St James Conservation Area: St James Walkway: 27th March -1 April 2023: Day 1-3

Revisiting the St James Walkway.....

I recently spent 6 days tramping around the St James Walkway near Lewis Pass. The St James Walkway is a near circuit which is 67 km long taking in the Maruia, Ada, Henry, Anne and Boyle River valley's. There are a number of good huts to stay in on the way, as well as some fine scenery especially the Poplar and Spencer Mountains.

View towards Gloriana from near Cannibal Gorge Hut

I walked the track from Lewis Pass back to Boyle Village so that the folks at the Boyle Outdoor Education Center (BOEC) could drop me at the pass and then take my car back to the center for secure storage. This is a service they offer for a nominal fee and ensures your car is not vandalised or stolen from the road end. 

Profile diagram of the St James Walkway: Source DOC website

I had planned to walk the track over 5 days but bad weather forced me to stay an extra night at Christopher Hut. Luckily I had enough supplies to do so and meant I was a day late to finish the track. I will discuss that in more detail later.

Snow flurries in the Christopher River Valley

It was generally a good trip even with several wet days and one day with snow and cold, windy weather. The track was busy as it is the beginning of the 'Roar' which is the main hunting period for deer here in New Zealand. I had many hunters on the track with me over the several days. 

Rain falls in the Ada River Valley on day two

Anyway...let's have a look at how the trip panned out for me...

Day One: St James Walkway, Lewis Pass to Ada Pass Hut (12.4 km's)

I started from the Lewis Pass end of the track as a clockwise tramp takes advantage of the downhill tilt to the whole track. I left my car at the Boyle Outdoor Education Centre and got them to shuttle me to the start of the track at the Lewis Pass Tarns. A valuable service as it is common for cars to be broken into at the St James Walkway car park, they cannot safely be left there. 

First view of Lewis Pass Tarn, start of St James Walkway

Start of the St James Walkway at Lewis Pass Tarn

The St James Walkway starts with the scenic track around the Lewis Pass Tarn and is clearly sign posted from there. It is 67 kilometers' or 4-5 days tramping from here to the Boyle Outdoor Education Center down the Lewis River Valley.

View from the eastern end of Lewis Pass Tarn (September 2021)

From the tarn you make your way along the track through an area of lichen covered Beech forest which makes a dramatic start to your journey.

Extensive boardwalk near the start of the St James Walkway

This section has some some beautiful alpine bogs, very picturesque, before descending steeply to the Maruria River and the first swing bridge on the track. The forest is Beech even though you are actually on the West Coast now. The more typical Podocarp forest starts further down the Maruia River close to Lake Daniell. 

The forest near the Lewis Pass Tarn is covered with lichen (September 2021)

The track condition is generally good with plenty of boardwalk, a lot of track markers and a mostly benched track to follow. Later on as you approach Cannibal Gorge Hut the track gets a bit rocky and undulating under foot...

Part of the scenic walk at Lewis Pass Tarn, St James Walkway

There is a small kiosk with an intentions book about 300 meters down the St James Walkway where you can see how many other people are on the track ahead of you. It is about 8.5 km's or 3-4 hours walk from here to the first hut on the track. 

Start of the St James Walkway...intentions book near the tarn

St James Walkway: descending towards Maruia River

You are walking down to and along the Maruia River Right Branch until just past Ada Pass Hut when you change over to the Ada River catchment. You can see the Maruia in a few places but you never get close enough to reach it as you are sidling along the side of the Freyburg Range. 

Cannibal Gorge section of the St James Walkway

Heading deeper into the forest on the St James Walkway

 

There are a number of smaller side streams crossing the track as you descend to the Maruia River. The larger ones are bridged and all are perfectly fine water sources if you need to fill your bottles. 

One of several side streams you cross enroute to Cannibal Gorge

Good track conditions into Cannibal Gorge

Blown out stream bed, St James Walkway

You eventually arrive at the first swing bridge across the Maruia River, this is the first of seven bridges you cross on the track. Generally all the major rivers are bridged. There are several un-bridged side stream's (especially in the Cannibal Gorge section) that could be a problem if it was raining heavily.

