Lewis Pass To St Arnaud March 2022

FESCH.TV INFORMIERT:

A selection of highlights from our 2022 Annual Tramp: a 9-day, partly off-track odyssey from Lewis Pass to St Arnaud.

Filmed and narrated by Isabel Carlyon, with some filming and narration by Graeme Carlyon.

Featuring Isabel and Graeme Carlyon, Keith and Betty McLeod, and Jon Cunningham (aka the Annual Trampers).

Day 1 – a (relatively) easy 12km along the well-formed St James Walkway from Lewis Pass on SH7 to Ada Pass Hut (1,000m).
Day 2 – 4.34km of off-track travel from Ada Pass Hut to Three Tarns Basin (1,700m) via Three Tarns Saddle (1,850m)
Day 3 – 6.15km of mostly off-track travel from Three Tarns Basin to the cosy and beautifully-sited Bob’s Hut (840m) via the stunning Upper Matakitaki Valley.
Day 4 – 13.74km of mostly off-track travel from Bob’s Hut through the lower reaches of the West and East Matakitaki Valleys, with multiple river crossings, passing East Matakitaki Hut, to a camping spot in the upper reaches of the East Matakitaki Valley
Day 5 – 6.29km from our campsite in the East Matakitaki Valley to stunning Lake Thompson, via D’Urville Pass (1,830m) and Thompson Pass (1,769m), with a technical, nerve-wracking sidle between the two saddles.
Day 6 – an exhausting 8.39km from our campsite at Lake Thompson down to the Waiau River, then back up to Waiau Pass (for me, the scenic highlight of the trip) at 1,870m, dropping down to beautiful Lake Constance at 1,338m, followed by an evil scramble up to 1,480m on very tired legs (apparently that particular section of track has caused more than one Te Araroa walker to give up!), and finally descending to the very welcome sight of Blue Lake Hut (1,200m).
Day 7 – a well-earned rest day exploring the area around Rotomairewhenua (Blue Lake), reputedly the clearest lake in the world, with visibility reaching 80m.
Day 8 – a long 22.18km along the Travers-Sabine track, following the Sabine River from Blue Lake Hut to Sabine Hut (450m) on the shores of Lake Rotoroa.
Day 9 – water taxi from Sabine Hut to Rotoroa, followed by a shuttle to the Alpine Lodge in St Arnaud, where a well-earned shower and a comfy bed awaited!