Winter Series 2021: Lakehead Hut, Nelson Lakes NP: 2-3 July 2021

A mid winter trip to Nelson Lakes NP...

I went for another of my series of Winter tramps the weekend before last...What I am trying to do is keep tramping through the winter months to keep my fitness levels high. I am mainly visiting huts around 2-3 hours from the road end with easy tracks and a minimum of river crossings. So far I have visited Manson-Nichols Hut at Lake Daniels and Lakehead Hut at Nelson Lakes NP.

At Lewis Pass on the way to Nelson Lakes NP

My second in the series was an overnight tramp to Lakehead Hut in my favorite location...Nelson Lakes NP. I drove to the park over Lewis Pass and stopped off at the Lewis Pass carpark enroute to have a look at the frozen tarn. From there I continued on my way to St Arnaud and arrived there about 11 pm.

Silver Surfer parked outside the DOC Workshops in St Arnaud

As usual I parked my car outside the Ranger Workshops near the DOC Center..there were a couple of other tramper cars parked there. This is a more secure location than down at Kerr Bay as the Head Ranger lives right across the road and there are many DOC personnel going past on their way to the workshops.

On the very icy road to the St Arnaud DOC Center

It was -7 degrees in St Arnaud the previous night so all of the roads were frozen solid even though it was over 12 degrees, clear and sunny. Some areas freeze in June and do not de-frost until late August most years. Care was required walking along the road....

Mt Robert from Kerr Bay Road, St Arnaud

View to Travers Valley from near the Kerr Bay jetty

I started the tramp at Kerr Bay at the start of the Lakehead Track..this is a 10 kilometers 2-3 hour walk alongside Lake Rotoiti to the hut at the far end of the lake. It was great to be out tramping again and I set off at a cracking pass to the hut....

Day 1: Kerr Bay to Lakehead Hut (9.7 km's or 3 hours):

I have walked the Lakehead Track many times now so I have a mental image of the terrain profile in my head. It is generally a flat track with a couple of easy climbs over ridgelines running down to the lake. It usually takes me about 2-2.5 hours to get to the hut from Kerr Bay. 

Lakehead Hut: Start of the tramp at Kerr Bay campground...

Information panels at the start of the Lakehead Hut

The track climbs at the start to get over the end of a low ridge and then heads past the turn off to the northern terminus of the St Arnaud Range Track and Honeydew Walk. 

Lakehead Hut: the first climb up at the track start...

At the junction of the Honeydew Walk and Lakehead Track

 The track then sidles along for a piece over boardwalk and some wet rocky terrain before dropping back down towards the lake side. The track was frozen in the exposed areas and not frozen in the forest so take care if you are venturing up here over winter...it was slippery!!! 

The Lakehead Track starts as a flat track...

Boardwalk over a swampy area of the Lakehead Track

Back down by the lake the track is flat for about a kilometer as you make your way down to and past the track junction for the Loop Track. I am planning to come up to St Arnaud sometime and walk the Loop Track which is about four kilometers long and takes around 2 hours to complete. 

Descending down to walk alongside Lake Rotoiti, Lakehead Track

At the Loop Track and Lakehead Track junction

Jon was dressed for the cold on the Lakehead Track

There was a bit of sun coming through the canopy of the forest but it was not warm by any means...I had my merino hat on for the first hour or so although I was warm enough in my long sleeved top. I tend to run hot so I usually don't need a lot of gear on when I am moving...

I had the track to myself all the way to Lakehead Hut and didn't see another person until late in the afternoon....

On a flat section of the Lakehead Track, Nelson Lakes NP

There is an extensive flat section through the middle of the  Lakehead Track

There is normally a small stream across the track about 30 minutes into the tramp with a bridge over it. The recent rains have obviously ripped a ton of new gravel down from the tops and it has totally filled in the stream bed. The bed of the bridge is now slowly being covered with gravel and soil.....

