Day 3. Park Morpeth Hut to Grassy Flat Hut 16km
Ice axe and crampons required...
On Day 2 I'd crossed the Main Divide twice, but was still on the "wrong" side. Today however I was heading over the Browning Pass (1426m), and the rivers on the other side would all be flowing to the west coast. The Browning was another potential problem (the Ranger had said a monster cornice was waiting to fall on my head...). It was however a nice Scottish Grade 1 snow slope with a steepening at the top, not unlike Lochnagar's Black Spout. Just like being at home! The crampons came in useful! The weather was still superb, so I brewed up beside the icy lake over the top, then headed down to the Harman Hut (more rough going). It was still early, so I pushed on another 3 hours down the Styx River to the Grassy Flat Hut. Here the cloud appeared, and lowered, and even had the temerity to drop some rain. The hut was new and comfortable, and even had some tinned food to supplement my now beleagured food supplies (noodles).
At the top of the pass is this lovely Alpine lake, iced over at this time of year.
Down at the lake I brewed up and had a second breakfast.
Lower down, and much later in the day, the clouds rolled in and I battled over the Styx Saddle through giant tussocks. There's nothing like this in Scotland.
Day 4. Grassy Flat Hut to Lake Kaniere 18km
Newly-built Grassy Flat Hut
Down here in the West Coast rainforests wet feet are the order of the day. Lots of river crossings, boulder hopping, and thrashing through monster tussocks. This is what NZ tramping is all about! These fast-running mountain streams are home to the famous (and rare) Blue Duck. I counted nearly 300 DOC stoat traps on the way down from the Harman Hut (stoats are the ducks main predator)! By now my feet were starting to hurt and food rations reaching dangerous depletion levels. Suddenly I popped out at the road end, but it was another 5km of trudging in drizzle before I managed to flag down a friendly car to take me into Hokitika. Terry and Lou dropped me at the Fish and Chip shop...
The path down the Styx River takes to the river bed at numerous points.
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