Waiau Pass

The Nelson Lakes and Waiau Pass have been on our list for a long time and living in Hanmer Springs it really was a walk in our backyard but a trip we have never made.
St Arnaud was a welcome break for us after the Richmond Hills and we started again with the walk beside Lake Rotoiti - it was just stunning. We have been so lucky with the weather, the forecast was for showers and strong winds but they just never arrived. The trail up to the John Tait Hut is a very gradual ascent and all the time you are surrounded with majestic mountains, then up past the Travers Waterfall to the Upper Travers Hut. This had to be on of the top ten tracks so far!!

Lake Constance

From here we climbed steeply over the Travers saddle and very steeply down to the West Sabine Hut over a rocky saddle and through a stunning gorge. Then the climb up to the Blue Lake Hut by the side of the roaring alpine stream, not surprisingly the hut was almost full as it is just a breathtaking place to be in the mountains. The lake is the purest source of  freshwater in the world.
We climbed the next morning up past Lake Constance to the foot of the Waiau Pass. Not a cloud in the sky, how privileged were we. A hard climb to the top revealed the valleys below and the most wonderful views for 360 degrees. That was the easy bit !! The descent is steep but not too technical, just a good head for heights needed and bionic knees !!!

Looking up the Lake Constance Valley.  Waiau Pass up on the left above the steep shingle.

We made it down to the Waiau Forks and made slow progress down the valley over boulder fields and slips to the Caroline Bivi. Not my idea of a great place to stay on Valentine's Day - so we slept in our tent, which was very cosy and tried not to share it with the clouds of sandflies outside.

Ann Hut

The next day was a big challenge too as we had 30 kms to walk on very tired legs, but the scenery was so uplifting that it did not seem so bad. We joined the St James Walkway, now on familiar territory and arrived at the 5 star Ann Hut. A new hut to replace the one that burned down, it was splendid.

The penultimate day was a walk to the Boyle Flats Hut over the Ann Saddle , a mere pimple compared to the Waiau Pass. A great fianl night with John and Melanie before the final walk out to the Boyle Village.

Thanks to Wendy and her staff for the warm welcome with tea and scones - bliss. Also thanks to Jim for the ride back to Hanmer in the Rusty Carrot Van. The end of an awesome 7 day crossing and back to the Hot Pools and our own bed - yea ha.


We have now walked over 2000 kilometers and raised over $4,800 for Cancer Research. If you would like to donate to our charity please click on this link.       Donate Now to Cancer Research.

Off through Arthurs Pass next and on to Lake Coleridge and then Tekapo. Planning the walk is as big a challenge as the walk itself, we need to send food parcels and maps onto the next resupply point and predict roughly how long it will take us. Although it is hard to give definite dates if you are keen to walk with us or help us along the way, please contact us. We hope to be in Tekapo around the 15th March.