Start – Mid Wairoa Hut
Finish – Nelson
Daily Distance – Unknown
TA Distance – off trail
When crossing strong rivers you have to be lucky every time and unlucky only once. That was our parting
thought as Ben, Natalie and I retreated from the riverbank and turned to begin the arduous journey back to
where we had began the day.
With 8 crossings to be completed before reaching the next hut, the first came far too close to disaster for
anyone’s comfort. In knee high, but fast flowing water, Natalie had her feet knocked out from under her
by the current. Fortunately Ben was on the spot to hold her up with me only a few paces behind. It
nevertheless took all 3 of us working together before she could regain a stable footing and a nervous
group shuffle back to the bank could occur. I don’t relate this story to try and suggest that the TA is an
inherently dangerous route. I know of a number of people who completed all 8 of the crossings with
absolutely no issue. The lesson I take from this incident is rather one of personal responsibility. We all
have to make the decision for ourselves on what constitutes an acceptable level of risk in any given
situation. It is very easy to be pressured into attempting something because everyone else is doing it, but
ultimately the consequences can be serious. We traveled as a group today for the purposes of safety and I
was personally glad not to attempt the rivers on my own. We all have responsibilities to family, friends
and loved ones to come home safely and in my opinion the risks of continuing the trail today weren’t
worth taking.
Fortunately there is a get-out path from the hut we stayed at last night. Unfortunately, this path is a water
degraded and torturously slow sidle along a riverbank, before a lengthy dirt road leading to the main
highway. Having walked all day we eventually downed tools at 17:00 still miles from anywhere.
Providence smiled on our weary band though. Having seen no cars for hours, a ute appeared round the
corner and stopped to offer us a lift to the highway. Not wishing to allow even a second for him to change
his mind we moved with an alacrity completely at odds with our worn down countenances. Frankly, I am
very glad that we received a lift. Even in a truck it was quite a distance and he was even good enough to
drop us conveniently outside of a pub. Being by this point medically in need of a pint we retired inside to
plan our next move. The plan is currently to get a taxi 20 mins up the road to Nelson for tonight.
Tomorrow we will somehow obtain transport south to St Arnoud and rejoin the trail.
A difficult end to the Richmond ranges, but I nevertheless feel that they were conquered in spirit if not in
their entirety. The walking in this section has been tough, but I would not have missed a second of it. This
has been without doubt the finest walking of my NZ adventure so far. I am looking forward to the coming
weeks with more enthusiasm than I have done for a very long time. Next up, Nelson Lakes and the Waiau
pass!
