30 November to 5 December 2020

Leader: Peter Davis

Nine keen trampers departed Paraparaumu Airport with Sounds Air and flew directly to Blenheim, where a shuttle bus was waiting. A quick visit to Bunnings to buy gas bottles, then we were taken to Lake Rotoroa where we boarded the water taxi for a quick trip down the lake to the pier in front of Sabine Hut.

Half way down the lake the rain started; we were to have plenty more of it as the day progressed. Following a brief lunch stop in the shelter of the hut, we began walking soon after midday. The DOC signs indicated a 5 hour walk to West Sabine Hut. While there were some brief stops along the way, we were all keen to make progress towards our destination, so tended to keep moving, through the bush and across the many avalanche zones (which offered less or no protection from the weather). It took us just short of 6 hours to reach West Sabine Hut.

Day 2 - We walk to Blue Lake, and visit Lake Constance: Next morning we looked out of the hut to find clear blue skies. Everyone was keen to start the half-day walk to Blue Lake Hut. There were some stops to rest along the way, soak up some sun and take photos. We were also able to get views of Moss Pass, our destination the next day: still more photos were called for! After arriving at Blue Lake Hut we ate lunch then explored the area; first around the western shore of Blue Lake, then over the hill to Lake Constance. Quite some time was spent there, enjoying the views, taking photos and just relaxing in the sun.

Day 3 - Our big day over Moss Pass: Our ascent of the pass began around 8:00 am. The track starts immediately behind Blue Lake Hut and within two minutes begins to climb quickly. However, we didn't find the grade difficult as rest stops were made on the two terraces that we encountered. The view down the Sabine Valley and over Blue Lake is simply stunning. The next part of the ascent is to cross a rocky scree and then enter the rock chute. For the chute, we broke into two groups to minimise the chance of injuries from falling rocks. However there were no problems and it wasn't long before both groups were through the rock chute and standing on the rocky mini-plateau just below the actual pass. After more photos, we continued over the pass (into a cool westerly wind) and began descending to the bush-line. Descending still further we found a good lunch spot adjacent to a stream, and paused for lunch. After a good rest we followed the steeply dropping track from 1400 m down to 900 m. Another rest gave our rubberised legs a chance to recover a little before we dropped the last 170 m to the bridge over the D'Urville River. An hour later we arrived at George Lyon Hut. From Blue Lake Hut at 1190 m, we had crossed over Moss Pass (1785 m) and were now at 660 m.

Day 4 - An easy day to Morgan Hut: After the demanding tramping of the previous day, we were all in favour of a gentle walk to Morgan Hut, just 4 hours away down the valley. There, we relaxed for the rest of the day.

Day 5 - Another easy day for some: Our tramp to D'Urville Hut on the shore of Lake Rotoroa was technically easy, but had occasional navigation challenges, as the river had washed away the track in places and it was not always obvious when we should have been walking at the river's edge and when in the nearby beech forest. As the valley broadened, we stayed on the valley floor and tramped more directly towards our destination, crossing the meandering river four times. Once at the hut, the 'A' team took off for a quick ascent of Mt Misery, while the remainder relaxed in the hut and the surrounding area.

Day 6 - Homeward bound: The water taxi ferried us back to civilisation at the northern end of the lake. We found the local coffee shop and passed the time there until our shuttle bus arrived. Then it was north to the Woodbourne Tavern for a late lunch before continuing to the airport for our Sounds Air charter back to Paraparaumu.

Those on the trip were:

Peter Davis, Owen Cox, Marian Cox, Graeme Richardson, Paula Richardson, Neville Grubner, Elisabeth Hynes, Yingjun Skelton, John Glover