Ninth week on Te Araroa: km 1062-1223

Day 58: St Arnaud to Red Hills Hut: 20 km

This section started with 9 km of road walking to get from St Arnaud to the trailhead. This was fast walking. A friend Brian made at the hostel biked past us and we had a nice chat. 

Departing St Arnaud

We arrived at the trailhead and it was a 4x4 track that switchbacked nicely up the hill. We walked by some sheep in a field and kept climbing. Looking back down at the valley below every now and then was a nice treat. 

Looking down to the valley below

As we gained the ridge it started to rain. Ponchos back on. We planned a conservative itinerary for this section after reading through the TA Trail Notes. It seems like the terrain is slower going. So we arrived at Red Hills Hut at 3:30 pm. With rain continuing on and off we decided not to push and to stay the night at the hut.

We had intermittent rain and donned our ponchos

Day 59: Red Hills Hut to Hunters Hut: 20 km

We started early, not knowing how slow the terrain might be ahead. It was again raining on and off this morning and my mood was low. I was feeling homesick. I was feeling the effects of the challenges of being on trail. 

Tough morning start today

For the first 5 km today we spent a lot of time on eroding slopes near creeks and rivers

As the day went on and the sun started to come out, I felt lifted out of my fog. We climbed out of the river valley and up some smaller saddles. It was so nice to climb and have some views as a reward!

Starting to see the red rocks natural to this area

An example of a DOC hut that we used for our lunch break to have a reprieve from the sun and sandflies

We were just getting into a really good groove when we arrived at the hut!! We hiked about an hour faster than the predicted Department of Conservation timings. Contemplating our options and looking at the weather, we decided to stay here this evening even though we still had energy left to keep hiking. We would have made it to a wild camp for the night, but the weather is still volatile with spurts of rain and stronger wind. We thought best to stay safe in the hut tonight if possible. 

Arriving at Hunters Hut for the evening

As I write this it is only Brian and I in the hut. The wind is battering against the hut and we feel safe and cozy inside. 

Day 60: Hunters Hut to Mid Wairoa Hut: 18 km

We had the hut to ourselves last night!! The wind was definitely high, so we were happy to be protected in the hut. Brian set up our twinkly lights and that made for a really lovely morning. 

Waking up in Hunters Hut with our twinkly lights gently illuminating the space

The start of the day was a drop down into the valley, which we promptly climbed up the other side of. We were able to keep our feet dry and rock hop across the few river crossings we had on the ascent. 

It didn’t take long to break into the alpine and this was my favourite part of this section so far! Rocky ridgelines with red earth. I moved quickly through the terrain in comparison to the river valley walking. Dropping down the other side was a bit more technical. We made it to Upper Wairoa Hut for lunch where we met 3 SOBOs. 

We had lunch here at Upper Wairoa hut

The final 8.5 km of the day were all down a river valley. It was slow going and we had to ford the river several times. With wet feet we gingerly negotiated the thin trail cutting across the eroding river banks. There were multiple times we had to scramble to get through a section. The earth was slippery and crumbling away. It felt unnecessarily risky to have the trail cutting across such an unstable slope. I wondered if maybe the route could be rerouted at some point in the future. 

We frequently crossed this river throughout the afternoon

We made it to Mid Wairoa Hut at 4:30 pm. Another shorter day. There were 3 other hikers here already. The bees, wasps, and sandflies are bad in the area. The hut didn’t provide much reprieve. It was very hot with many sandflies inside. We opted to pitch our tent. The weather has cleared and there’s no rain in the forecast. 

With the river below the sound lulled us to sleep. We were still even a bit hot in the tent, so we were very happy with our decision to vacate the hut. 

Day 61: Mid Wairoa Hut and Mount Rintoul Hut: 15 km

Today was a day of climbing! We set off first thing on our 1,500 m of vertical climbing. The trail was nice, through the trees and gaining up a rib. Much better than the river bank walking of yesterday!

Crossing a cable bridge

Only one person can cross at a time

After we gained 850 vertical metres we reached Tarn Hut nestled beside a lake. We settled into the hut to have lunch. We have been getting into a routine on this section of stopping at the first hut for lunch and then the second hut for the night. It’s been a more leisurely routine, which I think is nice to be able to enjoy the Richmond’s more. 

Tarn Hut, a DOC hut where we had our lunch

We gained our final vertical up to Purple Top Mountain and walked on the ridge for a little bit. It wasn’t too technical and it was extremely beautiful! We could see Mount Rintoul, our objective for tomorrow, ahead of us, the ocean to the west and mountain peaks to the east. What an incredible moment! I realize now why people talk so much about this mountain range. 

