Home » Adventures » New Zealand Extended Holiday » Arthur’s Pass NP
Route I Walked
95 km
After being rained out in Arthur’s Pass National Park the last time I was in New Zealand, I returned during my long holiday, but this time with much better weather.
After inadvertently taking the harder route to Avalanche Peak, I encountered a very crowded summit, but still with great views of the mountains and glaciers. A short ridge walk led to the longest, steepest, and loosest scree slope I have ever descended (much worse than Rabbit Pass from a few days prior), but I made it to the bottom safely, although with a lot of rocks in my shoes. From there it was up the Waimakariri River, with a side trip to the falls, most of the way to its headwaters. Afterwards a long stretch of boulder hopping brought me up to Harman Pass and more great scenery. A steep descent to Mary River and a walk along it eventually led to the small, but very hot springs near Julia Hut, in which I soaked. A steep and relentless climb over the Kelly Range provided a great view, which I think extended all the way to the Tasman Sea. The Otira Valley was completely filled with morning fog as I hiked into it, before I had to climb and boulder hop yet again, this time up the Deception River to Goat Pass. I was very glad, however, not to be racing through this valley as Coast to Coasters do. A morning climb to Lake Mavis led to a beautiful alpine lake and allowed for an invigorating swim. The tread down along the Mingha River was much better than the Deception River, and I quickly found myself back in civilization for some much needed sustenance.