Cannibal Gorge: first swing-bridge (6 more to go)

View up the Maruia River from the St James Walkway

Closer view of Cannibal Gorge Swingbridge

Cannibal Gorge is so named as it was the site of an impromptu battle between two Maori Iwi before Europeans arrived in New Zealand. As was their custom, the winning side ate the losing side for dinner. 

Information panel near the Cannibal Gorge swingbridge

St James Walkway: information about Cannibal Gorge

The early history of New Zealand is pepper shot by instances of extreme violence and carnage...both Maori and settler history. New Zealand was a rough and fearsome pioneer nation until late in the 1880's...

Once at the bridge you cross the Maruia River and then begin to climb up the hills on the true right of the Maruia River. 

Sign on Cannibal Gorge Swingbridge, St James Walkway

Crossing the Maruia River on the Cannibal Gorge Swingbridge

An old Walkways Commission sign near Cannibal Gorge

Here is the view up and down the Maruia River from the middle of the swingbridge. 

Looking up river from the crossing of the Maruia River

View downstream from the Cannibal Gorge Swingbridge

I forgot how much climbing you do on this part of the track as it has been eight years since I was last here. I have wanted to come back many times since 2015 but I just had too many other tracks to cover in the intervening years. There is a lot of up and down to get up and over ridges coming down from the higher peaks. 

Climbing up out of Cannibal Gorge on day one

Rocky and root covered track near Cannibal Gorge, St James Walkway

About one hour along the track you reach the point where a creek on the true left of the river leads up to the Zampa Tops. The Zampa Tops are a continuous series of tussock clearings from here all the way along the Opera and Libretto Ranges and make an excellent fine weather tramp. You can stay on the tops and walk all the way south to near Boyle Flat Hut if you want to...

St James Walkway: creek leading towards Zampa Tops

I had the usual progression of Fantails and Robins following me along the track, there is a goodly number of birds in the area. I saw a number of Tui, Bellbirds, Robins, Kaka, Kakariki and Keruru as I walked along.

South Island Robin, St James Walkway

Another curious Robin on the St James Walkway

There are a number of "no stop" avalanche zones along the track, the steep terrain combined with a lot of snow in winter makes avalanches fairly common. You should not be venturing up this end of the St James Walkway over Winter unless there is zero snow on the higher areas, it's just too dangerous. Check the Avalanche advisory service before venturing along the track between May and October. 

St James Walkway: avalanche warning sign

You pass a number of small side streams along the way...some of these could be problematic in heavy rain. There are also a number of track side waterfalls which are both picturesque and good water sources. 

One of many side streams through Cannibal Gorge

Track side waterfall, St James Walkway

I stopped for my first break of the day about two hours along the track. There are lots of good spots alongside the track where you can stop and sit on the side of the track. It was cool through this area even with the sun shining down on the forest. 

Winter is fast approaching folks...

View from my rest spot near Cannibal Gorge

St James Walkway: Cannibal Gorge Track about 2 hours in

Eventually you start to descend down towards the Maruia River once again and eventually break out into some open river flats about 3 hours into the day. I took the opportunity to stop for a short break here before continuing on my way towards Cannibal Gorge Hut. 

Start of the descent down towards the Maruia River

Toi Toi mark the edge of the flats along the Maruia River

...alongside the Maruia River once again...

Good camping spots on the Maruia River flats

There is a bit of a restricted view up the Maruia Valley from the river flats but there is not much to see at this point. From the flats you are less than 30 minutes from Cannibal Gorge Hut...

Obstructed view up the Maruia River from the flats, St James Walkway

I was pleased to finally reach the Cannibal Gorge Hut Swingbridge as I knew it was close to Cannibal Gorge Hut. I had been walking for about three and a half hours at this point so I was more than ready for a lunch break. 

Arrival at the Cannibal Gorge Hut Swingbridge, St James Walkway

...limited loading allowed on these swingbridges...

It is about 15 minutes from the swingbridge to Cannibal Gorge Hut

DOC have re routed the track past Cannibal Gorge Hut Swingbridge...it now goes up and over a ridge rather than alongside the river. The track keeps falling into the river every time there is a big storm so they really didn't have another choice. It is a perfectly fine track but it sucks climbing up a big hill when you are so close to the hut site. 

