After about an hour we arrived at the Matakitaki Road end. We thanked our driver who supplied some pre-tramp refreshments and commenced the 5 hour stroll, acclimatizing to the weight of our very heavy packs (in my case a 25 kg pantry), to Downies Hut. As the hut was already occupied by hunters, we set up camp closer to the river and settled in for our first night. A distant morepork added to the evening’s ambience.
Next morning we began tramping up the river then re-joined the track before climbing up and over Pretty Bridge (not a physical bridge) which by-passes a gorge in the river below, before dropping down to a few flats near the Matakitaki West Branch. After a minor altercation with a rock by one of the group, we passed the West Matakitaki and began to climb more steeply up the East Branch. We crossed a 3-wire bridge over a narrow section of the crystal clear river to the true left side. Another 2 hours had us at East Matakitaki Hut for the night.
Day three was going to be a tough one. We were up early and away before daylight. We crossed the river many times before the sun finally arrived to warm the valley. At the head of the valley the distinctive wedge of David Saddle came into view and looked very steep. After lunch we commenced the climb up and over D’Urville Pass. After a collective discussion, and in the interest of safety, I made the call to abandon Thompson Pass, and instead, drop into the head of the D’Urville River. From here it was a simple case of following the track to the Upper D'Urville Hut and onto George Lyon Hut.
Next day we continued in perfect weather down the valley stopping for lunch at Morgan Hut, then continuing until we found a good camp site just before the Tiraumea Saddle track.
The following morning, we kept to the river and surrounding flats before crossing to the track that takes you to the Sabine Valley. A nice lunch at the spacious Sabine Hut then we began the climb up and out of the valley. After a height gain of around 300 metres the track levelled out past some tarns and then it sidled for a few hours through some spectacular forest on an awesome track before arriving at Speargrass Hut for our final night.
Day 7 started out a little overcast but as had been the case every day, the cloud soon disappeared to reveal a sunny day. The walk out from Speargrass Hut is a case of dodging a few tree roots and the odd wasp nest before climbing up the last section to the Mt Robert Road carpark.