10 Days in the Bush, Now Time for a Shower

Te Araroa Trail Days 34 - 42 (540km - 719km)

Day 34-36: January 6-8 (64km)

Lake Coleridge to Arthur’s Pass

We hitched off trail to Arthur’s Pass for a snack stop. Out the car window the village was decorated in signs that read:

DONT FEED THE KEA

At the store:

Don’t leave belongings unattended, the Kea will take your food and break the dishes.

At the campground:

Tent camping not recommended as Kea often destroy tents and camping equipment.

The Kea is New Zealand’s alpine parrot, the flying mischief maker of the mountains. With no natural predators, Kea evolved without a human fear instinct. They’re curious, cheeky creatures that love to wreak havoc and eat human treats.

Kea are hardwired to dismantle. Their beak is a multi-tool used to prod, yank and unscrew. They’re known to rip apart windshield wipers and disassemble bicycles.

While this may come off as vicious behavior, Kea are nothing of the sort. Armed with the intelligence of a 4 year old, the Kea’s main objective is to explore and play. And they will do anything in their power to eat a Tim Tam.

Kea are the main character; well loved by locals and visitors alike.

Don’t feed the Kea!!!

We collected our resupply package from renowned trail angel Nigel who owns a small cottage at Arthur’s Pass Village. He holds resupply boxes and hosts TA walkers for free.

Having mostly forgotten what we sent ourselves, opening the food box felt like Christmas! But a Christmas where you have to carry everything you got on your back.

Day 37: January 9 (27.5km)

Goat Pass

We learned the term ‘slack pack’ recently which means hiking without a big pack. The section after Nigel’s was slack-packable because the trail connects to a road, so we packed lunches and set off for Goat’s Pass.

Within a few minutes of walking we reached a rushing river, stopping to assess the path through. Then out of nowhere came five trail runners, sporting vests and speedy sunnies. They zoomed through the thigh deep currents without hesitation, then continued up the rocky river bed, over stones and fallen trees.

The runners were practicing on course for the upcoming Coast to Coast race, a challenge that crosses the width of South Island. The race includes kayaking, mountain biking and trail running. Talk of the race is buzzing around this part of the island. Everyone seems to either be in training mode or rallying around it.

More badass runners passed us throughout day. Most of them complete the rigorous 25km route in under 4 hours.

We spent all day in the prehistoric playground, scrambling up boulders, cruising through jungle, crossing rivers, and stopping for swims in frigid blue pools. Our light packs propelled us up the valley for the final ascent through Goat Pass. Then down the other side, waterfalls cutting through the lush vegetation above.

The full day took us 9 hours and we crawled back to Nigel’s ready for sleep.

Coast to coast 2025 here we come!

Days 38-42: January 10-14 (87.5km)

Arthur’s Pass to Boyle Village

The following day we loaded the contents of the resupply box into our heaviest packs of all time.

Day of the river. Every ten minutes there was a crossing it seemed, ranging from gentle streams to swift rivers that reached our upper thighs. Any higher and we both would have been pack floating towards the ocean.

The only bridge was set over the lowest flowing creek of the day, and built using the fewest possible resources. Simple and effective.

We crossed the riskiest rivers early on, which was good because rain was forecasted the following day. The only sobos we passed were ones trying to cover over 40kms to Arthur’s Pass before the impending showers.

We must have outrun the rain. Each day we walk further into the Hurunui River Valley, it gets sunnier. There’s only small streams on the horizon, so we’ve cut down our distance and intensity tenfold. Less walking means more time to eat all the food we brought.

Self Care Day in the Backcountry:

1. Hut to ourselves and sleep in

2. Walk one hour to natural hot springs

3. Spend the next few hours hopping between cold river and hot pools

4. Lay in sun and eat snacks

5. Use river sand to exfoliate legs and itch sandfly bites

6. Comb hair for first time in a week

7. Walk 1.5 hours to next hut and call it a day :)

Until next time!

Maddie & Anna