A Dangerous Business

Date: 28th January 2024

Start: Hurunui Hut (km 2131.6)

End: Locke Stream Hut (km 2157)

Distance Travelled: 25.4 km

Total Distance Completed: 1994.7 km

Song Currently Stuck in Head: Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran

River Crossings: I lost count after about 20

Another day, another surprise Matt appearance in the morning after arriving at the hut around 10pm. Why he’s choosing to walk for such long distances after a recent ailment I don’t know. I get the desire to catch up with your friends ahead of you, but you can’t risk doing that sort of damage to your feet so soon. Still, it was good to see him and Oli again.

The huts after this one are awkwardly spaced. The next one is only 10 km away – too close – but the one after that is 25 km away – too far – and is on the other side of Harper Pass. There are two smaller basic huts in between them, but one of them isn’t in the greatest of conditions and the other only has 2 bunks. Now I love a tiny hut as much as the next man, but the four of us aren’t going to fit. For Melly, it was an easy decision: go to the far hut. I really didn’t feel like pushing all the way there, but with the other guys wanting to do that same and there being a rough descent from the pass, my hand might be forced.

So, let’s get moving, starting off with a simple walk through the grassy valley for the first 45 minutes.

A little while later we clambered up a short climb to a natural hot spring, a favourite of many a hiker that passes through here and therefore also a favourite hangout spot for numerous clouds of sandflies. Still, the opportunity was too good to miss, so braving the little biters I took off my shoes and dipped my feet into the warm waters, the other fully immersing themselves, save their heads.

Possibly staying a bit too long, we got out and dried off quick smart and got back on trail, which got quite a bit rougher going forward. It was the return of the classic hillside track, scrambling over roots and boulders that may or may not provide the grip you need. There were also plenty of stream crossings to get our feet wet in.

A couple hours later, we arrived at the first hut of today’s journey.

If the name seems a little funny, back in the day there was a campaign to make the Harper Pass track into the next Milford Track, which at the time (and still today) was exploding in popularity. 4 or 5 huts were built along the trail to service the trampers using it, this being one of the original ones. You can definitely tell it’s age compared with Hurunui Hut (no number) where we stayed last night. The interior was darker but still cosy, occupied at the time by a pair of hunters eating a stew made from one of the deer they’d bagged. Uniquely the bunks here are triple layered, three rows of two from floor to ceiling.

After an early lunch we got back on trail which was more of the same. Some easy grassy meadows, some harder rocky/rooty bits, and some stream crossings. Only one of the crossings was bridged, although calling it a bridge is being generous.

Crossing over the glorified slack line was rather fun. I kept my focus on my feet, placing my pole on top of the upper two wires to help guide me along. Hopefully there’ll be more of them down the line. Soon afterwards, the forest opened up into another meadow, revealing a small structure sitting on the edge of the forest.

On paper, Cameron Hut is a basic 4 bunk hut that had been rebuilt in 2021. I’m not convinced. None of the bunks had mattresses and only one had canvas on it. On the others, the canvas had either torn or just wasn’t there. In short, I wouldn’t use this hut unless in an emergency.

We didn’t stick around for long, continuing up the valley which was slowly becoming narrower and steeper. The climb began to be more noticeable but as still one you could do at a decent pace. If it wasn’t for the fact we were still playing “the floor is lava” whenever mud appeared, we might’ve finished this next bit faster. But it’s fun to try and avoid the mud. Clean, flowing rivers, more than happy to wade in, but not mud.

Close to the top of the pass was the aforementioned 2 bunk bivvy, a tiny red box barely big enough to fit those bunks.

I really wanted to stay here. I really want to spend a night at a tiny hut somewhere along the trail and this seemed like a great opportunity to do so. Two things stopped me from doing so: no one else wanted to stay, and everyone else wanted to go to Morrison Footbridge tomorrow, requiring two major river crossings that I didn’t fancy doing alone. Sadly, I had to say goodbye to the bivvy and continue climbing to the pass, which we reached shortly afterwards.

I can see the rationale behind making this the next Milford Track. It follows very similar terrain: pretty river valley over a mountain pass into another pretty river valley. Honestly I almost wish it had taken off because at least the demand would’ve required the building of a semi-decent track, not the steep, overgrown mess I got to deal with. If it wasn’t steep, gravelly descents, it was navigating past slips that forced us into and through the rushing Taramakau River. One such crossing was so challenging, Matt and Oli crossed over first, dumped their packs, and then helped Melly and I across. I made the right call not staying at the bivvy.

It was getting a bit late by this point, having been on track for over 10 hours at this point. Stream crossings became the norm for the last few kilometres, our feet now perpetually soaked in frigid mountain water. At least it’s clean. Relief finally came just shy of 7pm, the bright red Locke Stream Hut appearing out of the blue.

This is another one of the huts built at the same time as Hurunui No. 3, the original hand-sawn timbers lining the floor still visible. It also contained the same triple-decker bunk beds and the hundreds of sandflies. In no time I had dinner in the making, the prize I look forward to at the end of every day. After eating, Matt took the time to help mend Melly’s pack cover which had developed quite the big hole.

Exhausted, we went to bed not too long afterwards. Tomorrow would bring with it it’s own challenges. No big climbs, but it would be wet. Very wet.