St James Conservation Area: St James Walkway: 27th March -1 April 2023: Day 5 -6

 ...more from my St James Walkway saga...

The final two days of the St James Walkway take you up the Anne River to Anne Saddle before descending into the Boyle River catchment. From Anne Saddle you are on the eastern side of the Southern Alps and you spend the remainder of the trip in the Boyle Valley. 

Heading up the Henry Valley from Anne Hut

Its a long way walking from Anne Hut to Boyle Flat Hut...over 7 hours for me on this trip. It is only 17 km's but I am not used to walking those kinds of distances. It not hard walking as you walk up one grassy valley cross a low pass and then down another grassy valley. 

Anne Hut to Boyle Flat Hut:

I was the first out of the hut as is my norm as I really like to walk in the early morning...it is a lot cooler than walking in the blazing heat of the afternoon. I also find the light of the early morning very appealing and it photographs really nicely.

DOC sign outside Anne Hut...17 km's to Boyle Flat Hut

Looking up the Henry Valley in my direction of travel

Map: St James Walkway in Anne Valley

It was a beauty of a day with clear blue skies, sun and little wind. I could tell it was going to be warm later in the day so i wanted to get as far along my days journey as possible before it got to warm. 

Last view of Anne Hut as I set out in the morning

So long Anne Hut...hope to see you again!!!

I was the only person heading to Boyle Flat Hut that day and I basically had the track to myself except for four TA walkers I passed heading NOBO. I passed two of them near Anne Saddle and the other two as I was about to break out into the Boyle River Valley. It is late in the TA season so these are some of the few remaining trekkers for the 2022/2023 season.

Upper Henry Valley, St James Walkway

Heading down to cross the Anne River

About 3 km's down the track you cross to the true left of the Anne River. From here you continue up the valley for about another 2 hours until you get to Anne Saddle. It was shady in the valley as the sun had not yet risen over the surrounding hills. The Anne River Valley is high and narrow so it takes time for the sun to rise. 

It was a lovely sunny day which made a change from the dull conditions I had the previous couple of days walking around to Anne Hut. 

Anne River Footbridge, St James Walkway

Looking down the Anne River from the footbridge

Shady conditions along the Anne River

Nice easy track up the Anne River Valley for the first couple of hours, the track is mostly on river terraces with the occasional climb over intervening ridge lines. It is about 2-3 hours from Anne Hut to Anne Saddle....

On the true left of the Anne River for the second hour

The Anne River is in a much narrower valley

Beech forest along the Anne River

It is swampy right up the Anne River so there are frequent sections of boardwalk to cross. I like it as it makes for supremely easy walking...not all that interesting though.

On boardwalk in the Anne Valley, St James Walkway

There are a number of big tussock wetlands in the Anne Valley

Coming to the end of a boardwalk in the Anne Valley

The St James Walkway crosses over to the true right of the river on a second footbridge about 1.5 hours into the day. I stopped near here for a break as it was a good way point to find my location on a map. You are on the true right for the rest of the way up to Anne Saddle. 

Second footbridge about 1.5 hours into the Anne Valley

The ridge below is the most strenuous part of the track along this section of the walkway, this one climbs above a gorge in the Upper Anne River. You climb up a hundred meters before descending back down to the river on the eastern side of the spur...

Ridgeline comes right down to river in Anne Valley

The St James Walkway climbs over this spur

Arriving back alongside the Anne River

From the far side of the ridge you can see some distance up the Anne Valley to where the valley splits into two branches. You are heading off to the right which is in the direction of Anne Saddle and the crossing into the Boyle River catchment. 

Looking up the Upper Anne River towards the end

You are heading off to the right to climb over Anne Saddle

I stopped for a break near the confluence of the two branches of the Anne Valley. I had been walking for over two hours by this point with another hour to get me to the top of Anne Saddle. I was making slow but sure progress. 

View back down the Anne Valley from near the valley head

Mt Rokeby is part of the Opera Range of mountains

You head off to the right when you get near the head of the Anne River and there are marker poles and signs pointing towards Anne Saddle. 

The St James Walkway veers to the right in the Anne Valley

View up the south branch of the Anne Valley

As you can see in the photo below its not much of a saddle to climb all things considered...it is about 1100 meters above sea level but because you are gaining height so gradually it just seems like a slightly higher point along the valley floor. 

First view of Anne Saddle at end of Anne Valley

Here is the last view I had down the Anne River before heading off towards Anne Saddle. As you can see it is really swampy up here and the track sidles along the hillside just up from the river on slightly drier ground. 

