Magdalen Hut, Lake Summer Forest Park: December 2012

A trip to Magdalen Hut, St James Conservation Area

I went up to the Lewis Pass area for an overnight trip in to Magdalen Hut on the St James Walkway, it was 9 km (4 hours walk) from the Boyle River Outdoor Education Centre. The centre offers a car parking and shuttle service, I left my car in their care and followed the St James Walkway back up the valley,  this is the opposite direction from those walking the complete walkway.

Mid way to Magdalen Hut, St James Conservation Area

Day One: Boyle Village to Magdalen Hut: 11 kms, 3-4 hours

I started the St James Walkway from the carpark off the road to Boyle Settlement...there is space for about 10 cars here with a toilet and track signage. It is actually safer to park your car at the Boyle Outdoor Education Centre (BOEC) right next to the carpark. The track starts from next to the toilet block and heads up the Boyle River Valley to the first swingbridge over the river. 

Start of the St James Walkway at the Boyle River entrance

The carpark at the Boyle entrance to the St James Walkway

DOC sign at start of the St James Walkway at Boyle river

  The track is in excellent condition, wide and easily followed, as befits one of the track on the Te Araroa Trail. Many thousands of people must walk along this track every year either as a tramp of the St James Walkway or following the Long Pathway. It is also one of the entry points for trips to the rest of the St James Conservation Area and the Opera, Libretto and Poplars Ranges. 

Map: Boyle Settlement to Magdalen Hut

Sidle track, St James Walkway, near the start of the track at Boyle River

Crossing a side stream on the way to the Boyle River

You cross over two swing bridges on the way to the hut one near the start and the other is at the junction of the St James Walkway and the Track to Magdalen Hut. As you can see the rivers were high as there had been a week of hard rain just before I visited. 

Classic kiwi tramping territory with single track and swing bridges!



Lower swing bridge over Boyle River, St James Walkway

 

 You pass a number of meadows as you walk along they were all covered in these beautiful yellow flowers quite idyllic. This trip was at the beging of summer the time when alpine flowers begin to bloom. 



Forest meadow near the Boyle river swing bridge, St James Walkway

 

The walkway follows the forest edge most of the way up the valley with the occasional foray into the bush. The Boyle River Valley is a part of the Glenhope high country station in its lower reaches and becomes the St James Conservation Area close to Magdalen Hut.



View up Boyle Valley from mid way point to Magdalen Hut, St James Conservation Area



Looking up the Boyle Valley towards St Andrews Homestead, St James Conservation Area

The St James Walkway can be muddy in places as there are numerous small streams crossing the track. There are also a number of seasonal bogs in the forest itself as the land is low and flat and gets quite a bit of rain. It can be useful to wear long gaiters on this track as you will get very wet and muddy otherwise. 

Muddy track conditions on the St James Walkway

You wil often find makeshift bridges over the muddiest sections of the track with corrogation being the most often used method to cross wet, boggy ground. Feel free to chuuck some more logs in the mire to build the track up if you like...



St James walkway, the highest point this trip, above the second Boyle River swingbridge

The Boyle River was bank to bank near the second swing bridge...normally you can ford this river lower down but only an idiot would have entered it that day. It was too deep and swift for any river crossings...

Upper Boyle River swing bridge, St James Walkway



I stayed at Magdalen Hut, which is 30 mins down the true left of the Boyle River from the second swing bridge. You access the hut along a short track heading down the side of the river. It is an excellent hut, with plenty of space around it for tenting, but the sand flies are atrocious. 

Beware and bring your DEET!



Magdalen Hut, St James Conservation Area


Built in 2010 Magdalen Hut is one of the new breed of 6 bunkers...spacious, insulated and with a top notch log burner and rain water tank. This would make an excellent family trip destination. Thanks to the Hanmer Scouts who had recently visited and dropped off a load of dry wood for the hut woodburner.

Magdalen Hut: the cooking bench...

The nearby Boyle River is a noted trout fishery and you will often see anglers trying their hand in its waters.Totally useless on the day I visited as the rain had made the water dirty and hard to see into. I walked down to the river to have a look later in the afternoon. 

