Eighth week on Te Araroa: km 943-1062

Day 51: Boyle Campsite to Boyle Hut: 12 km

We caught the shuttle back to the trailhead and were finally hiking again. We had packs loaded down with food, so it felt tough to climb towards the hut. We were in the river valley most of the day. The sandflies are bad here, so at lunch we set up the tent to hangout inside sheltered from the bugs. It was so comfortable that our break lasted 2 hours!

As we made the final kilometre to Boyle Hut, the views opened up. It is such an incredible location for a hut! Wow!!

We were very careful to keep our feet dry today. We crossed paths with a couple who were a day ahead of us who had to turn back because their feet hadn’t healed properly. We knew taking care of our feet was the top priority in this section. 

We stayed in the hut with 3 other hikers. 

Day 52: Boyle Hut to wild camp: 30 km

By the time we woke up all of our hut-mates were already gone! We had mostly river valley walking to complete today. The trail is much easier than the last section, which was a welcome change!

We had to ford the river twice today, so we switched to our camp sandals both times to keep our hiking shoes dry. We’ve decided that the extra time it takes to do this is worth it while our feet are still healing. 

Our climb of the day was up and over Anne Saddle, which felt quite easy compared to others we’ve done. I was even able to fly my drone (with a DOC approved permit) to capture the area, which I have been really enjoying. 

We crossed paths with many SOBOs today, which is always interesting to hear their stories. We had a lengthy lunch break at Anne Hut before completing our final ~10 km. We found a nice spot to wild camp. The only downside was the swarms of sandflies. 

Day 53: Wild camp to wild camp: 22 km

Our main goal today was to get to a campsite right before Waiau Pass so that we could cross it early tomorrow morning. 

The trail today was up the river valley, smooth, and easy to follow. We saw a wild horse and took in the views of the surrounding mountains. As we climbed higher the trail became a little bit more technical. We crossed some open scree slopes and had to navigate around some eroded sections. 

We arrived at camp around 7 pm at the same time as a group of SOBOs (a tramily) and a couple from Montreal. It was nice to chat with the couple who set up beside us! I was exhausted and fell asleep at 8 pm knowing I would need good rest for the pass tomorrow. 

Day 54: Wild camp to West Sabine Hut: 16 km

We started hiking at first light. It was so much fun climbing up into the alpine! The views were incredible! We are feeling so strong!

We had some scrambling to do as we climbed up to Waiau Pass. It was all manageable within our comfort level, but definitely not easy. Dropping down the other side was less technical. And the views of the lakes from above were amazing!

We had a nice lunch at Blue Lake Hut where we chatted with a few other hikers. Then we made the final kilometres down to West Sabine Hut. It was much faster hiking down the very gloriously well maintained trail!

The hut was packed tonight! We set up in one of the many camp spots and went to bed around 7 pm absolutely exhausted from the day. 

Day 55: West Sabine Hut to Lakehead Hut: 29 km

Another big pass to do today, Travers Saddle. We got going at first light and started our long slow 1,500 m climb. The trail was really great and as we broke into the alpine we were in awe. What a place! I felt the accumulation of all our efforts of the last 1,000 km to get here. The views are so sweet. 

We made it up and over the pass, which was much less technical than Waiau Pass, without the need to scramble. We dropped down to Upper Travers Hut and enjoyed the hut to ourselves for our lunch break. I filmed a full tour that will be up on my YouTube channel eventually :). 

At 1 pm we still had 20 km to hike to make our goal, so we focused on maintaining our pace. It was much quicker hiking as we dropped down the river valley. We saw some rain in the distance and hoped we would make the hut before it reached us. 

We arrived at Lakehead Hut and quickly pitched our tent. While I was staking out the guy lines the first rain drops started to fall. I got everything underneath the vestibules and set up inside. 

It absolutely poured rain all night. The backsplash of the rain got into the tent. Our gear in the vestibules got covered in dirt. The condensation inside the tent dropped onto us all night. It was less than ideal. 

Day 56: Lakehead Hut to St Arnaud: 10 km

We packed our wet gear up in the rain. In full rain gear and with my poncho on we started towards town. It rained on and off. I was either too hot or too cold. It was challenging. 

But, we arrived to town at 10 am. The restaurant at the Alpine Lodge let us order breakfast even though the sign said they had stopped serving it. We were soooo grateful. We had HUGE meals because we were out of hiking food. 

We were expecting two packages to be waiting for us here at the lodge, but only one had arrived. We realized we needed to wait for the mail to arrive tomorrow afternoon for our second package. We extended our stay at the backpackers hostel for another night to have an impromptu zero day tomorrow. 

We had lunch and then dinner also at the alpine lodge restaurant. The food is good and filling. We got our laundry done and then relaxed for the evening!

Day 57: zero day in St Arnaud: 0 km

It was another day eating at the Alpine Lodge restaurant and getting chores done. We organized our resupply and bought some extra food at the gas station. We planned our itinerary for the next section. And we tried to rest as much as we could. 

See you in next week’s blog post! We will be starting the Richmond range. 

All the best, 

-Story