Last view down the Anne River Valley

Eventually you reach the swampy head of the Anne River...this is slower going as you pick your way from mud patch to mud patch. As you get closer to the top of the valley the track becomes steeper and rocky but nothing too strenuous. A small helicopter flew over me at low altitude along here...probably transporting hunters to one of the huts up in the mountains.

St James Walkway skirts the bogs near Anne Saddle

On the last climb to Anne Saddle, St James Walkway

Below is the steepest part of the track, this is over the last 200 meters before the saddle, it is mildly steep and rocky and requires a bit of care. Honestly, this is one of the easiest saddles I have ever walked over bar Ada Pass on day two!

Open forest near the top of Anne Saddle

Atop Anne Saddle, St James Walkway

The top of Anne Saddle is a long low plateau with a couple of tarns surrounded by marsh land. There is plenty of rocks to sit on here while you have a break although there is not enough space to set up a camp unless you were using a hammock. 

Anne Valley side of Anne Saddle on the St James Walkway

DOC sign at the top of Anne Saddle, St James Walkway

Anne Saddle is 1136 meters above sea level

Tarns and bogs near Anne Saddle on the St James Walkway

Here I am up on the saddle...it took me about 2.5 hours to reach this spot from Anne Hut and is roughly 1/3 of the way to Boyle Flat Hut. I stopped just off the track and had a snack and water break before continuing on my way...

Join Moake atop Anne Saddle, St James Walkway

Looking down the Boyle River side of Anne Saddle

The descent from Anne Saddle used to be abrupt and step but DOC have constructed a new section of track from just off the crest to a point about 2.5 kilometers down the Boyle. It is a lovely gradual drop down to the mid reaches of the Boyle River Valley. 

Map: St James Walkway, Anne Saddle to Rokeby Hut

Descending into the Boyle River from Anne Saddle

On the new track section descending to the Boyle River

The track goes through some very nice Goblin Forest and there are a number of pretty streams crossing the track there are several places where you do a water supply through here. It is a much nicer way to cover the terrain and a real step up from the track I covered back in 2015. 

Easy walking on the new St James Walkway track section

End of the descent into the Boyle River, St James Walkway

Eventually you break out into the Upper Boyle River valley, it is really beautiful up there and would certainly warrant another visit just to camp in the area. It's all river flats and climbing over small ridges from here to Boyle Flat about 7 km's further down the valley.

First view down the Boyle River Valley

Crossing a stream in the Upper Boyle Valley, St James Walkway

The Boyle Valley is covered with grassy river flats

There are relatively low hills at this end of the Boyle River Valley and I could see a number of excellent looking camping sites as I made my way down the valley. 

Picturesque stream on the far side of the Boyle River

View to the Libretto Range from Boyle River Valley

Looking back up towards Anne Saddle from near Pt. 866

The track is seared into the grass of the river flats by all the passing feet. It is intersected at regular points by deer/pig/people tracks coming down from the hills. Watch for rocks and branches in that long grass...I tripped over an old rotten log walking along here back in 2015 and cut my knee.

Obvious path of the St James Walkway, Boyle Valley

About half way along the track to Boyle Flat you pass the old Rokeby Hut, this is a small 2 bunk hut located inside a small finger of bush on one of the ridges. It is "rustic" in nature; dirt floor, sacking bunks, no lining... but in quite good condition. There is even a classic corrugated iron dog box for the mustering dogs which were once used up the valley.

Sign to Rokeby Hut on the St James Walkway

Red roof of Rokeby Hut peeks out of the Beech

The hut looks like it has been painted recently...I know quite a few huts in this area have been refurbished or freshened up using money from the Jobs for Nature campaign. Lots of neglected huts have received the first real work on them in decades as the government fronted some money for people laid off during Covid. 

Rokeby Hut in its bush surrounds on the St James Walkway

Rear view of Rokeby Hut, St James Walkway

View down the Boyle River Valley from near Rokeby Hut

From Rokeby Hut I continued on my way over the last five kilometers to Boyle Flat Hut. In all it can take from 2-3 hours to cover the ground in the upper Boyle River and I was not moving swiftly. It is easy enough track to cover but the legs do start to get tired a bit earlier than they used to. 

Map: St James Walkway, Rokeby Hut to Boyle Flat Hut

Crossing Rokeby Stream on the St James Walkway

Matagouri trees between Rokeby and Boyle Flat Huts

The eastern end of the Boyle River Valley, St James Walkway

Point about a kilometer away from Boyle Flat Hut

About 4 kilometres down valley you arrive at the swing-bridge to Boyle Flat Hut, my final destination for the day. It is four hours from the swing bridge to the road end...your destination on the final day of the Walkway.

