After almost a week, the weather is finally good enough to go back to the trail. With the birthday of Tika next week, I decided I would hike in Northward direction from Arthurs Pass to Boyle Village (the location where I left the trail). Besides easier hitchhiking, it is also a choice made by the weather and terrain. The upcoming days are definitely sunny, the weekend might be rainy. In NoBo direction I cross the rivers in the first few days, plus 2/3 rivers I hike in upstream direction. So if I can cross downstream, it’s most likely I can cross upstream (except when it’s raining upstream).

Before I started hitching I ate a big breakfast and updated my blog (had no motivation to do it sooner). The hitching went extremely smoothly, with the highlight of my ride with the Chief Executive of Environmental Canterbury who kinda offered me a job!! I got her number and if I want a job in NZ after I finish the TA I should give her a call. What an amazing opportunity and she was absolutely amazing as a person! So who knows?

Another extremely kind Kiwi went out of her way to drive me to the spot where I would start the TA again. I am so grateful for the kindness of Kiwis and I hope it will stay like this forever!

After all the luxuries of the past week, it took a second to cross the first stream and to sacrifice my dry feet. Luckily I did because it was a very wet trail!

The uphill took a little more effort. It takes a dag or two to snap my body out of chill mode. The river was clear but definitely fed by a lot of groundwater from recent rainfall. The crossings were upper thy, so about the max I do comfortably. Although it was very cold!

The last bit over the saddle was even colder, with a strong headwind, no sun, and temperatures near 10 degrees Celsius I think.

I was the first to arrive at the hut, but luckily two other hikers joined me. Hopefully, together we can heat the place because there is no woodburner and I wore all my layers (including rain gear) to get warm again. It worked a little bit, but I got early in my sleepbag (with my thermos and socks on which is the first time this hike) so hopefully I will be warm soon. I think the temperature will drop below zero tonight. So extremely grateful for this amazing hut!

What a day!!

Today is a rest day and being in Hanmer Springs means a Spa day. Could be worse.

I went for breakfast and after that to the supermarket for some snackies. The other hikers were planning to join as well but first needed to do some typical town chores. So I went alone, which is fine because they have single-person slides now. So I kept myself entertained.

The others joined and we went into several hot springs to let our bodies recover. After an hour or so most of them were done with the pools and wanted to leave. Incomprehensible to me, first they didn’t even go down a slide and two it’s not cheap. So I planned to stay a LONG time! Which I did. Read my book, ate some snacks, and went down the slides. I even saw the lovely Kiwi family again. I complained to the mom that all the other hikers left and I had no one to go down the 2-person slides with me. She was like oh just grab my teenage sons. I was like I don’t think a 28-year-old woman should ‘grab’ teenage boys in a pool. Might give out the wrong message. So she walked with me and ordered her eldest to join me. He didn’t mind and gave all sorts of tips on how we would have the most speed. It was hilarious and I’m so glad that it all worked out.

After a long shower with multiple rounds of shampoo, I left the Spa fully relaxed and clean. Another dinner with the group and of course the discussion on what to do next. The weather forecast looked dreadful and the southern end of the next section consists of many river crossings that can become uncrossable if it rains a lot. The big group decided to go to Christchurch. I decided to go to Tika and order a new tent. Not only the river crossing would be a problem in rain, but also the fact that my tent isn’t waterproof.

So in the end I was almost a full week of trail.

My body was aching after the long day. So despite how tired I was, I didn’t fall into a deep long sleep. In the morning I could hear the rain. Glad that I pushed on, I wanted to reward myself with a lie-in. But the sandflies put an end to it. Active in the morning, I could feel them biting my face (the only exposed skin), and after that sleep was off the table.

Most of the people had already left, but the super kind Kiwi family was still getting ready. They are absolutely amazing and I might bump into them tomorrow at the spa in Hanmer Springs. As we left at the same time, I offered to take a photo of them. The screen on the mom’s phone was so dark that I couldn’t see anything. I asked them to check the photos. Happy that I did, because I accidentally took selfies.

After the queue for the swing bridge (1 person at a time), I passed them. My pace was slow! The drizzle rain and the fact that everything becomes slippery doesn’t help. But most importantly I was just drained from the previous day. Not a big shocker.