Climbing up over the last ridge before Cannibal Gorge Hut

Old Permalot marker along the St James Walkway

About to enter the river flat around Cannibal Gorge Hut 

Eventually you reach Cannibal Gorge Hut, a 20 bunker about four hours along the St James Walkway. It is a fine looking hut and would certainly warrant a stay if you started the tramp later in the day. Personally, I was bound for Ada Pass Hut another two hours up the track.

Cannibal Gorge Hut, St James Walkway

Cannibal Gorge Hut, St James Walkway

I stopped just long enough to eat my lunch before continuing on my way. The hut was looking a bit worn down...it could really use a paint and tidy up. This is the oldest hut on the Walkway now so I imagine it would be a good candidate for replacement.

 If Lewis Pass Carpark was safer I would certainly walk in and stay here as part of an in/out overnight trip. 

...Cannibal Gorge Hut needs a paint...

Cannibal Gorge Hut has an unusual three tier bunk system with three platforms in each of the bunkrooms. The top and bottom tiers are quite low while the middle tier is about 2/3 of the normal height. It is obviously meant to increase the bunk numbers but would be a bit claustrophobic in use. 

Bunkroom at Cannibal Gorge Hut, St James Walkway

St James Walkway interior of Cannibal Gorge Hut

The St James Walkway continues from the back of the hut and from here to Ada Pass Hut is about 1.5 to 2 hours walking. You start off walking through Beech forest before emerging onto some river flats for a couple of kilometers. 

It's 1.5 hours walk to Ada Pass Hut from Cannibal Gorge Hut

The St James Walkway near the back of Cannibal Gorge Hut

Flat travel when initially leaving Cannibal Gorge Hut

Past Cannibal Gorge Hut the track is generally within view of the ever decreasing Maruia River...it was very cool and pleasant walking in the late afternoon. If you are thinking about taking water from any of the rivers up here you should reconsider. All these valleys are infested with Canadian Geese at the moment and their droppings are everywhere including in the rivers. 

Mid reaches of the Maruia River on St James Walkway:

You alternate between forest and grassland for the rest of the way to Ada Pass Hut. 

River flats between Cannibal Gorge and Ada Pass Huts

View back down the Maruia River Valley

The views get progressively better as you move towards the head of the Maruia Valley as the mountains get steeper and more alpine in nature. There are some beautiful high alpine cirques and U- valleys that would not look out of place in Fiordland, Mt Cook or Aspiring NP

The St James Walkway skirts along the Maruia River

View south along the Freyburg Range from the St James Walkway

The whole area is the south eastern border of Nelson Lakes NP which is noted for its high mountain ranges, passes and alpine features. 

St James Walkway: a high cirque basin on the Spencer Range

Freyburg Range: eroded U-Valley from the St James Walkway

About 20 minutes from Ada Pass Hut you cross the Billy Goats Gruff bridge, if you are wanting to have a wash this is the closest stream to the hut. A short walk across some river flats and the hut comes into view.....

View over the  Billy Goats Gruff bridge

St James Walkway: Billy Goats Gruff bridge

Maruia River from the Billy Goats Gruff bridge

Ada Pass Hut is a 14 bunker, it is really nice- well maintained, and usually has both coal and wood for the fire. It is on a small river terrace with plenty of open space around the hut for a small village of tents if required.

Ada Pass Hut, St James Walkway

Closer view of Ada Pass Hut, St James Walkway

Right across the valley is the route up to Three Tarn Pass, this is one of several routes into Nelson Lakes NP via the East Matakitaki Valley. It is steep, rough and would require ice axe and crampons if snow was present.

Ada Pass Hut: the Three Tarns Pass is up this valley

Here is a good view of the flat area in front of the hut, the stream was only a trickle but drift wood piles indicate that it carries a good load of water in winter. If stream water was required it would need to be fetched from a larger stream 10 minutes down the valley. Not needed as there was a gutter feed rainwater tank right next to the hut.

The flat area in front of Ada Pass Hut

I sat outside the hut for about 10 minutes just taking in the surroundings and resting my legs after my 5+ hours of walking that day. My pack was heavy with 5 days food and camping gear inside though it gradually got lighter as I ate my rations. I was using the Beast on this trip...my large capacity Osprey Volt 75 liter pack. 

I was using my Osprey Volt 75l pack

The inside of Ada Pass Hut is basic but functional...it has a table, bench seats and a steel cooking bench. The bunks are on two platforms with 7 bunks on each level with a ladder for access to the top tier. i was up on the top platform that night which is not that easy as I get older and less supple.  

