Te Araroa : Lake Coleridge Lodge to Geraldine

KM this section : 67
KM completed : 2295

Looking back across the Rakaia to the hydro station.

Beyond Lake Coleridge Te Araroa throws up another major obstacle, the Rakaia river, the guide basically says, 'don't attempt to ford this, you will die', but in an annoying 'nudge nudge, if you are a proper tramper you will ford it' way.  Hum... I met a couple of Northbound hikers coming up to the lodge, they waded across... but, they said a new weather system was coming, and I can see a lot of cloud to the North.  Sure enough, I wake to find it has rained in the night and indeed is still raining... there is just no way I can risk a crossing now.

The nearest bridge is around twenty kilometres south, whereas the trailhead on the other side is to the north, making for a sixty-five kilometre detour.  When planning I thought that seemed way too much, now I just go for it, and in fact the rain clears and it becomes a lovely walk along flat road with no traffic, and jaw dropping views of the braided river, the churning grey waters a constant reminder that this was the right option.  Still, I finish the day at least ten kilometres short of the trailhead, when the plan was to be some way past it.

That's what I'm walking on...

Well, not a problem as long as I can make good time... ah.  Unfortunately, while the morning goes well enough, I emerge from a hut after lunch to find the weather has turned, it is chucking it down, and of course this would coincide with an increasingly nonexistent path.  I stop in at another hut, full of hikers sheltering from the rain, but I press on, to find a completely insane route up a swollen creek.  This being Te Araroa, I have to wade the stream many times, and simply walk up it for long sections, would be annoying in good weather but now it is quite horrifying.  I use my poles to feel my way through the turbid waters, stones smacking against my feet as they are washed along... every now and then I must stop to pour out the gravel that has collected in my boots, it really is not much fun.

Eventually I get above the stream, but the 'path' remains awful, no more than a line of snow poles through tussocks and bog.  I won't make my planned hut, no choice but to camp up here and it is cold, wet and miserable, I sleep poorly and struggle to get up the next morning, it's past 10am when I emerge to see it has actually snowed on the mountainside not far above me.  Miraculously though, this turns into a good day, the sun comes out and I find myself walking a flat, windswept plain, going is good, glorious views and it is even dry.  After the late start I am still behind schedule, but I reach the trailhead at 9am next morning - of course, it is on the banks of another unfordable river.

With the Rangitata, and indeed Mount Sunday, behind.

Why the trail comes here I have no idea... apparently this river, the Rangitata, can be forded sometimes, but the flow is currently around ten times the safe level.  The guide has no suggestions as to an alternative, and it is maybe a hundred and fifty kilometres to walk around via the nearest bridge... Well, no help for it but to take an unplanned rest day as I hitch hike around, or at least as far as the small town of Geraldine.  I am more than a bit annoyed, still, there is a nice campsite here, and beer, and I get the BBQ going, it could be worse.  Transient is here, he did ford the Rakaia at least, early the morning I was there from the sound of it, including being swept downstream for a hundred metres... nutter.

Photos to go with this post can be found here.