ARTHUR’S PASS
We were only on our third day on the south island of New Zealand, and we knew this half of the country would be the highlight of the trip. This is not, however, to undermine the North Island in any way, as it offered its own flavor of picturesque landscape. The rolling green hills that stretched for a seemingly endless distance alongside State Highway 3 through Taranaki was an excellent introduction to driving in this country. That being said, the experience of facing true alpine wilderness in New Zealand for the first time was humbling. We left from Hanmer Springs down State Highway 7 to reach State Highway 73, which would lead us directly to Arthur’s Pass. With Mount Cook National Park on the horizon, we decided stopping here would be a good interlude to break up the driving, along with getting some hiking in. We made good time despite the stops we made for myself to jump out for photos, but with the scenery we were faced with it seemed almost irresponsible to not cement the experience with a few frames.
After a few hours drive we arrived in the small town of Arthurs Pass. Our first impressions were that it was such an untouched area, with very little inhabitants (as would most of the places we visited on the south island end up being). This impression became very apparent as we passed through the quaint town center. We pulled off of the highway to the trail head of the Temple Basin Ski Field, the hike we all decided on doing for the day. It is a steep, relatively shorter distance out-and-back, boarding other popular trails including the Devils Punchbowl. After a quick lunch we began ascending. We realized that this trail was definitely on the harder end of the intermediate difficulty. The grade was steep as it zig-zagged up the mountain, but the trail was well maintained and there wasn't too much ice to dodge, so the hike didn't surprise us with anything too unexpected. It did, however, offer great views of the snow-capped "Southern Alps" surrounding Arthurs Pass. As we made our way to the end of the trail, and the beginning of the final trek to access the lodge at the top, we decided to turn back as the light was fading, and the temperature was dropping. I definitely felt slightly out of place nearing the top without any ski gear, as we were meeting several other trampers that were hiking up for the fresh powder in the basin, skis and all. As incredible as it looked, none of us had the gear, experience or will to attempt free skiing the un-groomed basin at the top.
If you are visiting and free-skiing is something you're into, it would be wise to mark this hike in your to-do's. Especially if you catch a powder day.
After grabbing some food in town we decided to jump onto CamperMate and find a local spot to sleep for the night. We ended up in a nearby free site with the place to ourselves. We made some dinner, had a few rounds of drinks and called it a day. Our sight was now focused on Mt Cook National Park, and it was only a days drive ahead.
Words and photos by Brendan Grieble