The trail was gorgeous and overall a very well-managed tramping trail. The views of the valley were blocked by the clouds. It took a lot to keep hiking, but if I wanted to reach the end of the hike and hitchhike to Hanmer Springs, there was only one way.

So I dragged my slow ass over the trail and finally reached the junction of the gravel road. There was no doubt in my mind so I immediately switched to the gravel road. Again a good decision as the drizzle was replaced by rain. Cold and wet I reached the highway. In a shelter, there were two men making lunch and they informed me that a shuttle would pick them up in an hour.

Really nice, but I gave hitching a shot and the first car stopped! Thank you!! He would drive me to the junction to Hanmer and when I got out, another car offered me a ride instantly. And so at 1 o’clock, I was in Hanmer Springs trying to get warm again!

I checked in a hostel, went for chips and a cider, and spent the afternoon in bed.

I joined a big group of TA hikers with Sebas, Mathild, Logan, Aisha, Cameron, and a few more. The vibe was good and I treated myself to some nice food and drinks. A little tipsy I walked back and climbed in my extremely wobbly bunk bed. The owner of the hostel made a deal, I would take the top bunk for two nights and she would do my laundry for free. So here I lay, trying not to twist and wake everyone up by the screaking of the bed.

With the knowledge of rain tomorrow, I could see myself doing a big day. If I push on to Boyle Flat Hut (47km) instead of Anne Hut (30km), the next day would only be 13,5km. That seems tempting. So I got up and packed. I was the second to leave camp. Only Logan had left determined to walk from here to the end of the trail. There is always a boss above a boss as we say in the Netherlands.

Soon after I started, there was a small river with no opportunity to rock-hop. So wet feet it is. I’m glad I got them wet at the first river crossing because there were so many!

I had a great pace and enjoyed the coolness of the morning and the stunning views. I got to the hut and quickly wrote my intentions in the book and continued.

I passed several people in my ‘power pace’. To my secret delight, I also overtook Alex. Yes only because he takes off his boots at every river crossing to keep them dry, but only when I took my long break to dry my tent, take a swim, and eat lunch, he caught up. But I overtook him again when he took a break. Am I petty? Yes. Is hiking a competition? No (unless you attempt an FKT, but I let George and Brooke have that honor). But still, it feels good.

The last 5 km to Anne’s hut was a little bit slow. Out of the blue, I saw Logan chilling after a stream. I was a bit confused because he wasn’t even halfway through his crazy big day. But I continued to the hut. I got there at 3 pm. Time for some more food. There were already a few hikes in the hut. I was in doubt whether should continue. While I was eating and contemplating my decision. Logan walked in. He felt off today and so would stag in Anne’s hut. Alex arrived shortly after and the hut already felt crowded. Not something I wanted to spend hours in. So I made up my mind and continued.

The trail in itself wasn’t difficult, but gigh grasses sweeping along my legs resulted in red swollen spots which eventually covered my whole legs. I tried to rinse the pollen of my leg and every stream, but it wasn’t enough. Passed Anne Saddle I also got horrible thigh shaving, but I know how to deal with that. But these are definitely signs that my body is crumbling. But I can do hard stuff and I definitely experienced worse. So with my mantra of ‘I got this’ I continued. And yep indeed I got it. Finally, I saw the swing bridge to the hut.

When I arrived most were already in bed. Only one family was in and without me asking, they made a space available for me to sleep and quietly informed me that there was no water at the hut. They gave me some, so I could cook my food while taking a bath in the river. My red puffy legs needed that desperately.

Of course, the sandflies feasted on my blood, but it also gave me extra motivation to stay in the water longer. After I filled up my water, I headed back to the hut. My food was ready, but no spoon. Everyone was in by that time. But eating oily couscous with your fingers isn’t great. Tired as I am, I need a lot of willpower not to go into a silent tantrum. But thank the trail gods, there was a metal spoon left behind.

After tea, I went to bed. Exhausted!!

A big day. Going to hike to Blue Lake, over Waiau Pass, and camp somewhere before Waiau hut. Last time it took a long time and it was a day where I hated hiking and loved it again.

So I was mentally prepared. At 6:15 I left the hut and started on the uphill part still within the forest. The roots, rocks, and erosion of the trail make it a slow track, but it was in much better condition than 4 years ago and I am getting faster on this terrain. There were some very steep parts close to the hut and I could feel that I needed to fuel my body. So at the hut, I prepared some noodles, walked to the clearest lake on earth (no touching only looking!), and already felt in a much better mood.