I was sharing the hut that night with a young couple from Wellington who were walking the St James like myself. They were both members of the TTC or Tararua Tramping Club...the oldest and best known in the country. 

Interior of Ada Pass Hut, St James Walkway

It started to rain later in the afternoon and continued right through the night and into the next day. We managed to get a meager fire going with the limited wood supply and some coal. There is a dearth of firewood here as it has all been picked up over the years. There was plenty of coal but you cannot start a fire with coal alone...you need a bed of hot embers to get the coal burning.  

Rain sets in at Ada Pass Hut, St James Walkway

Cooking dinner at Ada Pass Hut that evening

I had a very restful night at the hut reading, eating and conversing with my hut companions.  We exchanged information about tramps around the country...they were at the end of a 2 month extended tramping blitz through the South Island. The St James Walkway was their last tramp before heading for home. 

Day Two: St James Walkway, Ada Pass Hut to Anne Hut (25.1km's)

I had planned to be packed and be ready to go by 8am, my intention being to walk to Christopher Hut and stay for the night. This was giving myself a long rest day as it is only 4 hours between the huts. 

It was absolutely hosing down we when woke up the next morning so none of us were in any great hurry to leave the hut. It was so heavy that at times we could not see the river just 10 meters from the hut. My hut mates finally left around 9 am as they were walking all the way to Anne Hut that day. I stayed put for a while as it was teeming down and I had time to wait the rain out. 

Heavy rain blocks views of the mountains from Ada Pass Hut

View from the veranda of Ada Pass Hut into the rain

In the event I did not leave Ada Pass Hut until nearly 10 am as I waited for the weather to abate. It was still rainy and windy at 10 but the intensity of the rain was much less. At least I could walk down the track rather than swimming along it...

St James Walkway: track between Ada Pass Hut and Christopher River

Map: Ada Pass Hut to Christopher Hut

I was using my action camera for the rest of the day as it was too wet for the Canon M50 so I apologise in advance for the less than stellar images. 

Three Tarn Pass emerges from the rain at Ada Pass Hut

Starting out to Ada Pass from Ada Pass Hut

The track to Ada Pass starts right outside the door of the hut, it is a very gentle ascent up the last 200 meters to the pass. As you can see from the photos below, Ada Pass hardly deserves the name, it is basically a flat track on top of a flat plateau.

Ada Pass is marked with a sign next to the track

DOC track sign at Ada Pass on the St James Walkway

Ada Pass (1008 meters)

If the signs weren't there would you recognise it as a pass at all?

 Nonetheless it is one of the passes which separates the east coast of the South Island from the west coast. So I had just crossed back into Canterbury....

Boardwalk leading away from Ada Pass, St James Walkway

What Ada Pass actually looks like...St James Walkway

On the eastern side you begin a very gentle descent into the headwaters of the Ada River and the track alternates between grass flats and bush fingers so it is very pleasant walking. Because of the height of the Spencer Mountains it was quite dark in the valley even though it was nearly 9 am....

Clearing just past Ada Pass, St James Walkway

St James Walkway: descending from Ada Pass

 I come to the edge of the Beech forest in the Ada Valley

Stile over a boundary fence on my way to Christopher Hut

Eventually you reach some wide flat grasslands and walk across these for about three kilometers before heading back into the forest. Normally this is a nice part of the track but with the rain and wind it was a real slog. At one point you pass a small tarn like lake which was covered in water fowl. 

Starting across the wind and rain swept grasslands in the Ada Valley

Small tarn lake with Gloriana Peak to rear...St James Walkway

Once past the lake you walk about another two kilometers across another large grassland to the edge of the beech forest. Normally you have great views along here of Gloriana Peak and the Faerie Queene but they were both obscured by the cloud. 

Cloud covers the view of the Faerie Queene, Ada River Valley

The Ada River runs along the bottom of the valley

View back towards Ada Pass, St James Walkway

During fine weather the further down the valley you travel the more spectacular the view of the Faerie Queene (2232 a.s.l) becomes until it dominates the whole left side of the valley. The mountains on the left side of the valley are the demarcation line between Nelson Lakes NP and the St James Conservation Area. It is also the end of the Southern Alps which stretch from Fiordland to Nelson Lakes NP.