First river crossing on the Lakehead Track

Looking out to the Travers Valley from along the  Lakehead Track

You climb over 3-4 ridges on the way down to Lakehead Hut but they are not all that difficult to cross as they never get more than 60 meters above the level of the lake. Of more nuisance was all the mud from the recent rains...the track was quite boggy in places and needs some careful negotiation at times to ensure you don't slip over...

 Lakehead Track: climbing up over a ridgeline...

The  Lakehead Track sidles above Lake Rotoiti

Nice sun dappled track on the way to Lakehead Hut...

You eventually come to a place where the forest is strewn with loose rocks and gravel...there is a stream above here which flows down over the track after heavy rain. If it is raining really hard you will probably find it impossible to go past this point...

 Lakehead Track: crossing the gravel river flow near Pt. 677...

The side streams occasionally flood the Lakehead Track

There is a pattern to traveling along the Lakehead Track it is basically hill...long flat section...hill...long flat section...etc. etc.. It can be confusing because I always forget how many hills you have to cross on the way...is it three or is it four?

Typical section of the Lakehead Track...flat!!!

View out to first bay along the Lakehead Track

It was fairly muddy on sections along the track as there has been a bit of rain in the preceding week. I had my gaiters on after the Loop Track junction as I didn't fancy arriving at the hut with mud up to my knees...

...the Lakehead Track was muddy after the recent rain...

You pop out onto stony beaches a couple of time along the track and it gives you a chance to get your bearings as well as a chance to admire the scenery. Lake Rotoiti was calm and still and Mt Robert with its thin coating of snow was very attractive.

It was a lovely mid winter day...still, sunny and warm out in the open but cool inside the forest shade.

View towards Pt. 788 and the Buller River outflow from Lakehead Track

Mt Robert had a light covering of snow....

Stoney beach along Lake Rotoiti near Pt. 677

...heading back into the bush along the Lakehead Track

I was making good progress down the Lakehead Track and found myself opposite Mt Robert and Bushline Hut after about an hour of walking. 

Sun dappled walking on the Lakehead Track

Some track sections have water flowing down them...

I found myself at the first major stream crossing after just over an hour. The stream flows down from the St Arnaud Range and past Pt. 677 closer to the lake side. This is a good spot for a break and you can also refresh your water supply from this stream as there is nothing to contaminate it from above. 

Approaching the stream from Pt. 1782 on the Lakehead Track

This stream comes down from near Pt. 677

View down Lake Rotoiti towards St Arnaud

You can see the head of Lake Rotoiti from near the stream outlet on the shore of Lake Rotoiti. There was a bit of snow up on the tops but for the most part the mountains were remarkably clear. It is about another hour from this point to the jetty near Lakehead Hut.

First view of the outlet of the Travers River, Lakehead Track

Lake Rotoiti was cold, clear and still.....

You spend the next hour or so mostly in the forest as you climb up and over two small ridges. There were a lot of birds in this section and I saw or heard several Kaka, Tui and Belbirds. I saw some fish in the shallows of the lake obviously looking for a bit of warmth...they looked like trout to me. 

Flat track before climbing up an intervening ridge, Lakehead Track

Typical beech forest track along the Lakehead Track

Lakehead Track: about 45 minutes from the Lakehead jetty

There is a short rocky section of track just opposite Whiskey Falls which requires a bit of care...it is land fall debris which have come down over the track a long time ago. There are places here where the track has been blasted out of the rock and then leveled out. You can hear Whiskey Falls thundering away on the opposite side of the lake right through this section of the Lakehead Track. 

Lakehead Track: a narrow rocky section of the track...

...you never climb more than 60 meters above lake level...

Heading back down to the lakeside opposite Whiskey Falls

You pop out of the bush onto the second significant stream crossing about 30 minutes walk away from the jetty. This stream comes down from Pt. 1531 to a small peninsula sticking out into Lake Rotoiti. You can see the mouth of the Travers River, Coldwater Hut and the jetty at Whiskey Falls from the shore.

