At over 900 meters, it was a bit blustery and cold, with temperatures about 45F. A few passing clouds deposited some light rain, which was predicted to end later that day. With the clouds, we decided to the do the circuit with our first night at Salisbury Lodge. The first third was on a 4x4 road, and was fast-going.
A bit of a rainbow at the start of the track.
This area is a predator-control zone, and a Great Spotted Kiwi recovery area. The largest of the Kiwi, these birds roam the scrub and grasslands of the alpine and subalpine regions. Hunting at night, their calls are quite surprising. They forage in pairs, calling to each other to keep in touch, and to establish territory with other birds.
The ever-present weka, hunting for crumbs.
The soil here is thin and rocky. Often only the roots of the forest preventing runaway erosion.
Once a stock route, this 4x4 road and trail has been the domain of trampers/hikers for most of a century. Some of the earlier residents had a artistic flair.
At Gridiron Gulch, we detoured 50 meters up a steep half-slid slope to a rocky overhang. Snugged up against and beneath the rock is Upper Gridiron Hut. Built long before the DOC and its standard hut designs, this one is a gem. Sadly we didn’t get a photo of the hut itself! So you will have to google it, or visit it on your own.
Just to the left of the hut, a swing is anchored into the rock, with a nearby fire pit, this is first class in the bush!
The window above the door is decorated with a mural. Pictured here are two cheeky Kea and a possum tearing into a trampers pack.
Farther down the track, lower Gridiron shelter is a Rock Bivvy built under a massive boulder.
A stream runs right under the site.
Hooks to hang packs and food. The various species of rats will eat through anything.
A hanging chair was here once, now it serves as a swing and pack hangar.
The road to this point is still passable. The large rocks stacked to make a ford have washed out, just father down the road it turns into a track anyways.
As we continued on, the track climbed regularly and slowly upwards. Eventually we left the forest cover for the alpine tussock fields. At this point it was raining steadily, and a strong gusty wind was driving the rain. The difficulty was the tussocks, waist high and covered in rain, they soaked us within 200 meters. The track itself was a small stream, and promised no easy passage. We stopped briefly to put on our rain pants and tighten our pack covers, and we set off again. It was only a few degrees above freezing, and with the wind it was tough going, even with dry feet. After an eternity (about an hour) we arrived at the spacious and well-apportioned Salisbury lodge. Pleasantly surprising, a semi-retired couple from the UK had beaten us there by some margin, and there was a good fire already going in the stove. Amazingly, I believe they were wetter than we were. With the sunset long lost behind the cloud cover, we called it a night with the wind howling away.
The next morning the sun rose behind a patchy but thick layer of clouds. A generic forecast for the area showed it clearing later in the morning, and getting better the farther east we went. So we packed up and headed the long way to Mt Arthur Hut via the Sphinx Creek route through the area known as “the potholes”. It was cold and the tussocks and ground still wet, so we wisely put on all our rain gear.
As is typical with these routes, the track follows streams and drainage. Given the recent rain and wetland area, we spent half our time trying to avoid soaking ourselves to the waist in fast flowing frigid water.
This rock (for which the creek is named) once head a sphinx-like head. In 1929 a earthquake knocked it off!
This area (the potholes) is part of a kilometer-long region of raised limestone. Dissolved by weak acids in surface water, sinkholes, caves, and strange formations abound. Check out this hole and arch.
Here two large sinkholes form a natural bridge. Don’t stray too far from the path.
Now running deep beneath us, the creek once dropped into this sinkhole, and the cave beyond.
The sinkholes and old stream beds are piled upon each other, it really gives the area a strange feel.
A long defunct stream bed with strange mushroom formations. Even here, dozens of small sinkholes drop into the abyss. This is seriously not a good place to wander. I am reminded of the sand pit monsters from Star Wars…
As so many adventures begin, we came to a crossroads in the forest. At this point our friends from the night before caught up to us. The weather had cleared a bit, and they were going to try for Mt Arthur hut as well.
Whenever I see a time range this large, for a distance this short, I realize it will be a challenge.
We spent the next hour threading our way through misty forest, sidling around whimsically shaped blocks of limestone and treacherous tree roots, with plenty of sinkholes and fissures as well.
Some strange plants call the forests of NZ home.
And so we crossed into the alpine herbfields once more.
Wet snow became more common. To our surprise a weka has passed this way a few hours before. For at least 4km it followed the track. Tough birds.
Soon the wind reached gale strength along the ridge. Despite the blowing rain, we were still mostly dry and warm from the 800 meter (gross) ascent. So we decided to push on, thinking we were closer to Mt Arthur. As we climbed up Gordons Pyramid, the rain turned to sleet, and clouds closed in. Apparently our weather forecast did not survive our ascent into the alpine. Also, $24 Amazon special direct-from-Malaysia rainpants are not waterproof in 90kph winds. I would say they are water resistant, or maybe just water frustrating. Good thing I was wearing wool thermals. For those not-in-the-know, hollow fibers such as wool retain substantial insulation value even when soaking wet. Good thing we packed the hand warmers; Jen was using them for feet and hands!
At the summit of the Pyramid, the ground was coated with freezing rain, and signs still bore a coating from the night previous. Notice Jen’s jacket on the side of the picture. Not an accident, this was the only way to keep the driving rain out of the camera! I firmly believe that these distances are not accurate. I suspect these signs were put up by the tramping club long before GPS…
At this point we realized just how far we had left to go. Already too late to turn back, we trudged on in the wind and rain. As did a bird friend as well. This one seemed a bit large and might be a kiwi's track.
As we descended to the other side of the range, the cloud cleared some, and the rain stopped. It was actually colder on the other side of the saddle! Starving, we found a spot out of the wind to make some quick warm soup. Only then did we discover that I had forgotten to pack the lighter. No problem, I had an igniter on the stove. It broke on the second click… No problem, I got this, spare matches. After 5 matches break, I discover that the sandpaper friction material on the box has worn off! My hands too cold to hold the matches, we give up and settle for a snack bar. After over 400km my boots waterproofing chose today to give out. With the snow frozen to my boots, my toes are numb and soaked. Wool only does so much!
Chilled from the long descent, we are starting to reach exhaustion, we start the climb to the ridge leading to Mt Arthur. To the right is a 40-minute slog to the summit, to the left is a warm hut. At the center of this photo is Mt Arthur rising into the clouds. Obviously we take the route to the hut. Just before the hut, we pass some hunters climbing up. (It is fairly mild and sheltered down here.) They are wearing shorts, chaps, and rubber boots. I hope they didn’t go too far west!
Sitting in the hut trying to warm my feet up, a couple come down from Mt Arthur. Apparently they had to stop before the summit due to meter-deep snow drifts. So much for that warm and clear forecast! Looking east over the valley it is sunny… So mountains do indeed make their own weather!
Here is Mt Arthur from near the Hut.
After finally eating lunch and warming our feet, we decide to walk the remaining hour back to the car park. The hut is near capacity, and our warm foam mattress is calling. With the snow cover, climbing Mt Arthur would not be enjoyable, even if the clouds did clear.
And so we ended our outing. We have had very good weather this summer in NZ in general. There is a reason that people die in the back country here every year. At higher altitudes, it can drop below freezing any time of the year. Windchill and exhaustion can kill. Had we been hiking without the right gear, this hike could have been dangerous. Thankfully it was just a bit miserable.
