From the vault: Tramping the St James Walkway in February 2015

 A Canterbury Classic...

I was recently updating some of the information on my post about the last time I tramped around the St James Walkway back in 2015. It was an excellent trip and I thought I would bring it out of the vault for another look.

The St James Walkway starts at Lewis Pass 

...you pass the Lewis Pass Tarn enroute to the Maruia River

The St James Walkway is a 67 kilometer long tramp from Lewis Pass car park to Boyle Village further down the Boyle River Valley. It takes from 2-5 days to cover...the time really depends on how long of a tramping day you can stand. 

You cross the Cannibal Gorge suspension bridge on day one...

 I know the St James Walkway has become a fast packing classic so more people are walking it quickly over 1-3 days. I covered the distance over four days and that was challenging enough for me with one 24 and another 17 kilometer day.... 

DOC webpage for the St James Walkway

The St James is one of the classic Canterbury tramps and involves long walks down wide grassy valleys and crossing a couple of minor passes on your way. You take in the Maruia, Ada, Christopher, Waiau, Henry, Anne and Boyle River catchments. It can be walked both directions but the classic way is from Lewis Pass back to Boyle Village. If you do it this way you might be able to arrange a car drop off (in your own car) by the BOEC staff. You can also securely park your vehicle at their facility.

Walking through the beautiful Christopher River Valley

Christopher Hut is one of eight huts along the St James Walkway

The track was in the running to become a new Great Walk back in 2018 and made it into the final six being considered but in the end they went with the Te Paki Track and Humpridge Track. I think that it will ultimately become a summer season Great Walk which would be good as it would mean hut and track upgrades. It would be no good as a winter GW as there is constant avalanche risk from Cannibal Gorge suspension bridge right through to Christopher Hut. 

Gloriana Peak is in the Spencer Mountain Range

I have a plan to head along a section of the St James Walkway early in the new year as I want to walk from Boyle to Anne Hut and then head down the Waiau River to baggins the huts along the St James Cycle Trail. I would then walk out over Jacks Pass to Hanmer Springs on the Hydro Road. This is the alternate route for Te Araroa trekkers if they are considering a resupply in Hanmer. 

..if you are lucky you might see the St James wild horses...

Anne Saddle is one of two passes you cross...

Anyway have a look at my post about the St James Walkway...I hope you enjoy it!!!

From the vault: A Visit to the Kaimanawa Ranges back in the late 1980's

 ...looking back through time...

Here is the first of a new series of posts I will be writing about previous tramping trips I have undertaken. I have decided to call this From the Vault and I will be showcasing historic tramps I have previously covered in the blog. To start with lets take a look at a trip I did way back in 1987 when I first started my career in the New Zealand Army.

Mt Ruapehu from inside the Waiouru Training Area

A bit of background...I served in the New Zealand Army from 1987 to 1991 as a member of the Corp of Signals. I was posted to Waiouru ATG, Addington Barracks and Burnham Military Camp over that time. Waiouru used to be the main training camp for all new enlisted and commissioned soldiers as it has extensive areas of open tussock-land, mountains, volcanic desert, forest and rolling hills ideal for training. 

The Waiouru Army Training Area...tussock and hills!!!

While I was doing my basic soldier training we went for an exercise to the far back blocks of the Army Training Area along the border with the Kaimanawa Mountains. It is wild and seldom visited country up along the northern edge of the Training Area and few soldiers let alone civilians ever get to visit it.

 We criss-crossed between Kaimanawa Forest Park and the Waiouru ATA as we walked out to the Desert Road between Waiouru and Taupo.

The Desert Road near the northern edge of Waiouru Training Area

Anyway...here is a link to the article about one of the more remote places in New Zealand I have visited...the Kaimanawa Mountains.