There are just two kilometers of track left to cover as you walk around a big bay in the lake and climb over the last low ridge between here and Lakehead Jetty. 

Lakehead Track: looking towards the Travers River

There are several stream crossings on the Lakehead Track

...lots of logs to sit on along the Lakehead Track....

I saw a number of these vivid purple fungi along the track as I was walking into Lakehead Hut. It must be the season for them to propagate as they were on both sides of the track and in and amongst the trees. 

Native fungi growing along the Lakehead Track

Climbing over the last ridge on the Lakehead Track

...heading down towards the lake again...

Lakehead Track: Descending down to Lakehead Hut jetty

You cross an open area just before you reach the Lakehead Hut jetty on the far side of the last low ridge along the track. Over on the other side of the lake you can clearly see Coldwater Hut and the mouth of the Travers River. 

The two huts are so close yet so far away from each other. There is a ford across the Travers River but if the flow is too high you need to make a three hours trip up to the Travers River swing bridge, cross over and walk back down the far side of the valley. That is at least a three hour walk......

You cross an open area just before Lakehead Hut Jetty

...you can just see the Coldwater Hut jetty...

First view of the Lakehead Hut jetty

Lakehead Hut is just 10 minutes away...

Lakehead Hut jetty is only 10 minutes walk from Lakehead Hut and the track between the two is very gentle. If you are ever considering a trip around the Travers -Sabine Circuit think about taking the water taxi to the jetty and save yourself 2-3 hours of walking...

View towards Coldwater Hut from the Lakehead Hut jetty

Jon at the Lakehead Hut jetty..almost at the hut!!!

Water taxi dropping passengers at Coldwater Hut

The grass plain at the head of Lake Rotoiti looked nice in the midday sun...the Travers Range was the background with a dusting of snow down to the bush-line and thick green forest down to the valley floor. Tramping in Nelson Lakes is all about these long grassy valleys interspaced with high passes to cross from watershed to watershed. 

The swampy grasslands at the head of Lake Rotoiti

Chandler Stream comes down past Coldwater Hut

The remainder of the track to the hut is flat travel through forest and open areas where the bush is regenerating. It is a gentle finish to the tramp to Lakehead Hut. 

On the last leg to Lakehead Hut and a warm brew...

If you are coming up here in winter and the wood shed is empty there is a patch of standing dead Manuka about 100 meters from the hut. This is where I got most of the firewood I used during my stay at the hut. You might want to gather some up and carry it with you...

The forest was still frozen around Lakehead Hut

The Lakehead Hut Campsite is just before you reach Lakehead Hut...it is a space under a stand of semi mature beech trees. It is fairly basic....just a leaf littered open space and a couple of fire rings but it would be a nice location protected form the wind that sometimes roars down the valley and any frosts. 

DOC backcountry campsite at Lakehead Hut

The Lakehead Hut toilets come into view...

I finally made it to Lakehead Hut just after 1 pm so it had taken me about 2.5 hours to walk to the hut from St Arnaud. It looked the same as the last time I was here back in 2019....

At Lakehead Hut:

I was just staying the one night at Lakehead Hut and then staying another night at a motel in St Arnaud on this trip. Probably just as well as there was no firewood in the shed and the local area was fairly well picked clean of wood. I managed to find enough wood to keep the fire going through the night and I even had enough left over too light the fire in the morning. I'm not sure I could have sustained it for another night without some serious work...

Lakehead Hut, Nelson Lakes NP

I had the hut to myself that night...too cold for most people to venture out at this time of year and given it was a Friday the weekend trampers were not around. I know there were at least four people staying on Saturday as I passed them when I was heading out to St Arnaud the next day. 

