Te Araroa 05/01/26

Day 106, Lockes Stream Hut to camp, Deception River (2208)

A bright morning as I set off with Pete and Dean to walk down the Taramakau River.

Beautiful morning again 

The trail was very variable with sections of bush, forest, grassy flats, river crossings, stony flood plains and a very steep scrambly bit at the end above the Otira river before the Morrisons Bridge.

Off we go

Taramakau Flats

I'll let the pictures say it all except the nasty bit where the trail went through head high gorse for a short distance.

Path by the river 

A steep bit of forest

Taramakau River braids

My plan was to camp by the bridge, Pete and Dean had gone on to hitch to Arthurs Pass and come back in the morning.

Giant tree

Otira River 

The camping spot was infested with sandflies and I could hear the traffic on the road so I decided to walk on up the Deception River and find a better place to camp.

Path on the stony flats

After two difficult river crossings and five kilometres I found a good spot with tolerable levels of sandflies and only the sound of rushing water and birdsong.

Perfect campsite in the Deception Valley

Nearly perfect wild camping 🏕️ 

Te Araroa 04/01/26

Day 105, Hurunui Hut to Locke Stream Hut (2181)

A nice bright morning which was made even better by the fisherman who was staying in the hut when he offered to take our rubbish out.

Morning sun

Today's walk was easier than yesterday as most of the fallen trees had the section across the track cut out.

Hurunui hot pool

Dead trees

The first section stayed on the flats beside the river, sometimes going into the trees when the river came close.

Fallen tree cut to allow the path through 

Before getting to the next hut there was a small stream of geothermal water with a little pool big enough for a couple of people.

Camerons Hut

I heard later that another group of five people all sat in the pool together.

Grassy flats

I was there early and had it all to myself for a lovely soak.

Ancient tree

It was actually much quicker to get to the hut than the notes said and I could have done it yesterday but I'm glad I didn't as I wouldn't have had time for the hot soak.

Beautiful Beech woods

On then to Cameron Bothy where the flats finish and I was forced into the forest and at times into the river itself as the trail gets steeper on the way to Harpers Pass.

Harper Pass Bivvy

There was a nice little two bed Bothy before the pass that would have been a good place to stay if I wasn't on a deadline to reach Arthurs Pass where I have a bunk booked for three days time.

Harpers pass

There was a steep descent from the pass and I made a mistake by descending too far. When I realized what I had done rather than retracing my steps I thought it would be just as easy to go straight up through the bush to the path. Another mistake! it took twice as long and three times the effort that retracing would have.

Down to the Taramakau River

A long steep descent to another bridge before the final walk along the river to arrive at Locke Stream Hut.

Across the river

A nice old hut and only five of us here for the night.

Hut hidden in the trees

Adze smoothed floor boards

Te Araroa 03/01026

Day 104, Hope Kiwi Lodge to Hurunui Hut (2156)

It was a rather damp morning, drizzle rather than rain but it did rain for half an hour and I delayed starting until it eased.

Leaving Hope Kiwi Lodge 

The trail follows the Kiwi river across wide grassy flats with loads of suckler cows before climbing into the bush and through some difficult areas of fallen trees.

Beautiful Beech trees

Fallen giant

Across various small streams and more fallen trees to the Kiwi Saddle before descending via to a suspension bridge over Three Mile Stream to more grassy flats by the Hurunui River which flows through Lake Sumner.

More bridges

Lake Sumner

Trees surrounded by washed down gravel and stones

Fallen timber everywhere 

Looking back to Lake Sumner

Across the flats, where a bull curled his lip at me, to reach the 'swing bridge' across the Hurunui River.

Cows, and bulls, on the flats

Bridge over the Hurunui

The path then climbed up through the forest, on a better path, to arrive fairly quickly at Hurunui Hut.

Hurunui Hut

I had hoped to get to the next hut today but it was two o'clock and there was another five hours of walking to reach it. I had found the walk today quite tiring so when I found Pete and Dean at Hurunui I decided to stay.

Te Araroa 02/01/26

Day 103, Boyle outdoor center to Hope Kiwi Lodge (2138)

It was a bright dry morning when the shuttle picked me up outside the hostel for the drive back to Boyle, Vinnie got out at Windy ridge but Dean, Pete and myself went all the way back to Boyle.

Pete and Dean ready to go at Boyle

The trail crosses the river but it looked as if it was still very high so we all walked back down the road to Windy Point and crossed at the bridge there.

Back down the road 

There wasn't a huge ascent to do today and there was good walking through the forest without too many boggy bits but I did christen my new shoes.

The River Boyle, a bit too much water to ford

Bridge over the Boyle River

The valley flattened out higher up and there large areas of grass being grazed by suckler cows and dotted with stunted thorn trees.

Hope Halfway Hut

Beech woods

There were several streams to cross as well as one section of the main river that had flooded the trail so the mud got washed off as well.

Hope River

Abandon hope all yea who enter here

Another bridge this time over the Hope River 

Hope Flats

It was a long day from the time I was picked up until I arrived at the hut but it stayed dry and the sun shone at times which made an excellent days walk.

Evening view

Te Araroa 30/12 - 1/1/26

Days 100 to 102, Hanmer Springs 

It rained all day on 30th and in the morning I ordered a Uber to get to Hanmer  but when it was supposed to arrive I got a message saying that they were sorry but they couldn't find a driver! I did get a $30 credit and the first car that came past when I put up my thumb stopped and took me all the way. Very good of them as it was a 14 km detour from their direct route to Canterbury, yet another example of Kiwi friendliness. 

Hostel reception 

A wet time in the town spent visiting various eating establishments and talking to the large numbers of TA walkers who seem to have gathered here.

Hanmer hot springs 

The town is a tourist destination famous for the hot springs and there were a lot of people about with accommodation very scarce, I was a day earlier than I expected but managed to get a bed in the same hostel that I had booked for the next two nights.

Hanmer 

The next day, New Year's Eve, was spent shopping for the next ten days. I sent three days worth on to Arthurs Pass to avoid carrying quite so much but it is still an impressive weight. 

I got my new shoes, the old ones don't look too bad in the picture 

Once that was all organized I went to the hot pools to sit in some nice suphorous water untill I was even more wrinkled. The pools were very busy but mainly around the slides and things, there was enough space in the adult areas.

Tourist transport 

I hadn't intended to stay up to see the New Year in but I met up with Pete and Dean, two TA walkers from New Zealand. It was Pete's birthday today and Deans birthday on the 2nd so we went for a meal together and ended up singing Auld Lang Syne with everyone else.

Seafood platter

I went back to the hot pools on New Year's Day for a quiet soak before spending the rest of the day relaxing at the hostel reading a book and eating.

Hanmer approach road

Pete, Dean, myself and Vinny (Italian TA walker) are getting a shuttle back to Boyle in the morning to continue the trail.