Day 1
Katie and Jeremy picked me up from the bach in Arthur’s Pass and we drove towards Lake Brunner, stopping on the road where Camp Creek runs out of the hills. The gate was open and we drove up the somewhat overgrown track, the deep grass between the tyre tracks being mown down by the underside of Jeremy’s car. Katie and I ran ahead in parts and tried to push the blackberry bushes away from the road.
It was hot and sunny. We got ready and began following the overgrown track up the hill. It was rough going and we soon found ourselves crossing the river the crossing back again not long after. The second crossing required some balance so as not to slip out on the rocks under the water. It wouldn’t be something you’d want to do if it had been raining recently.
We continued up the river following pink tape tied around branches until we saw the next orange doc triangle. The track climbed steeply and we navigated wind fall. In parts there are big drops down to the river far below and the track is narrow and rough. It would be game over if you slipped.
It took us about 3.5 hours to get to Camp Creek Hut. We weren’t setting any speed records.
Day 2
The other group got up at 5 am and crashed around for a bit before leaving. We had a much more leisurely departure. The track was very steep and took us up a long spur to the bush line and beyond. Despite its steepness I found the track easier going than the walk into Camp Creek Hut. It just went up rather than up and down and sidling.
The bush turned to scrub and after some time we arrived at the rock garden and much gentler contours. We followed the route markers a little further before taking a right and picking our way through the large rocks. We opted to drop down a bit to the South and found a good route below most of the rocks but above the bluffs further down. We crossed over the dry river marked on the topomap and climbed the other side. We then had an easy walk along the side of the tarns.
We stopped for lunch, two minute noodles, and onion and surprise peas. Mmm surprising. We then continued to the far end of the last tarn where Jeremy had scouted out ample space for camping. It was flat and the ground was soft. We set up our tents and spent the rest of the evening lazing without feeling at all tempted to head up to Mt Alexander.
I taught Katie the art of teabagging, at least that of slapping out a used tea bag on a backside. She had a couple of goes but unfortunately didn’t quite master the technique.
Jeremy and I went for a little stroll up the hill behind our tents and in the evening we prepared more dehydrated meals. The frogs croaked away in the tarn in the evening.
Day 3
We packed up camp in the morning and headed back to where we’d left the marked route the previous day. We descended steeply to the turn off to Camp Creek Hut. Jeremy and I retrieved the food we’d left there and we made lunch in the riverbed. We continued walking out to the car. Jeremy and Katie drove back to Christchurch after dropping me back at the bach in Arthur’s Pass.
