Hadfields Te Araroa Blog - HADFIELDS HIKING TE ARAROA 2015-16, 16-17 & 17-18

Pt6 Day 25. Hope-Kiwi Lodge to Hurunui No3 Hut - 8/04/17

8/4/2017

We were a bit later up this morning and left Hop-Kiwi Hut at 0715, with the target being Hurunui No3 Hut.. We arrived there about 1630 (9h15 in total), but I forgot to turn the GPS off for 40 minutes so it shows 8h42 of walking when it was almost exactly 8 hours (the notes suggest 9-11 hours)! We covered 29.5km today - the GPS info is here.

This is the start of the Harper Pass Track which officially goes through to Aickens carpark on SH73. There is a little bit of family history here to start the day :-) We have a cousin Sue (my late Dad’s first cousin) in America, whose mother was Rosamond Harper. Rosamond was often taken tramping and mountain climbing by her father Arthur (AP) Harper who was a keen mountaineer and explorer. His father was Leonard Harper (son of the first Anglican Bishop of Chch) who, in 1857, was the first European to go right through to the West Coast, over the pass that now bears his name.

It was a bit chilly this morning (but not quite a frost) as we left the hut and, of course, we had a wet foot crossing within 10 min of departing - so the feet started off a little bit cold! We walked up the Kiwi River valley in long pasture for 3km or so, with some sizeable marshy patches that we were mostly taken around on the bush margins. We saw some deer across the river in a clearing just below the bushline - even at some distance they were a little spooked by us! Then it was in forest margin for a bit up to where the open pasture and wetland areas finished. So the next phase was a steady gentle climb up through bush, eventually around above Lake Sumner. There is a lookout near Kiwi Pass so we shot up to that (a very short distance off trail up a hill) for a short break after 1hr45. The mist almost completely hid the lake when we arrived but kindly lifted while we were there to give us a view of the lake - Belinda managing the weather again :-)

Ready to depart from the south side of the hut.

Starting off, looking back north with the hut visible in the background. 4wds come up here as well somehow!

Wetland area - but still nice reflections in the standing water.

We were routed mainly around the worst of the bogs!

A bit of low cloud/mist hanging around this morning.

Three deer at the top of the clearing. Stag at the back (left) and I think the other two were hinds.

More mist still - and snow on the tops.

Getting to the end of the wider valley - another wetland that we mostly went around.

A reminder that in the trees there are still wet/muddy areas in places.

At the lookout above Lake Sumner - lake just visible through the mist - 0902.

Ten minutes later at 0912, this was the view of the lake :-)

Then it was down mostly through beech forest to the head of Lake Sumner, where the Hurunui River flows in. There were lots of birds again today - same mix as yesterday - always nice to see! A brief walk on flat pasture beside the lake (two hikers just getting tent packed away in distance), and some photos of the lake, saw us back into trees. Soon after we came across a group of one mum (Sarah) and 3 students (her daughter Laura plus Chloe and Jared) from Papanui High School in Chch - the kids were doing it as part of the Duke of Edinburgh's Hillary Silver Award. We had a lovely chat with them for 15 minutes or so - it's fantastic to see teenagers out doing this sort of stuff (with supportive parents!!). They also gave us an update on the weather which seemed to have Monday looking OK and Tuesday with the possibility of the “muck” starting to come in sometime. After the break for a chat we were back into beech forest heading west. About 3km from Hurunui Hut (our planned lunch stop) we came back out onto pasture - with cattle grazing and 4wd tracks in evidence. The track then turned and headed south for a short while, directly across the valley through the cattle, to a swingbridge across the Hurunui River. Another half hour on the true right of the Hurunui saw us at Hurunui Hut (after 19km, just over 5 hours of walking), at 1245. We had a half hour for lunch and got underway again.

Some of the bits of track are well scoured by water.

Three Mile Stream is crossed on a swingbridge although there wasn't a huge volume of water today.

Looking south across the lake.

Nearing the head of the lake - still enough for reflections.

Pano looking down the lake. Two hikers packing up away on the far side of the fence (late start - this was 1035)!

One mum and three adventurous teenagers!! Sarah, with Laura, Chloe and Jared - a great team :-)

Looking across the Hurunui - couldn't figure out what had been sprayed?!

A mossy root and leaf path.

And a big knob on this beech tree!

Evidence that this bush had been cut over at some stage in the past,

About to exit the bush onto the grassy flats.

We think we know who it was with the sense of humour :-)

Looking back to Lake Sumner - evidence of recent 4wd activity as well.

Mostly herefords - made B homesick for her cows I'm sure :-)

A fairly lengthy bridge across the Hurunui. Also a flood monitoring station - solar panels on the cleared face above the bridge.

We had to climb up above that face - but it did provide some views.

This was once a 4wd track but hasn't been used for a long while by the looks of it (impassable in some places now).

More wide track through more mature beech trees.

Hurunui Hut.

1.25 hours later we came across the famous hot pool, which we had been looking forward to. We stripped off and jumped in!! Had a soak for about 10 mins (with the sandflies!) - it was absolutely luxury! Then it was a quick dry-off and dress (sandflies in attendance) and back on the trail. We had hoped to be doing some river flat walking but it wasn't too be (we have almost learnt not to have expectations about what is ahead!!). Most of it was through the beech margin, with some harder going underfoot, including a little up and down - not really what we were looking for toward the latter phase of a long day! We must be getting fussy! However, the last 1.5km was on nice river flat to ease our passage to the hut!

A Kiwi hunter by the name of Dave was here and had just started lighting the fire :-). Dave is close to my age and from Cambridge. He retired early from IT and has only taken up hunting in the last five years or so - he gets out regularly and absolutely loves it - and is doing a couple of weeks around here this time. We had already heard about Dave from a couple of other parties who had been beneficiaries of his generosity in sharing out a deer he had shot!! A very nice guy and we had lots of discussions! As usual, into bed not too long after dark, ready for an early start. Dave was also going early - he was heading back to Hurunui Hut where he had spent a couple of nights earlier, and also had some venison hanging in a tree maturing!!