Pelorus, Richmond Range, & Waiau Pass Tramps

It has been almost a month since we've updated our blog and you may wonder what we have been up to lately? As we previously explained on our last blog, Jacob and I begun the Te Araroa tramp the beginning of January. Since the Queen Charlotte Track, the first section of the tramp, Jacob and I have done the Pelorus River, Richmond Alpine Range, and Waiau Pass Tracks. We have fallen more in love with tramping, as well as the beautiful land and mountains of New Zealand, and our amazing God who is the artist and creator of it all. We have also been incredibly blessed with the people we have met along the trail, the friendships we've created, and our new tramping buddies, Linda and Sam who we are sharing this Te Araroa experience with. For this blog, we will give you all a little description of the track, along with both highlights and challenges of each section to give you a little better idea of our experience and what we have been up to lately.

PELORUS RIVER (3 days, 40.9km)
The Pelorus River section begins outside of Havelock. It begins along the Pelorus River and include many stream crossings and then ascends high in the forest to the Totara Saddle. The trail then directly connects with the Richmond Track.

Highlights:
During this three day tramp, we got to stay in our first back country hut! After camping all of Queen Charlotte, being able to stay in a hut was quite a luxury, and definitely cut down time in the morning because we know longer had to put away our tent! We really enjoyed being by the river and again realized how much we love being near the water.

Challenges:
MICE! We are thankful to say our biggest challenges on the Pelorus River Track were the hungry mice who really enjoyed some trail mix, back country cuisine, and chocolate our first night at Captain Creek Hut. We quickly learned to tightly seal everything and zip up all food in our packs every night. The sand flies were also a challenge along the river, but we are happy that itchy legs and mice are our biggest complaints!

walking along the Pelorus River

Jacob about to go on his first swing bridge!!

He belongs near the water

walking across the swing bridge

RICHMOND ALPINE RANGE (7 days, 77.3km)
This tramp is known as a rugged tramp, with multiple summits above 1,500 meters. It has many steep, exposed sections and stream crossings. The track is within the Mt Richmond Forest Park and includes a variety of terrain, beginning on the forest floor, ascending high into the alpines, and finishing within the Red Hills, a much more barren landscape.

Highlights:
The Richmond Alpine Range was where we met some great tramping friends also tramping the Te Araroa. Linda, a New Zealander, and Sam, a Californian native, are walking for the charity hikeforhearts, raising money to buy heart defibulators for the NZ organization St. John. Lin and Micha are a German couple also walking the TA. It was a huge blessing that we could share this experience with these two groups. We have continued to walk with Linda and Sam since, and have become quite the tramping family! Besides meeting great people along the trail, the beautiful alpine terrain has definitely been a highlight of this tramp. Every day we have found ourselves in aw of the beautiful creation we are amidst. God is truly an artist and we are reminded of this every day! Spending time in the huts with our new friends has also become a highlight of our tramping. Seeing the hut at the end of a long day is a great feeling, followed by relaxing, resting, playing cards, reading, warm fires, hot drinks, and shared meals together. We are really loving it!

Challenges:

 

Summiting Little Rintoul (1643km) and Mt Rintoul (1731km) on the third day of this tramp was the most challenging, yet rewarding day of the tramp. After hours of scrambling and climbing up steep scree and boulders, we were rewarded with the most beautiful views of  mountains and valleys all around us. It was a very humbling and incredible feeling to be on top of Mt Rintoul and just take in the world around us. Sometimes the greatest challenges we face are indeed the most rewarding in the end! During this 10 day section we really got a better idea of the amount of food we need to be eating. We have learned that Jacob does indeed need to eat more food than I do, and after one section of having a hungry husband, we have since made alterations to the food supply and are much happier!



Look where we came from!

Our friends Micha and Lin. Also tramping the T.A.

weathering the rain with a smile

Never a dull moment on the mountain

loving the beautiful mountains and valleys that seem to never end

on top of Mt Rintoul. Such an incredible view!

We made it! So happy!

In love with the mountains!

Orange triangle, where are you leading us??

Look at the view from Mt Rintoul

love the different terrain you can see in the picture

Yes, we love these orange triangles!