The next part would be steep, an additional 200m climb because you can’t walk along the lake shore. The downhill is slippery gravel also called scree and I hated that last time so much.

After I packed everything and waved goodbye to Aisha, Cameron, Sebas, Mathild, Logan, and Alex, I continued.

It was easier. Whether that was due to my mental preparation and knowing what was to come, or because my body is in better shape (last time I didn’t eat healthy enough and so around this time my body was depleted of nutrients), I don’t know. But it was much more enjoyable. Even the descent went smoothly.

At Lake Constance, Alex caught up with me. I refilled my water and continued. I planned to have my break near the top of Waiau Pass and soak in the view. The others weren’t far behind, but they all took a break.

The ascent is quite straightforward (literally). I would climb 2 orange trail markers, take a breath, look around, and continue. Soon I was on the traverse section. This part you can see from far away and a photo never captures the real feeling, but I didn’t freak out as much as last time. It’s not that I think you would slide down if you fall, but sometimes your footing isn’t stable. While it gently slides down, my body just freaks out. But I kept breathing and put the other foot in front of the other and it was soon over.

I found a perfect spot for a break while I could see the others climbing/tramping towards me. Alex was first and exclaimed happily that it only took him 40 minutes from the lake to reach me. That is fast, but in a landscape like this, I would regret rushing through it. But different people hike a different hike. He continued before the others arrived.

The other hikers shared my opinion and everyone sat down to let the view sink in. It’s one of the best views of the TA.

Of course, we had to continue at some point and we continued together. Over the pass and down the bedrock on the other side. Love the rock scrambling!

We had another long break when we bumped into two other hikers. We did leave them behind and continued with the six of us.

We reached the junction where I camped last time, but 4/6 wanted to continue and so Mathild and I sucked it up and continued as well. So Logan, Aisha, Cameron, and Sebas are fast walkers and I struggled to not get behind. At some stage, I couldn’t see Mathild anymore. They stopped to discuss the camp spot and with the decision on a grassy meadow 1 km away, I waited for Mathild.

As much as I wanted to stop at the junction, the additional 4km meant that tomorrow would be easier. Logan also got an automatic weather report and the day after tomorrow, a 100% chance of rain.

In the evening, we all took a dip in the river to rinse off the sweat and then we quickly covered up because it was sandflies o’clock. After dinner, we went to bed.

Early in the morning, I heard the other hikers rumbling around. I looked out and it looked rainy and the tops were in the clouds. So no rush to get up as I’m not going to Angelus hut. I’ll save that for another time.

The weather wasn’t that bad after all. The trail was fine, but with slippery roots always a bit slower. Also brushing through the scrub makes you instantly wet, so I was glad I put my raincoat on and covered my backpack. The only thing wet were my feet. Not great but expected in NZ.

Faster than the doc time, I paused at the mid-way point. Sabine hut. A beautiful 32 bunk hut, however, the amount of sandflies was uncanny and the ani sounds from the walls and roof weren’t very comforting. It turned out only 1 person slept in this hut last night. Must be scary and I wasn’t too sad that I didn’t continue yesterday.

After my lunch break, the sun broke out and it uplifted my mood massively. The trail following a river was a combination of easy and difficult parts. On the whole, it took me the exact estimated time.

I arrived at 5:30 pm which is very decent. I saw Mathild and Alex and a bunch of other TA hikers. Always nice to keep bumping into each other and later on even more familiar faces show up.

Glad with a refreshing dip in the river and my largest portion of food so far, I was quite content. Although it’s only 7:30 I’m in bed, because tomorrow will be a big day. So I want to get up early and be rested.

It was time to get on the move again. Today would be a rainy day with the most rain in the afternoon. So I decided to start early and hike for an extremely short day. Which I was glad about because I wasn’t very motivated.

I got up early (looking back probably too early) and started to hike to a different trail than the TA route. I was planning on going to Speargrass hut, the day after to Angelus hut on the ridge, and then continuing past Sabine hut to rejoin the TA at West Sabine hut. Right before the gorgeous Waiau Pass. If the weather was not great I would skip Angelus hut and continue straight to Sabine hut. But these are plans for the next few days.