Chilly interior of Lakehead Hut

It was super cold in the hut when I got there...the surrounding forest was still frozen and the lack of firewood means that people are not able to properly heat the hut overnight to relieve the damp and cold. The water pipes to the hut were frozen as well so I had to climb up on the water tank out the back of the hut, unscrew the lid and dip water out of the tank directly.

It was fine once I found a ladder under the hut and tied it to the tank BUT it got super sketchy later in the night as the ladder was aluminum and froze. It was slippery as hell trying to climb the rungs, dip out the water and hold onto the cold ladder. 

Improvise...adapt and over come as they say...

New benches installed at Lakehead Hut

I like Lakehead Hut..this is the seventh time I have stayed here and the ninth or tenth time I have visited. It is a good design of hut for the type of trampers you find on the Travers-Sabine Circuit and all those TA trekkers heading up to Waiau Pass. Lots of bunk space and plenty of living space with a centrally located wood burner to heat the whole hut. 

Nice!!!

Lakehead Hut: the bunk platforms and wood burner

I was livid when I got to the hut and found a bucket of still smoking ash sitting in the enclosed veranda. Some numb nuts had left them there after clearing out the fireplace the previous day. I just cannot believe the utter and total stupidity of some people...this is how at least three Canterbury huts have burnt down over the last 10 years. I would have thought people would have the sense to put them in the ash bin outside...

A goddam bucket of warm ashes...@$%  %&@ #%  $(??$!!!

Travers Valley looked as lovely as always.....I sat out on the sandfly free veranda in the sun and had a brew as I admired the scenery. I expect to be back at Lakehead Hut in late January as I am planning a trip to Lake Angelus with an option of coming down Hukere Falls Track and spending a night here. 

View up Travers Valley from Lakehead Hut

Lake Angelus is on the other side of that ridge.....

View back down towards Lake Rotoiti from the hut

I managed to just fill the wood box with the firewood I could find in the local area...as I said most came from a deed grove of Manuka about 100 meters back along the track. I also found a couple of logs way out the back of the hut in the forest. It was just enough...

DOC really need to stock the woodshed as I could see multiple places where people had cut down trees to get firewood. Waste of time of course because as we all know green wood will not burn....

Gathering and processing wood for the fire...

I started out in my customary place in the hut over by the window on the sunny side of the hut. I later moved to the central bunks as I realised it would be super cold being so close to that wall at night. I gave the hut a good clean as it looked like it had not been swept and dusted down for a couple of weeks. 

My original position in Lakehead Hut...

There was a good supply of reading materials including the annual publication of the CUTC or Canterbury University Tramping Club. Ahh the jolly japes those students get up to....Freshers, annual nude tramping day, the Chunder Run, Bushball and 'slapping the goon' which is drinking excessive amounts of wine out of a wine bladder...

Helicon days for the future leaders of our nation!!!

I moved here closer to the fire in Lakehead Hut...

I only had the one visitor the rest of the day... a lone Japanese tramper who was walking the Lake Rotoiti Circuit arrived around 4 pm had some lunch and then continued on his way. It was frickin cold that night but I didn't light the fire until 6 pm and it took about an hour to get enough warmth into the hut to displace the chill. 

The night passed uneventfully...

Day 2: Lakehead Hut to St Arnaud:

I slept in and didn't get up the next morning until just after 8.30am....it was cold in the hut but luckily I had enough firewood to get the fire going and it didn't take long before it was warm enough for breakfast and a quick pack up of my gear. 

Super frosty Travers Valley the next morning...

Lakehead hut locked into the cold like a freezer...

There is a thermometer on the outside of Lakehead Hut and when I got up and read it at 3 am it said it was -9 degrees Celcius.....!!!!

No wonder the water pipes were frozen solid....

Hoer frost on the trees near Lakehead Hut

Looking up the Travers Valley from Lakehead Hut

When I got up in the morning and tried to go out the front door I discovered that it was frozen solid. The door is aluminum and it was covered with condensation the previous night so I think that it just froze the door and frame together overnight. 