On our way up to Upper Wairao Hut

The view of St Arnaud from the end of the trail. SO HAPPY to see this beautiful town!

The view from the Alpine Backpackers where we stayed

Pizza is what we dreamed about after ten days in the mountains!

Had such a wonderful night with out new friends, Linda, Sam, and Jim!

Happy Birthday Sam!

WAIAU PASS (8 1/2 days 113.6km)
The Waiau Pass begins in the little town of St Arnaud on the shore of Lake Rotoiti within the Nelson Lakes National Park. This is a long tramp and at 1870 meters, the Waiau Pass is the second highest point along the Te Araroa. It's the most likely to be blocked and affected by weather.

Highlights:
One of our highlights of the Waiau Pass was the beautiful Blue Lake. It was a very unique lake and had the clearest and most pure water in the world. It was a very serene and peaceful place to spend the day before we climbed the pass. Climbing both the upper Travers Saddle and Waiau Pass were also incredible! Again the views were incredible and the feeling when you reach the top of a summit after such a challenging climb is just indescribable. The people we met along this track was again one of the highlights. We met a couple backpacking guides and trail blazers from Montana, a local father and son on a hunting trip, an older couple out tramping for his birthday, and Alicia and Alfredo, two lightweight trampers. It was wonderful meeting each of these people, the time spent with them, and the different ideas we continue to gain to make our own backpacking experience better (and lighter!).

Challenges:
We have quickly learned that there is no "easy tramping." Every day has it's own challenges and that could vary from the challenging terrain, the weather, lack of substantial food, wasp stings, not being able to find the next marker, etc. During this section our biggest challenge seemed to be the hot sun and dealing with the heat. It's incredible how the sun can really drain your energy, so we quickly became early morning trampers, trying to beat the heat! Another challenge we have faced is our bodies adapting to the rigorous physical activity we have been doing. Exhaustion and fatigue are often common but most physical ailments have been overcome with mental strength. However, I have developed shin splints in my left leg, which has made an "easy tramp" into a very challenging one. We have learned that every day has it's challenges and most times the challenges we face are completely different than what we anticipate.

The beautiful Lake Rotoiti

the beginning of the waiau pass tramp

walking through the valley

love the flowers and different scenery!

On our way up to Travers Saddle

On top of the saddle looking west

Mt. Travers. Indescribeable!

After the Travers Saddle, we headed into this valley

The West Sabine River, on our way up to Blue Lake

Blue Lake: Clearest water in the world!

 

Lake Constance!

Lake Constance from Waiau Pass

 

 

At the top of Waiau Pass. Exhausted and happt we finally made it!

Jacob is an incredible leader on the mountain! Thankful for my mountain man husband!

We did it!

 

Linda and Sam!

looking back to the mountains we climbed the day before

The best support crew: JIM! patiently waiting for us at the end of Waiau Pass Track. We are SO THANKFUL for him!

Reflection:
Overall, we are really enjoying our time tramping--the raw beauty of the mountains and beautiful creation, the challenges we face every day, the people we've met, and the simplicity of tramping. It is so nice having this opportunity to experience and tramp the Te Araroa. We have never done this type of backpacking before, and are loving learning so much and we are quickly learning to really enjoy and appreciate tramping as a great form of exercise. I think it will always be apart of our lifestyle in the future. The simple lifestyle we have gotten to live the past month has been refreshing and purifying for us both. When you are out in the bush and mountains, you are no longer connected with modern day technology (texts, facebook, tv, emails, etc), materialism, or other worries and business we seem to so easily fill our lives with. There is nothing to distract you from being fully present in the moment you are in and the people you are with. The one word that comes to mind is "Pure." There is such a raw and pure beauty of creation. and being in the mountains. The raw beauty along with the simplicity is what we really love and appreciate most.

Our next tramp begins tomorrow morning as we begin the Harper Pass and Arthur Pass tramp which will be a 6 day tramp. We are excited for what these tramps await, as we know that every day is a new day and we will experience and see things we have never seen before. We appreciate all your support and prayers along our journey and we will continue to do our best to update you all along the way!
Agape'
Jordan and Jacob :)