Te Araroa: Arthur’s Pass to Rakaia River

We made it back on trail after a humbling last section and a few rest days in Christchurch. A lack of calories caught up to me and had me struggling to hike more than a few hours a day even on the easy sections. My camera stayed in my pack for the entire section before this because carrying it on my shoulder strap is less comfortable than carrying it in the pack - I was struggling hard and trying every little thing I could think of to make each step easier.

Jamie is still going strong and I had to lean on her quite a bit to get through the last section. She is superwoman, I’m amazed at what she can do on the trail and so grateful to be out here with her. We had some hard days for sure, it ain’t all sunshine and rainbows when you’re hiking for this long.

We did, however, start the Arthur’s Pass to Rakaia River section with a beautiful rainbow over the river with lupines greeting us as we started our road walk to the trailhead.

A quick climb into Tussock country offered some real nice views.

We took a rare break by a river that wasn’t full of sandflies. We took advantage and found some rocks to relax on.

More nice views on the way up to Hamilton Hut.

We had our first encounter with Keas on the trail at the hut. They welcomed us at night by throwing one of my shoes around, shredding the foam but thankfully leaving my shoe for me to collect after they left.

They then greeted us the next morning. Keas are so curious, they love to make eye contact and investigate anything new to them. They’re notorious for stealing things and tearing them up, but I was glad to get to spend some time with them while all of our gear was safely stored in the hut.

They were happy to model for a photo shoot on the deck.

We headed out the next morning and hiked through a beautiful valley on our way to a small campsite. The first half of the day had beautiful weather, the second half was so windy it stopped us in our tracks a few times.

We were happy to have access to a shelter at the campsite on Christmas Eve as the wind howled throughout the night.

Christmas Day was rainy but beautiful. We made our way to the Powerhouse Lodge where our hosts made a lovely Christmas dinner for all of the hikers. We ate and drank and shared our favorite memories of the trail so far. A great way to spend Christmas on the trail!

These orange triangles are the way the TA trail is marked. Most of them are just a few inches tall, but the Lodge has a giant one that everyone gets to sign.

We’re taking a few more days off to rest my foot. The miles are catching up to me and I have tendonitis in my right foot. A pair of new shoes and a break from walking while we bike the next section will hopefully have me back on my feet in a few days. The shop that I bought my shoes from decided to create a “blown out shoes graveyard” and I got to contribute mine to the fence.

We pick up bikes tomorrow and are hoping for at least another good section or two before heading home.

Bonus pics: here are a few shots from the previous section. I didn’t do a blog because my camera was in my pack the entire time, but Jamie took a few worth sharing.

The cows were reluctant to share the trail but eventually allowed us to pass

Absolutely struggling on too few calories in the rain after breaking a hiking pole

The smallest hut we’ve stayed in was a welcome shelter from the rain

Trying desperately to boost morale

Pack it in, pack it out. We tried a bottle of NZ whiskey and couldn’t leave the unfinished bottle in the hotel.