Magdalen Hut with the Poplar Range to the rear

I spent most of the afternoon cutting up firewood, drinking tea and reading the massive pie of FMC magazines in the hut. Dinner on this trip was a Backcountry Cuisine freee dried meal...Lamb Fettucine washed down with Orange-Mango Raro. 

Magdalen Hut: the bunks with my gear laid out on my bunk for the night

I shared the hut that night with Phil an American academic and hiker in New Zealand for a conference. He arived at 6 pm just as it was starting to get dark after driving to Lewis Pass at noon... 

My Marmot Trestles sleeping bag in Magdalen Hut

It was interesting to share details about families, hiking/tramping culture and recent political events in the US (it was just after the 2013 US election between Barrack Obama and John McCain). Lets just say that Phil was not a fan of Sarah Pallin....he kept refering to her as 'that idiot from Alaska".

The wood burner in Magdalen Hut, St James Conservation Area



Inside Magdalen Hut St James Conservation Area (2012)

 We had an enjoyable evening in the hut as it was warm inside but cold outside so when the fire died down later it was a nice comfortable tempreture in the hut. There was a little rain over night but it was well finished by the time we woke the next morning. 

Interior of Magdalen Hut, St James Conservation Area

I was super snug in my Marmot Trestles sleeping bag...really too much bag for this trip but I am currently saving money to buy myself a decent down sleping bag. I didnt have a lot of tramping gear after so many years in hiatus so i am slowly building it back up once again. 

Day 2: Magdalen Hut to Boyle Village: 11 kms, 3-4 hours

The route out the next morning followed the St James Walkway back down valley along the same route.  It was another beautiful day to be out tramping...overcast but warm with light wind. I was up and out of the hut by 8 am it was not raining so I was able to walk without my jacket all the way back to Boyle Village.



Magdalen Hut, Muritana Stream in front of the hut

In the forest on the way to the Middle Boyle swingbridge

From the Middle Boyle swingbridge it is only 3 km's or an hours walk to Boyle Flat Hut the next accomodation option along the St James Walkway. 

Boyle Flat Hut is one more hour along the track....

Preparing to cross the swingbridge on the Middle Boyle River

Once back at the swing bridge it was a short climb back up the river teraces on the true right of the Boyle River. These take you about 100 meters over the end of a spur before dropping back down to the grassy flats along the edge of the forest. 



St James Walkway, heading home along the edge of Boyle River



More attractive beech forest track on the St James Walkway

The track follows the edge of the forest over river flats for some distance in the middle of the valley, it makes for quick and very easy walking. It is so much quicker walking back along a track you have just visited...it almost seems like the time just flies by...



Boyle River Valley, about halfway to the Boyle Outdoor Education Centre from Magdalen Hut





Another meadow of summer flowers on the St James Walkway

  

Back at the lower Boyle River swing bridge

I made excelent progress back down the valley and soon found myself back at the start of the track. This is the track just before it emerges near the Boyle Education Centre...as you can see it is quite civilised for a New Zealand bush track.



Track end St James walkway near the Boyle River exit...



An excellent track, with a fantastic hut to stay in, I had a lot of fun on this trip. I would like to walk the whole St James Walkway and I would definitely make the effort to visit the hut again.

Boyle Outdoor Education Centre from the road outside the centre

This was an awesome trip and the one I should have made before tackling the Andrews-Casey-Binser Circuit. This is just a taste of the greater St James Walkway which I intend to walk sometime in the coming years. 

Magdalen Hut is a real cracker and I can throughly recomend a visit right through the year as it is easily accessible in all but the very worst of weather. As a side trip off the St James or as a trip on its own it has a lot to offer.

Access: Along the St James Walkway from the Boyle River Settlement off SH 7, Lewis Pass.
Track Times: 3-4 hours from Boyle Settlement, 30 minutes from the second swingbridge over the Boyle River
Hut Details: Magdalen Hut; Standard, 6 bunks, wood burner, water tank, toilet, wood shed
Miscellaneous: Muritana Stream can be a problem in moderate rain, some other side streams on the St James Walkway are impassible in heavy rain. The BOEC can provide secure carparking and car shuttle services if previously arranged.