So happy to see the ocean for the first time since starting the trail

The ocean and coastline of the northern side of the South Island

Wonderful ridge walking

The descent down the other side was forested and cruisey. It seemed like we got to the hut super quickly! There was a couple here already. We set up our tent and casually got our chores done, since we arrived at 5 pm. The sky was clear all day but the clouds rolled in as we were preparing for bed. We are really hoping it doesn’t rain!

Mount Rintoul Hut and our Durston X-mid Pro 2 tent setup beside it

Day 62: Mount Rintoul Hut to Starveall Hut: 18 km

The skies cleared up and we started our big and technical climb up to Mount Rintoul. The open scree slope was challenging, but we took our time to slowly pick our way up it. Hiker hunger is hitting me hard now and I needed to eat a few skittles here and there as I climbed to try to keep my blood sugar up enough.

Today was what I like to call champagne hiking. The best of the best type of hiking!! Alpine, ridge walking, expansive views, blue skies… unbelievable!! 

Enjoying the endless mountain views of the Richmond Ranges

The first 4 hours of our day consisted of only a few kilometres to get us up and over the two Rintoul summits. It was technical and exposed at times, but not too bad.

The clouds starting to roll in

We were then ridge walking for quite a while. Undulating up and down. At one point I started to get super thirsty. We reached a junction and there sat a barrel filled with rain water! Wow was I ever happy to see that! 

Dropping down to Slaty Hut we passed a DOC worker painting the orange trail marker posts who told us they were painting the hut as well and it was closed. We were hoping to push to Starveall Hut, so this gave us extra incentive. We had a little snack break, since we are starting to get low on food, and set out at 5 pm. 

The final 2 hours to Starveall Hut were incredible hiking. Broad open ridge, rocky saddle, and dropping down through the trees.  Such a fun day of hiking!!

Our final descent off the ridge towards Starveall Hut

As usual, we opted to set up our tent. We had a very efficient routine and were in bed by 8 pm. Aiming for a massive day tomorrow to get closer to town. Better get to sleep!

Enjoying the sunset light before bed

Day 63: Starveall Hut to Captains Creek Hut: 29.5 km

We got going at first light and dropped down from the ridge through some steep trail. It was then time to climb back up. The trail was relatively easy and the climbs aren’t as major since doing the Richmond mountains, so we were able to keep up a much faster pace. 

Getting up before sunrise

First light illuminating Starveall Hut

Wispy clouds and the moon contrasting the ridge we descended from yesterday

Most of the hiking today was through the forest with only a couple peek-a-boo views. We stopped at a hut partway along for lunch and then another one for dinner. We met a father/daughter hiking duo thru hiking the whole trail going SOBO. It was really fun to get to chat with them about their experience. 

Quick travel through this forest trail

We hiked another 5 km to get to Captains Creek Hut. We arrived just as darkness was setting in. There was a big grassy area next to the hut. We set up quickly and tried to slip into the tent without letting too many sandflies in. 

One of several large bridges spanning the valley

Our final night of camping in the Richmond Ranges

Day 64: Captains Creek Hut to Havelock: 43 km

Low on food and high on motivation, we set off at 6 am before first light to head to town. The first 9 km were on trail along the river and it was a bit slow moving with lots of ups and downs, but thankfully nowhere was seriously eroded. 

Early morning start using our headlamps to illuminate the route

Light rain and our final wire bridge crossing of this section

Once we reached the road we were able to pick our pace up a bit. With 43 km to do today to get into town, we really had to limit how much we could stop. It rained on and off as well. 

On the roads we average 5km/hour

Snack break on the side of the road

We passed a campground and popped in to see if the cafe was open. It wasn’t. We kept pushing through another stretch of trail along a river and then through farmland. At one point we were pushing through an overgrown field along the steep eroding edge. Not so fun. We made it through the slow-going farm walking and were stoked to be setting a better pace on the road. 

Then more rain. Out of food now. Only 5 km to get to Havelock. Thankfully we were able to book a room when we got cell service near the highway. 2 km from town now and we are walking along the ocean! The restaurant last call for food is 7 pm. It’s 6:30. We nip into the gas station to get an ice cream bar to eat while we walk. 

Our final hour of hiking into the town of Havelock

Havelock is the Greenshell Mussel capital of the world

We stagger into the restaurant at 6:45 pm. Everyone is drinking out of wine glasses smelling of perfume. Our shirts are stained, streaked with dirt, and Brian’s has holes in it. Our shoes are dusty and smelling. Our backs are covered in sweat. They still seat us and serve us. I couldn’t be happier. 

We meander to our motel room after dinner. It’s a room with a shared bathroom. I decide I don’t mind. We don’t even bother doing our laundry. Too tired. Time to sleep so that we are ready to hit the trail again tomorrow. 

See you then (in next week’s blog post)

-Story