I tried to open it but was a bit worried about breaking something. In the end I climbed out of the fire escape window went around and 'persuaded' it to open with my foot. Just as well there was no fire emergency that night as it might have become a problem.

The Lakehead Hut door was frozen shut!!!

I was packed up and ready to go by 10 am and started out the day wrapped up against the cold...

I needed me gears as I set out from Lakehead Hut

I carefully picked my way down the track as the ground was frozen sold and very, very icy. My first stop was going to be the jetty down at Lake Rotoiti so I could see what the surrounding area was like. 

...lots of frost as I left Lakehead Hut...

The flats at the head of Lake Rotoiti looked coldly beautiful as I stopped down by the jetty for a look. There were a lot of Ducks and Swans out on the lake...I don't know how they manage to survive those icy cold overnight temperatures but they obviously do...

Lake Rotoiti from the Lakehead Track near the hut

Still frozen on the flats at the head of Lake Rotoiti

The jetty was frozen solid and too dangerous to walk out onto....

Back at Lakehead Hut jetty, Nelson Lakes NP

I set off down the track heading for St Arnaud and I made good progress on the way. It always seems easier walking out from Lakehead Hut as I think the lie of the land is gently downhill from the head of the lake. By the time I got 30 minutes down the track I had to take my jacket and warm hat off as it was warmer and not frosty under the forest canopy. 

No frost in the manuka along Lakehead Track

Starting the climb up out from Lakehead jetty

You often see this on New Zealand tracks...windfall tree!

I filled up one of my water bottles at the first side stream as the water quality was much better than the water I had dipped from the tank at Lakehead Hut. If you do this you should probably treat it like I did just to be safe...I use Aquatabs in the winter as cold frosty weather will kill any water filter. 

Give it an extra 15 minutes as super cold water effects the chemicals in an Aquatab.

The Lakehead Track crosses several smaller streams...

Climbing up over one of the ridges on the Lakehead Track

I was back up around Whiskey Falls after 45 minutes of walking and stopped on a beach there for my first break of the day. It was surprisingly warm along the shore despite how cold it had been up at the hut. I imagine the lake water regulates the temperature to a certain degree...

Looking out to Whiskey Falls and Mt Robert

It was much warmer in the thick forest, Lakehead Track

It was another blue weather day with still, clear and sunny conditions...it was probably in the low teens walking through the forest and slightly warmer sitting in the direct sun on the beaches.

Looking west towards West Bay, Lake Rotoiti

View of most of Robert Ridge from Lake Rotoiti

It was a lovely still sunny day at Lake Rotoiti

 I could hear the annoying roar of power boats over the Muntz Range at Lake Rotoroa. Lake Rotoiti was quiet until I got right up near the jetty where there were more people. I passed maybe ten people on the walk out from Lakehead Hut...day walkers, anglers and two couples heading up to the hut for the night. 

Back on the flat trail heading for St Arnaud

Last view up Lake Rotoiti to the Travers Valley

Lakehead Track...the flats make for quick walking!!!

The silted over bridge is going to be a problem going forward...I imagine DOC will just remove it in the spring as it would be a real job of work clearing away all of the stones and gravel. They might build a new bridge but this one was a meter above the river bed and that wasn't enough....

Lakehead Track: the silted up bridge...

...someone is going to have to dig that out...

I stopped for another break down by the junction with the Loop Track about 30 minutes from Kerr Bay. There is a nice little beach here you can go sit on but as it was occupied I just sat on a nearby log and had a snack and some water. 

Looking east from the Lakehead Track-Loop Track Junction

Much smaller pack on the way home....

I'm going to come back sometime and walk the Loop Track but as it is four kilometers and about two hours walk I wasn't keen to add it onto this day. 

Jon at the Lakehead Track-Loop Track Junction

...it is just 30 minutes to Kerr Bay from the Loop Track sign...