Cloud covers the Spencer Mountains in the Ada Valley

Side stream crossing the St James Walkway

There is one last river flat before you reach the Christopher River and the track is right next to the river here for about a kilometer and a half. This was actually the easiest walking of the day as it is all close packed river gravels which are nice to walk on. 

Ada River from near the confluence with the Christopher River

...the river flats are also avalanche chutes so do not stop near here...

Below is a photo of what you can see here on a clear day...the Faerie Queene dominates this end of the Ada Valley. This picture is from the last time I was here way back in 2015. 

Faerie Queene from St James Walkway (2015)

St James Walkway: great forest track section into the Christopher River

Camera Gully, Gloriana from near Ada Cullers Hut

This photo really doesn't do the peaks justice, Gloriana and the Faerie Queene are enormous and totally dominate the valley. This is most obvious once you reach Christopher Hut and can see it on the horizon. In winter avalanches have fallen off these peaks and reached 100 meters up the far side of the river valley. That is why you should not be up here over the winter months. 

Side view of Faerie Queene from the St James Walkway (2015)

Bush track between Ada Pass and Christopher Hut

Eventually you reach the Ada - Christopher River confluence and start walking down valley towards Christopher Hut. The river is very close to the track at this point but moves away the further down valley you travel. 

The Valleys in this area are the home of the St James wild horse herd, they live on the wide grass plains and forest fringes.

Looking up a wet and cloudy Christopher River Valley

View south towards Christopher Hut from the St James Walkway (2015)

You can see below how the immensity of the Faerie Queene (2234 a.s.l) becomes more obvious the further away you get. The whole Spencer Mountain Range averages out at between 1900-2300 meters so they are not insignificant peaks.

Faerie Queene in all its splendor, Spencer Mountain Range (2015)

You pass Ada Cullers Hut near the confluence of the Ada River and Christopher River. It is a historic NZFS 4 bunk bivy from the deer culling days. At one time the government had deer hunters working for it controlling the number of deer in the higher mountains. Ada Cullers Hut would once have been home to a couple of cullers clearing deer from this area. 

Ada Cullers Hut comes into view, St James Walkway

I read a book about deer culling a couple of years ago and the author said this hut was often buried up to the window sill in snow over winter. They often had to dig it out before it could be used...my god it must have been cold inside.

Ada Cullers Hut back in the summer of 2015

I think someone had been in to give Ada Cullers Bivy a bit of a tidy up...it appears to be recently painted and the old canvas sacking bunks have been replaced with new bunks with mattresses. There was a new Clearlite sheet on the roof so it was brighter inside and there is a new bench in the corner. This is awesome as the hut can actually be used now. 

Interior of Ada Cullers Bivy, St James Walkway

About 20 minutes further down the valley you arrive at Christopher Hut.

On the last stretch of track to Christopher Hut

 Christopher Hut is sometimes used by Te Araroa Trail walkers coming over Waiau Pass. If the river is high they sometimes need to walk up past Ada Homestead and Christopher Hut to where the Christopher and Ada Rivers join. It is easier to cross them separately as they are not as deep or swift. 

View north up Christopher River Valley from St James Walkway (2015)

 

If you are heading towards Waiau Pass there is a newish 6 bunk hut located two hours up the Waiau River Valley. Waiau Hut was built in 2017 with funds donated to DOC for the purpose of building a hut in this valley. The donor (Mr Tony Birks) also provided part of the funding for the new (2020) Casey Hut II. That is over $400 000 he has donated to the Nature Heritage Fund...what a champion!!!

Waiau Hut in 2018 from the DOC website

Here is a photo of the new Casey Hut from my visit back in 2021...

Casey Hut II in the Poulter Valley, Arthurs Pass NP

Christopher Hut is not on the direct line between the Waiau Pass Track and Anne Hut so any TA folk venturing up here are going a long way off the route. 

Christopher Hut, St James Walkway

Christopher Hut is quite nice; 20 bunks, with plenty of living space, water tanks and lots of wood for the fire. There is a small bunkroom off the main building which is the old hut warden's quarters. It is able to be used and there was a guy staying in the room when I was at the hut. It is really cool with three bunks and its own woodburner/oven so it is just as warm as the main hut. 