First view of the Boyle Flat Swingbridge, St James Walkway

Turn off to Boyle Flat Hut from the St James Walkway

I was pleased to head over to the hut as my legs had given out for that day. I don't think I could have walked out to road end that day if I had too...I was stuffed!!! 

Boyle flat Swingbridge, St James Conservation Area

View down the Boyle River from near Boyle Flat Hut

I've stayed at the hut previously  and it is very nice, well maintained and in a prime location. It has sleeping platforms with 20 bunks spread over two rooms. There is plenty of space around the hut and in the nearby forest for tents as the hut can be super busy over the summer now that TA walkers are also using it. 

Boyle Flat Hut, St James Conservation Area

Closer view of Boyle Flat Hut

The inside of the hut is very attractive as it is a classic Lockwood design with that deeply glossed wood inside. I especially like the padded bench seat along the window...the pads make sitting here so much more comfortable.

Very, very nice!!!   

Boyle Flat Hut: interior view of living space

Boyle Flat Hut: my pit set up

I got some water from the tank and had a well deserved brew...goddam was it good! 

If you are visiting the hut and the watertank's are empty the alternate source of water is the very nice creek about 50 meters to the north of the hut. Follow the track which goes past the left hand side of the wood shed...it is easy to find.  

Approach to alternate water source for Boyle Flat Hut

Nice clean looking water in the creek but I would still purify it as who knows what is lurking just upstream.

Unnamed side stream near Boyle Flat Hut, St James Walkway

Its started to rain in the late afternoon at Boyle Flat Hut and gained in intensity through the night. It was still raining the next morning and only abated when I was about a kilometer from the Lower Boyle River swing-bridge. 

Its started to rain in the late afternoon...Boyle Flat Hut

I spent the night at Boyle Flat hut with a father and son party of hunters. They had been at the hut for three nights and hunting the surrounding area with little success. I was surprised as I have seen deer on the flats near the hut several times in the past. They were from Rangiora near Christchurch and we had a good chat about tramping, huts and the St James Conservation Area. 

Jon is official overdue...

So as I mentioned previously I had to stay an extra night at Christopher Hut due to the bad weather conditions. I judged it too dangerous to try to walk around to Anne Hut in the rain, snow, wind and cold on day three of my tramp. As such I was actually late home from this trip from this point on...

Karen did the right thing and called SAR and the Police to report me overdue from a trip. They sent a Police car up to BOEC to see if my car was still there to make sure I didn't crash on the way home. They also called Karen and said that they would start a search for me once I was 24 hours overdue. SAR were just getting ready to head out when I walked into the BOEC the next day..!!

I just avoided being "...tramper lost in hills north of Christchurch..."

Nothing I could do of course...there is no cell cover on the St James so I couldn't ring and say I was o.k. I had a PLB but I cannot send messages so that might be functionality I will look for the next time I replace my Locator Beacon. 

Day five: St James Walkway, Boyle Flat Hut to Boyle Outdoor Education Centre (BOEC) (14.5 km's)

The last day of the trip was rainy and cold which meant I was unable to use my main camera as itis only water resistant not waterproof. Normally this would be fine as I carry my waterproof action camera for days like that. It works in 4 K and takes decent photos and video though the sound is not fantastic. 

I use a Kaiser Baas X 600 action camera

 Unfortunately I packed the wrong charging cable so I was unable to recharge it so I had to limit the amount of use. There is a video but there are no photos of the last day of this trip. Instead here are some photos from when I walked this track back in 2015.  You can also watch my vlog of the last day walking out to the Boyle Settlement here. 

My vlog about this track section from Boyle Flat to the BOEC

Another early morning as the three of us staying in the hut overnight headed down valley to the road end at Boyle Village. I was last out of the hut about five minutes after my hut companions and was wearing my full wet weather gear as it was raining quite heavily. 

Map: St James Walkway in Mid Boyle River

I've walked this part of the track numerous times now so was well acquainted with what lay in store.

Boyle Flat Hut on the St James Walkway

Travel through this section is easy, the track is benched from the hut to the first swing-bridge over the Boyle although there are a number of new slips on the track to be tackled. One of the slips is going to be a problem in the future as the whole side of a hill is slowly breaking down. DOC will eventually need to build a new track way up the hill to get past the slip. 

Track between Boyle Flat and first swing-bridge, St James Walkway

 I really like the Upper Boyle Valley because the forest is dense...similar to a West Coast track.

Lush track side growth, Boyle Flat track, St James Walkway

St James Walkway: Boyle River view south

Eventually you reach the old stile which separates the upper valley from the cattle flats around St Andrews. The swing bridge is about 100 meters further down the track from this spot. You are actually in the Lake Sumner Forest Park once you cross this fence...it is a bit weird but a small section of the Boyle Valley actually sits in that park rather than the St James Conservation Area. 

