’t want to open the window and let the sandflies in…

WAIAU HUT – ANNE HUT

First frost in the valley this morning, coating the long grass and flowers with white. It was actually quite pleasant for the first few hours until the sun melted the ice, and the long grass soaked my lower half. The track joined the St James Walkway and this easy well marked trail led all the way to Anne Hut. The big challenge of the day was the strong head winds channeled through the valley for the last 10km. Anne Hut sleeps 20 and I only had 2 other hikers join for my last night of the TA.

ANNE HUT – BOYLE VILLAGE

LAST DAY ON TE ARAROA and it began with a sunrise rainbow!!!

After 5 lovely days of sunshine my final day on trail was ironically just like my first few – wet and windy!

I set of early and after a short easy climb over Anne Saddle reached my 3000km goal! IBy the time I reached Boyle Village I had officially completed the entire Te Araroa Trail…

This journey has been a collection of hundreds of days and moments. Some days were incredible, others challenging (both mentally and physically) but each proved that I was capable of more than I could ever could have believed.

I had days I will never forget. Days I wish never to repeat and saw landscapes beyond description.

Mere words cannot express the feeling of standing atop a mountain and seeing the dawn sun cast your shadow across the valley. The awe of walking a river valley dwarfed by the ranges either side. The relief of seeing a hut in the distance after a hard day on trail. The lightness of taking the pack off at the end of the day. The peace of snuggling in your tent watching the stars on a clear night. The joy of clean, dry socks after days of rain and river crossings. Sharing a journey with a trail family and sharing travel stories around the fire. Experimenting with one pot creations to change up standard “trail food”. But, most of all, having the opportunity to see new beautiful sights each day!

Nature never ceases to amaze and awe me, no matter how long I spent in it…

If you have read through my whole journey, wow, you have completed Te Araroa in spirit. I hope it may be useful to all of you planning your own epic adventure in NZ.

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