Meet with your guide at 1pm for a quick chat and gear check to ensure you have everything you need before heading for the hills! It’s a pleasant drive across the patchwork like Canterbury Plains, over Porters Pass and into the Waimakariri Basin. Here we don hiking boots and start our adventure with a warmup hike on Bealey Spur. The trail climbs gently through glades of beech forest and tussock meadows to a historic hut and stunning viewpoint of the Southern Alps and the distinctive braided river channels of the Waimakariri River. We take time to enjoy the views and learn about this area before heading back down to the vehicle and on to tonight’s lodge accommodation. Includes dinner.
With backpacks packed we start our hike by crossing the Bealey and Mingha Rivers. None of the rivers on this route are bridged so we quickly become accustomed to wet boots. The Edwards Valley is a mix of forested sections of trail, open river bed and some steeper sections of natural staircases of rock and tree roots. When the trail climbs high above the Edwards River, we have some great views of the waterfalls below. Eventually the trail emerges out of the forest into the tussock flats of the upper valley. The 16 bunk Edwards Hut is our home for the night and a welcome sight! At nightfall we listen out for the distinct call of the kiwi. Roroa, or great spotted kiwi, are known to inhabit this sub-alpine area. Includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.
With a big day ahead of us we depart the hut early and follow a trail to the head of the Edwards Valley. We keep an eye out for Whio (Blue duck) that inhabit the upper catchment of the river. The route weaves its way through a distinctive boulder field at Tarahuna Pass. In 1929 an earthquake literally shook the aptly named ‘Falling Mountain’ to bits with a sizeable chunk of the mountain now smothering the pass with rock avalanche debris. We climb steeply up to Tarn Col and are rewarded at the top by stunning views of the surrounding mountains and the Otehake wilderness area. Now on the west side of the divide you will notice a distinct change in the vegetation due to the higher rainfall. After re-crossing the main divide at Walker Pass we start our descent to Hawdon Hut. We settle in to this modern and spacious hut and prepare and enjoy a final dinner together. Includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.
This morning’s walk is a relatively gentle wander down the Hawdon Valley crossing the main river and some tributaries before eventually arriving at the Hawdon Shelter. Here we meet our shuttle driver to transport us back to our vehicle at the start of the track. We make our way back to Christchurch stopping on route for a wander among the imposing limestone rock outcrops of Kura Tawhiti/Castle Hill and maybe a celebratory ice cream in Springfield. We arrive back in Christchurch in the late afternoon. Includes breakfast and lunch.
