St Arnaud to Boyle

Very early Sunday morning (16 Dec) I walked out of St Arnaud, heading for Rainbow Road to start my customised version of Te Araroa. Instead of risking Waiau Pass, I planned to walk parallel to the Trail, through Rainbow Station and Molesworth Station. It was about 9km to the turnoff and then I simply settled down to 17km of tarseal as far as the ski field junction. Nice to have shady beech trees on the east side of the road.

Each side creek was named, including a dry one!

The road, which becomes a farm track after the skifield turnoff, runs along the true left of Wairau River. It is a real wild river, so popular with trout bums that fishing beats are signposted along the way.

I think the Water Conservation Order that has protected it (so far) from hydro development was mostly due to activism by anglers, bless them.

At the old Rainbow homestead a man came out to explain a cattle drive was reaching critical squeeze points ahead of me. Was I in a hurry? Would I like a cup of tea? Does the Queen wear hats? I felt like the luckiest hiker in the world, sipping tea with runholders and learning history from the homestead verandah.

The house is constructed of cob, a mixture of soil and tussock and horse dung. It was built about 130 years ago, one of a chain of cob houses each built one day's sheep droving apart all the way from Nelson to Culverden. Sheep were bought and shipped from Australia to Nelson and then walked to Canterbury in stages. The houses (Tophouse, Rainbow, Tarndale, Molesworth, Acheron...) were all built by the same man and served as hostelries for the drovers. Apart from Tophouse which is still commercial, these houses are not open to the public. And there I was, made to feel at home by an accident of timing. 

When the musterers got in, I set off again, past very tired dogs. 

I reached Connor's Creek Hut about 40 minutes and 37km later and had my first night with importuning rodents. Don't worry, I importuned them back. 

I'm happiest walking in the very early morning. On monday, the sun's rise looking back north promised a beautiful day. 

The route through Wairau Gorge, known as Hell's Gate, is along the true right, 

and then switches sides again at the confluence of Rainbow Stream. I saw the first Bulbinella of the trip growing in damp spots. 

Not much further along, damp vanishes. I entered Molesworth Station, a place that has intrigued me for years. It is fabled for being dry, being brutal, and being beautiful. 

The contrast with Rainbow Station was striking. I walked for hours and hours in a huge, open, inland desert. 

The slopes were active scree... 

and when I encountered a few trees just over Island Saddle in the headwaters of the Clarence, it truly felt like an oasis. 

A few more kilometres and I met the boundary with St James Station. It was my cue to pitch camp amongst matagouri, utterly tired after 10 hours and about 38km. But I have walked the western flank of Molesworth and something inside me is quietly satisfied. 

A song thrush serenaded me to sleep and woke me early. 

This time the sun is just tipping Mt Una (2300m) in the Spenser Mountains west of Maling Stream. The walk over Maling Pass (1308m) was a doddle and I got my first look at Waiau valley. 

Clearly there were still snowfields at Waiau Pass and clearly my workaround was vindicated. 

I followed an old rabbit fence as I descended, 

and found an excellent place to cross Waiau River. 

This meant I was 100% back on Te Araroa, ahead of the rain and well inside St James Station, renowned for its horses. 

The river flats were bulging with grass (no livestock now, it is a conservation park), 

and viper's bugloss grew happily in alluvial gravels. 

Luckily for my peace of mind it hadn't occurred to me that Ada Stream might be a challenge, but when I reached the bank and saw the flow, I knew the time-to-be-really-careful was upon me. In fact, all the rivers seem to be running high this year, so I am map reading like Magellan now. 

Anyway I made it to Anne Hut by afternoon tea time and celebrated with afternoon tea. 

The rain started in the night and I spent the next day at Anne Hut, smug as a pug. 

A zero day with plenty to eat and Proust for company. From my lookout I watched walkers arriving, learned there had been a search and rescue job at Waiau Pass (dislocated ankle, no PLB), and realised I had completed 2022km (two thirds) of the Trail. 

A few hours from there next morning and I was in the headwaters of Boyle River. 

It was just a beech forest but it yielded three species of orchids! 

The one above is a greenhood, 

this is a greenbird, and here is a different greenhood. 

So I botanised my way to Boyle, a 10 hour tramp, and stayed the night in a bunkroom at the outdoor centre there. My food box and boots (pair number three) were waiting for me. 

Today I took a passing shuttle to Christchurch, to spend Christmas at Diamond Harbour with my sister and her partner. Fresh vegies! Divine bed! DvDs! Rain on the roof!