St James Walkway: the stile just before Boyle swing-bridge

It takes an hour to get down to the swing-bridge over the Boyle River from Boyle Flat Hut. From here you cross the river and climb up a series of switch back track sections to the top of a plateau. You are walking over the plateau for quite a while before descending back down towards the river. 

Swing-bridge over Boyle River, St James Walkway

On the day the track was wet, slick and muddy so care was required at several points when traversing muddy bogs.  Normally you have to carefully jump from log to log, you can plough through but you will end with mud up to your knees. Dry conditions will probably shave at least 40 minutes off the usual time between the two swing bridges over the Boyle River. 

Nice dry conditions on the St James Walkway

St James Walkway: near St Andrews Flats

NB (2021): DOC have cut a new track section through here which avoids most of the worst mud and undulations. The new track is slightly uphill from the old one and clearly marked...it is a nice piece of track and easier to walk along than the old track. It starts near the high point over looking Magdalen Hut and continues down valley for about four kilometers. 

Map: St James Walkway in lower Boyle river

It rejoins the old track close to the photo below...

St James Walkway: half way to Boyle Village

 

I love catching my first view of the lower Boyle swing-bridge as it means you are nearly finished. From the bridge there is only the last fairly easy walk of about 1.5 kilometers out to the road end. 

St James Walkway: lower Boyle swing bridge...a beautiful sight!

If you want to cut about 30 minutes off your walk then look for the side track to the St Andrews 4 W/D road. It is much quicker to walk the final two kilometer's of the track down this road. The side track is marked by the red cross on the map below...

If you are a purist just stay on the main track and it will eventually dump you out by the BOEC....

Map: lower Boyle River Valley, St James Walkway

On the 4 W/D road from the Boyle swing bridge to the BOEC

It took me about four hours to walk from Boyle Flat to the Outdoor Education Center which is the standard time for this track. I am hoping to come up here for a trip into Magdalen Hut as part of my Winter 2023 series starting soon. I will make sure to film that trip and attach it to the end of this post. 

Best and worst bits of the St James Walkway

 Best part of the tramp was the whole section from Lewis Pass to the Christopher River as the Spencer Mountains are spectacular. They loam above you and really would not look out of place in Fiordland, Mt Aspiring or Arthurs Pass. This is enhanced when they are covered in snow. 

The magnificent Faerie Queene, the Spencer Range in 2015

Anne Hut is awesome...I know it is new and does not have much character yet BUT a lot of thought went into the design and it shows. It is typical of the new style huts being built by DOC since the mid 2010's. It is one of the finest huts I have stayed in outside of the Great Walks and will gain character as time passes.  

Interior of the excellent Anne Hut, St James Walkway

I also love those wide grass plains you walk across in the many valleys you traverse. They are generally good travel but they were a bit overgrown this time around. The grassland valleys were certainly easier to walk than the section from Lewis Pass to Cannibal Gorge Hut.

The DOC sign for the St James Walkway near BOEC

The worst part was the hour I spent walking around Mt Federation and up the start of the Henry Valley. It was easier this time around as I was only walking from Christopher Hut but the track is not fantastic. It is a pity you cannot walk along the river bank but all the marshy areas make this impossible. 

Would I walk the St James Walkway again?

I would certainly walk this track again and here are a couple of things I might do differently next time...

St James Walkway: the Libretto Range from Anne Hut...

1. Walk it in the opposite direction from BOEC to Lewis Pass...just for a different take on the track.

2. Walk the track in Winter to experience it in snow.

3. Camp and not stay in the huts...you can camp anywhere along this track except near Ada Homestead...then you can walk a length of track each day that suits your own needs. Best done in fine weather.

4. I would like to walk in from Boyle Settlement to Anne Hut and then traverse the rest of the Waiau Valley down to the St James Cycleway and over the mountains to Hanmer...

This should be one of you your must do tramps...

Awesome trip and much recommended to all you Kiwis out there...it is a relatively easy 4-5 day tramp suitable for everyone. Do it before it becomes a Great Walk...it was a runner up the last time they were looking at new Great Walk Tracks but lost out to the Humpridge Track. It is a awesome candidate for Great Walk status with a variety of terrain and a relatively easy route. 

The Hump Ridge officially became a Great Walk in April 2023

You should put your boots on and give it a go before it becomes a  Great Walk tourist Mecca and bookings are impossible to get. 

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: Boyle Flat Hut: serviced, 20 bunks, water tank, wood burner, toilet, 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. 

You Tube:       Anne Hut to Boyle Flat Hut

                        Boyle Flat Hut to Boyle Settlement