Today it was a short hike. Especially because I got a hitch offered while I was walking the gravel road.

While walking through the forest it rained a little. So I decided that I would overheat wearing a jacket and continued without. In the end, it rained a bit harder, but I was already close to the hut.

At 11 I arrived. The hut was full of people who would continue to the car park where I just came from. I felt tired, so I snuck into my sleeping bag and slept for another few hours.

I did feel indecisive because the weather wasn’t bad at all and I felt I should continue. But this would mean I wouldn’t do Angelus hut although tomorrow it probably was still too cloudy to do it anyway. But I also didn’t want to walk further in the rain, but I only hiked for 3 hours. Not a pace to hike another 1000km, but why not stay? There is no rush.

In the end, I decided to stay. Later in the day, I got company. Wet as they were I lit the fire and had some chatts.

Even though I already slept a few hours today. I fell asleep quickly.

Although I thoroughly enjoy a rest day. Typically it is not the most interesting to write about. This day is no exception. The day consisted of food and updating my blog.

With less than 20km to St Arnaud, it is an easy hike out. However, this is also because I’m taking the gravel road instead of the official TA route. I did it last time and it is not worth it. Barely any views but a lot of hard work.

The views from the gravel road were amazing and it confirmed that I made the right choice.

Once I hit the road, I saw Thomas with two other hikers getting a hitch. I actually looked forward to just mindless hiking on a flat surface. So I choose to walk the road. The guy driving the car came back after he dropped the other hikers off to offer me again a hitch. I still declined and continued m my singing while walking session. I only had 30 minutes to go when another car offered me a ride. By this point, I didn’t see the additional value in continuing the road walk, so I accepted the ride.

Then I didn’t do much. I ate a lot, midday nap, and dinner. I missed out on the TA drinks at the Alpine Lodge because I expected them in the backpackers. But I’ll try again tomorrow when I have my rest day.

What started as a good night turned sour in the early morning. I was glad that I did pitch my tent as there was a lot of condensation. However, the wind changed direction and strength overnight and my tent flapped loudly. Too loud to sleep although I dozed off briefly dreaming that I parked a van nearby and I should just go to it. At 4 in the morning, I decided to pack and hike in the dark with my headlamp.

I had to look carefully a few times to see the marking poles, but it went all right. My mood wasn’t great, but it got worse…. Lost my handkerchief and started to think about things that made me angry. Having imaginary discussions and arguments. Why? I don’t know and I don’t like it when my mind starts doing it. But it is difficult to stop once I’ve started.

I reached the first hut (hunters’ hut) early in the morning where people were getting ready, I hiked already for more than two hours and was in a rotten mood. So I replied snappy at the genuine question that the people in the hut asked me. I left as fast as I could. Not wanting to be rude to anyone, but absolutely not in the mood for any small talk after my imaginary discussions.

Once I put on my Harry Potter audiobook I felt much better. I reached the second hut (Porters Hut) well under the estimated DOC time. Knowing so many hikers were behind me, I was well on schedule to get a bed at the next hut (Red Hill Hut).

I ate an early lunch and when I left at 12, no one else had turned up. The next section was estimated to take 5 hours. It took a little bit longer. It started with some sketchy parts where I had to focus, ignore the ‘what if I fall here thought’, and keep breathing. Because halfway through a sketchy bit, I could feel myself freeze and that is not helping at all. I made it safely through all the bits. I did slip a few times, but nothing serious.

It got so hot in the afternoon and I longed for a swim. 4 km from my final destination, there was a river big enough to submerge myself in. I did realise I would not make my estimated 4 hours and most likely would not make the DOC time. But that doesn’t matter. I would still get to the hut with plenty of daylight. Cooling my body down was definitely necessary and the water was the perfect temperature.

After the river, there was a steep uphill section, so instantly sweating again. By the time the ascent was finished, I was almost at the hut. I saw comments on FarOut that it’s best to fill up water at the last stream as this hut is known to run out of water. So the last 1 km I added 3 liters. Which I gladly used to rinse myself off once I reached the hut.

In the hut, the lower three bunks were taken. But I was just happy to have a bed. I also saw Thomas again. Two hours later the people I saw at the first hut came trickling in and soon the last two beds were claimed. It also allowed me to apologise for my grumpy behavior.

It was busy but everyone was happy as this was the last night of Richmond Ranges.