St James Walkway: interior of Christopher Hut: dining area

Another view of the interior of Christopher Hut

There were three hunters at Christopher Hut who were all in for the start of the roar. Two of them were in the main hut with me and another was in the old warden's quarters. We spent a pleasant evening comparing stories of the outdoors around the fire. Later in the evening it started raining really hard and then started snowing as the temperature dropped. 

Day three: Hut day at Christopher Hut

I woke on day three with an intention to continue on my way but one look out of the window told me that was not going to happen. It was raining and snowing quite heavily and the wind was howling up the valley. One of the hunters had a thermometer and it was reading -2 degrees with another -8 degrees of wind chill so it was -10 degrees outside...

A snow covered Faerie Queene on day three

I was carrying a good load of cold weather gear but even with all that on a 4-5 hour walk across wide open valley flats in snow, rain and strong wind was a dodgy proposition. It was fairly obvious that I was going to be spending another night at Christopher Hut as the weather conditions were an invitation to hypothermia. 

Snow covered hills along the Christopher River Valley

The four of us at the hut spent most of the day inside the hut reading and feeding the fire to keep warm. From time to time we would venture outside to chop firewood or to see if the weather was improving but it did not until about 4 pm that afternoon. The rest of the time the strong wind kept blowing rain and snow flurries up the valley. 

View of the cooking bench in Christopher Hut

My pit set up at Christopher Hut, St James Walkway

All four of us at the hut had previously been in the military which is unusual here in New Zealand with two Regular force and two Territorial force. We have a small military here in New Zealand with roughly 15000 in the NZDF at any one time. As such we do not have a great many veterans' compared to other nations. To have four of us in a hut at the same time is not that common.

Snow flurries roll up the Christopher River Valley

A decently full woodshed at Christopher Hut

I had a fairly pleasant day at the hut as I was carrying an extra days rations so I had plenty of food with me. Two of the hunters had flown in with a great selection of food and gear so in fact I had some homemade Lamb stew that night that they had spare. 

I had to don my thermal top and leggings for the first time in many years to keep me warm but it was warm enough in the hut with the fire going. Lucky for us we had a mostly full woodshed so we had enough fuel to keep the fire going. None of the other huts on the track had much firewood so it was good luck being at Christopher Hut. 

...we had the fire burning for most of the day at Christopher Hut...

A lot of tea is consumed on a pit day, Christopher Hut

As I mentioned the weather cleared up around 4 pm which was too late for me to start walking to Anne Hut. We had better weather coming the next day so I knew I would be able to continue on my way the next day. Unfortunately there is no cell cover in the Christopher Valley so I couldn't let Karen know I was o.k. 

Clearing weather late on day three at Christopher Hut

It was a pity I was forced to stay at Christopher Hut for an additional day as it made me late to finish the track. I will talk a bit more about that in the next post. It was the wise and really the only decision to have a rest day with the extremes of weather. Better safe in a hut and late to finish than to not finish at all. 

Come back soon for Days 4-6 as I finish the rest of the St James Walkway...

Access: From SH 7 (Lewis Pass Highway), the track starts at Lewis Pass Tarns, southern terminus is at Boyle Village.

Track Times: Day one: From Lewis Pass- 2.5 hours to Cannibal Gorge Hut, another 1.5-2 hours to Ada Pass Hut: Day two: 3 hours to Ada Cullers Hut, another hour to Christopher Hut. Day three was a pit day! Day Four: 5 hours to Anne Hut from Christopher Hut

Hut Details: Cannibal Gorge Hut: serviced, 20 bunks, water tank, wood burner, toilets, wood shed: Ada Pass Hut: serviced, 14 bunks, water tank, wood burner, toilets, wood shed: Ada Cullers Hut: basic, 4 bunks, water from stream: Christopher Hut: serviced, 20 bunks, water tanks, wood burner, toilet, wood shed: Anne Hut: serviced, 24 bunks, water tanks, wood burner, toilets, wood shed

Miscellaneous: Severe avalanche risk in Winter/Spring, some un-bridged side streams. The walkway is in a high alpine area and as such is prone to extreme weather at times. 

You Tube:    Lewis Pass to Ada Pass Hut

                    Ada Pass Hut to Christopher Hut