Date: December 19 - 23, 2023
Location: Canterbury Westland Alps, Hokitika, West Coast, New Zealand
Total Trip Distance: 31.5 mi / 50 km
Total Elevation Gain: 10,417 ft / 3,175 m
Trip Duration: 5 days
Team: Solo
Field Notes: A stunning trip into the rugged and remote mountains of the West Coast. Trails here are rough and I moved significantly slower than I normally do. Expect constant ups and downs if following riverbeds and be extremely careful in heavy rain. Travel to gain the ridge-lines is borderline bushwhacking - and the forests here are thick. I saw three people in 5 days and had only 1 day of rain! One of the most magical trips of my life.
Rating: Hiking / tramping, off trail
“Why’d you come out?” I sat around a $100,000+ RV set up with a mug I bought at a second hand store decorated with cats, filled with sleepy time tea. I stumbled with my answer…”I don’t know…”
I pulled into the free camping spot when two legendary Kiwi’s, Buck and Adam, showed up with their family entourage. Adam probably felt bad for me that I was sitting in my soaking wet tent so he invited me over. I was introduced to everyone, however Buck stood out. He was Kiwi, well traveled, loved women, hunting, drinking beer, and teaching his son to get up when he got knocked down in rugby. A man in every sense of the word. Fucking legend.
I was trying to explain my trip across the Toaroha Range when he asked me point blank - “why did you come out?” I honestly have no clue. Even as I write this I'm sitting next to a roaring fire above a babbling brook in Mount Aurum. Tomorrow I walk out. Why am I going out when I want to go IN? This is the duality of life. One naturally creates the other.
On day one I walked in to Cedar Flat hut. There were only a few cars in the lot and I had a feeling I wasn’t going to see many folks on this one. I’d dreamed about the West Coast for years. Rough mountains and foul weather. It seemed only by the grace of God that one got sunshine here. Lo and behold a perfect forecast struck the West Coast and I drove the six hours to Hokitika. I knew I was going to be in for a good one when I arrived at Cedar Flat hut under the cover of darkness and stumbled into a kiwi brushing his teeth. His accent was thick - no doubt a country boy. He showed me around the hut only to tell me he’s got a rifle on the top bunk and that I shouldn’t be spooked. No worries I told him, fire away. Are you hunting? No, he told me. Are you training? No, he told me. Beats me I thought to myself and went outside to cook dinner under the stars. That night I slept very deeply.
On day two I took my damn time. It was a glorious morning. Absolutely bluebird without a cloud. A Polish couple were the only other people in the hut and they told me the hot springs nearby were some of the best they’ve ever been to - and hot springs are their life passion. What are the odds?
I hiked the fifteen minutes to the hot springs and I can confirm that it was a borderline religious experience. The hot springs sat on the edge of a freezing cold mountain river. And the hot springs were HOT. I spent about an hour doing multiple rounds of hot cold therapy, all alone, on a perfect bluebird morning on the west coast. Holy shit.
At eleven I pulled myself from the hut and figured I should start moving. As I worked up the Toaroha River I realized travel in this neck of the woods was going to be very, very slow. The trails out here are the roughest I’ve ever seen. My original goal was to get to Toaroha Saddle but after three hours of non-stop up and down along a riverbed, I decided to change my plans and I am so glad that I did.
First off, it was going to take me a solid seven hours of very hard travel to get to the saddle. This would mean days three and four would be very big days, and I didn't want to be up on the ridge in poor conditions in an area I don't know. I knew rain was coming, and I wanted to get on the tops and experience the ridges in good weather. I decided to take a left and head up to Crystal Biv. This decision was the turning point in the trip.
After a borderline bushwhack for an hour and a half I broke treeline and reached the Biv. The views were absolutely stunning. The Diedrechs Range behind me and the Toaroha Range looming above. The Biv was nestled into the shrub like a baby tucked into a cradle. It felt wild to be up here. I wandered down to the tarn and took an amazing skinny dip. The forecast for tomorrow was calling for perfection and I couldn’t wait to get to the tops. That night I slept like a log.
Nine hours later I woke to the sound of chirping birds. I looked out the window and my eyes locked on blue sky. I ripped open the door to perfect conditions. I was like a kid on Christmas and made no delay - it was time to get going!
I climbed up through snow grass and into the cloud layer that had blanketed the ridgeline while I was getting ready. This was just an inversion layer and waited patiently to break through. At 1400 meters I finally climbed above the cloud layer and got my first few of the Toaroha Range - wow. Golden light covered the deep green ridglines and baked the clouds. It was a magical sight.
I continued to climb higher, sidling gendarmes along the ridge by negotiating steep scrub. Travel continued to be slow and challenging , and I finally reached my first high point at Point 1694. The sun was screaming hot and I was melting. After a thirty minute break I sank back into the clouds and finally reached Zit Saddle, roughly 4 hours into the day. I had a very long way to go and kept moving.
I found a tarn below Mount Reeves, refilled my water, broke above the clouds again, and stood atop the high point of my trip. Mountains surrounded me in all directions and I was all alone. The feeling was special. I took another long break before descending to the col below Point 1618.
It got quite steep along the ridge that required a down climb to the climbers right to bypass. Travel from here to Genoa Peak was arguably the most stunning of the whole day. I was entirely above the clouds, watching the inversion layer pour over the mountains into the Toaroha Valley. To the right, the snow capped peaks of Arthur’s Pass loomed on the skyline. In front of me, Genoa Peak and The Pinnacle looked wild and rugged.
In what felt like Arabian desert heat I continued on. I debated skipping Genoa Peak but remembered the conversation I had with myself earlier… “you will want to skip this peak but you will regret it!” So I began my final ascent of the day. I was feeling quite shitty from the heat when I crested a hill and ran into a beautiful alpine tarn. “OH MY GOD!” I stripped off all my clothes and dove right in. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud - what a mystery life is!
Totally recharged I sprinted to the top of the peak and with misty eyes rejoiced at the magic of life. I felt so grateful to be up here. I could see Pinnacle Biv in the valley below, my home for the night. It took me about an hour or so of frustrating terrain to reach the hut. Because Crinkle Top (I can’t believe this is even considered a mountain) lay just fifty meters from the hut I dropped my pack and ran to the top.
Finally, nine hours later, I arrived at the Biv. And what a place it was - above a sea of clouds staring at the mountains of Arthur’s Pass.
This day will remain as one of the top days I’ve ever had in the hills.
On day four I decided to have a casual day and wander down to Boo Boo Hut. It was a rainy day and the hut had a wood burner, so why not spend an extra day relaxing and enjoying the warmth of the fire? It took rough two hours to reach the hut.
I spent the day chopping wood, cleaning up the hut, reading, and doing cold plunges in the natural pool nearby. It was dead silent besides the sounds of local birds, falling rain, and the occasional wind blowing about the trees. This time of stillness gave me a much needed break from the constant doings of life.
The rain had lifted a bit on the morning of day five. I took a final cold plunge in the pool, packed my bag and made the walk out. I was filled with passion and fire for life. That feeling of completing a spectacular trip in the wild recharges the soul like nothing else! I walked non-stop for four hours to reach my vehicle, passing through spectacular forest and deep gorges.
The West Coast of New Zealand is one of those places in the world that will forever live untamed, wild, raw, and spectacular. I feel very fortunate to be able to complete such a trip in good weather. Happy days... Note: for more detailed information on West Coast huts and routes, visit: https://www.remotehuts.co.nz/
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