From the Loop Track you climb up some steps and along a section of boardwalk then along the track for about 200 meters too the junction with the Honeydew Walk. I have done a separate post about the Honeydew Walk and I can thoroughly recommend it to you as it is a really lovely short walk in a area of picturesque Beech forest. 

Lakehead Track: climbing up towards the Honeydew Track

Frosty boardwalk on the Lakehead Track

I made it back to the Kerr Bay entrance to the track at around 1 pm so I headed up the Kerr Bay Road to collect the car and headed off to my accommodation in St Arnaud I had booked for that night. It was busy at Kerr Bay with a lot of folks launching boats, eating lunch or just enjoying the sights. 

End of the Lakehead Track at Kerr Bay

Lake Rotoiti was looking ravishing on the Saturday...

People waiting to board the Lake Rotoiti watertaxi

It was Uber icy on the road from Kerr Bay to the DOC Center so I had to take maximum care walking back up the hill. Take care if you are driving down here as the road was a sheet of black ice and several cars that passed me were skidding and sliding around. 

Super frosty on Kerr Bay Road, St Arnaud

The DOC St Arnaud HQ and visitor center...

I had arranged to stay at one of the local motels for the night as I figured I would be wanting some warmth by day two of my trip. I stayed at the Nelson Lakes Motels on the Main Road...it was really nice with its own cooking and showering amenities and relatively cheap as well. 

I had some lunch and a hot brew before heading back down to Kerr Bay to walk the Bellbird Walk and to take some photos at the campground.

The motel units were in the log cabin style....

Interior of my motel unit in St Arnaud...warm inside!!!

Interior of the motel I stayed in at St Arnaud

I had planned to walk either the Brunner Peninsula Track or the Braeburn Track at Lake Rotoroa on my way home BUT I woke up to a -9 degree frost on the Sunday and the roads were so icy and dangerous I decided to go home via Blenheim and Kaikoura instead. 

I am heading up to Nelson to do some more walking in Abel Tasman NP in October so I will probably finish these walks on my way to or from those locales. My next confirmed tramp in Nelson Lakes is to Angelus Hut in late January 2022 and I also have an idea for a trip up the D'Urville Valley over Christmas. 

Very heavy frost on the Silver Surfer at St Arnaud...

It is a nice drive from St Armaud to Christchurch along the coast and I made good time so that I was near Kaikoura just after 1 pm. I decided to stop at the iconic Nin's Bin for a Crayfish lunch with a  scenic view. 

I don't normally do this but the last six times I have driven past Nin's Bin there were like 200 people waiting to order so I thought why not when I had plenty of time and there were next to no people around. I had a whole crayfish at $65 New Zealand dollars with lemon and garlic butter and sat in the warm sun and ate it all...

Those crayfish are some damn fine vittles....beautiful!!! 

At Nin's Bin about to tuck into Mr Cray....

...Mr Cray was bloody delicious.....

So that was my second overnight winter trip...it was fun but goddamn was it cold. I was generally ok but it was hovering on the edge of type three fun there a couple of times. I have a couple more winter escapades planned for the next couple of months so keep an eye out for those....

Access: Lakehead Track starts and finishes St Arnaud. Follow Kerr Bay Road or Lake Road off SH63 (Main Road) and down to the jetty at Kerr Bay. Numerous tracks start from this location and branch off the main Lakehead Hut Track. 
Track Times: It is 9.7 kilometers (2-3 hours) from Kerr Bay to Lakehead Track. There is a water-taxi service to Lakehead jetty and a 10 minute walk to the hut. 
Miscellaneous: Good quality track with generally flat profile. There are a couple of low ridges to climb over but you are never more than 60 meters above the lake level. Several stream crossings which will be impassable in heavy rain. Over winter the water lines to the hut freeze so water must be taken from the tank near the woodshed. There was NO firewood at the hut.