Arthur's Pass Via Devil's Punchbowl Waterfall, Bridal Valley Track, Scotts Track and Avalanche Peak - 9th April to 11th April

As the morning light beamed through the blinds in the campervan and the dew trickled down the windows we took a look at one another to see who would brave leaving the covers first. The sky was clear outside and the weather perfect for walking, the rain had cleared overnight and our decision to tackle Arthur's Pass seemed to be a good one so we got up, quickly packed up and hit the road heading for the national park. It was not long before we stopped at a lake where the mountains mirrored down onto the water leaving a breath taking view. Climbing back into the camper we looked at each other and said, "its gonna be good." We really could not have been more right and as we curved through the deep cut valleys towards the mountains the scenery was stunning, in front of us were towering peaks white with snow and ice. The torrent of rain water flowed next to us down the river, aqua blue in colour; it looked like something out of a Disney film. As we got closer we could not help but feel at every turn there was that perfect postcard picture just waiting to be snapped. Fighting the temptation to continually stop we ploughed on, as the road got steeper we felt the temperature plummet, the sky was clear but the air was frosty. As I looked over towards Rachel her breath was slicing the air in front of her. The road became steeper as the campervan roared to the top then we realised what had happened, the rain we had had was not rain up here. The place was white; cars came towards us with over a foot of snow on their roofs. "It's the start of Autumn I said to Rachel; summers just finished so how can there be snow here now?"

As we pulled in to Arthur's Village we went straight to the Doc Headquarters to find out information about walks in the area. The ground was covered in snow, we were frozen, and probably unprepared for walking, but our eagerness to see the park overtook all of that. We soon found out that snow at this level, at this time of year, is virtually unheard of but a blizzard had torn through the area a little before 22.00 the night before. As cold as it was we felt lucky to be here at this time as the views of the mountains were made even more special. We decided to only hike for half a day; our full day hike would come tomorrow when conditions were more suitable. We made our way back to the campervan, Rachel cooked up some soup to warm the bellies and we were off, trotting through the snow like it was winter. Only a week ago we had been walking around in shorts and T shirts on the North Island and now we were faced with temperatures barely above 0. We walked inland through trees covered in thawing snow, anyone would have thought it was raining, water and ice dripped on us more regularly than we could blink. When we arrived at Devil's Punchbowl we were greeted with a winter wonderland, trees whiter than white. We looked over to the waterfall, which towered above our heads, and the wintery scene only added to the striking views around us. As we made our way back to join the Bridal Valley track I was far from impressed when a pile of snow on a tree above gave way and landed directly on my head, leaving my back and hoodie packed full of ice.

After a little debate about the direction we should be heading I eventually agreed with Rachel's diagnosis and we made our way up relatively steep rocks through the lower part of the thawing mountain. As Rachel strolled in front I had fun tossing small branches into trees above which every so often brought a pile of snow down with it, usually landing directly on Rachel. As I laughed hysterically inside, Rachel only looked at me in complete disillusion as to why the snow kept falling on her, "Why me every time as another pile crashed on to her." Even now she does not know it was me causing the snow to fall. As we descended out of the trees my fun was over for the time being and after a brief climb up to the road we crossed over and headed onto the Bealey Spur Track. Heading inland towards Avalanche Peak it was not long before we arrived at the river and looked in amazement at the water flowing down from the mountains above. The sight was breath taking, mountains all around and only the sounds of melted ice broke the silence.

As the day drew to a close and the cold started to bite once more we drove a few km further into the park where we pulled into a basic Doc Site for the night. As Rachel warmed our boots with a cup of tea I laid back and watched as her woman powers shone through the cold and before I knew it I had dinner in front of me and a film on in the background. It was when I asked for a foot massage that I guess I realised there was a line.

Wow, we woke the next morning to freezing temperatures, the place was white but not with snow as although some was still kicking about there had been a seriously sharp frost. Neither of us even moved from the bed for a while but we knew we would have to eventually as we had a long day planned. Eventually nature called and we decided to drive round to the toilets in the village. I got breakfast prepared and we were set for the day. Rachel made the sandwiches whilst I went inside the information centre for a weather report and to pass on our emergency contact details. It was at this very moment that I realised what we were embanking on, a hiking trip 'no', more like a mountain climbing trip. Okay so first things first, mothers we're alive and well so no panic. The day started with a short walk up the road to the entrance of Scott's Track and as we crossed the road Rachel's last words were "don't be annoyed if I don't make it to the top", I replied "don't be silly of course you will". As we looked skyward the mountain did not look overly challenging and we were already at 730 metres above sea level and the top was a mere 1800 metres. From the base we could not actually see the peak, which may have helped our enthusiasm. As we set off the track was extremely rugged, no real path only rocks and water which flowed down from the hills as the snow started to thaw once more. As we climbed higher our legs really started to burn and we had not even come close to going above the bush line. In the trees a Green Rock Wren sung to us in perfect harmony and as friendly as any bird I have ever met… Our first break came after about an hour of walking and as we looked back the view was great, the mountains were covered in snow and the air was crisp. To our right was the river meandering through the valley, in front of us Devils Punchbowl Waterfall with us now standing above it overlooking the river that feeds it and to our left were endless mountains, white in the main and glowing in the morning sun.

After a quick water stop we carried on and I remembered something the woman in the Info had said to me, " It can get rough up there and the snow currently is waist deep". At the time I took her comment with a pinch of salt as I did not expect things to be quite how she described but how wrong I was. After about 2.5 hrs of walking we were above the bush line and tromping our way through ever deepening snow, trampers were all around, passing us so we were not on our own but it was only then that we realised what challenge we had taken on. Above us was a peak, the peak we had looked at yesterday from the river. There I had said to Rachel, "be cool to climb that", "yeah right, not on your Nelly" was the response, and well for a change I was right. The climb at this point became really hard, to our right there was a sheer drop, death if we slipped, simple. To our left was waist deep snow, and an incredible view, a winter wonderland and snow fluffy like the perfect rice. We continued on until Rachel decided enough was enough, she called it her day with around 100 meters left to climb; I decided that I was not done, whether it was adrenaline or just stupidity I wanted to carry on. As I left Rachel with the bag, she sat back and admired the truly stunning view in front of her.

I gave her a little kiss goodbye and was on my way, the climb was tough, at points I was grabbing vegetation for leverage as the snow and ice made the climb even more difficult. With every two steps I slipped back one, the vegetation became thinner and the climb steeper. I could see the end, the top, the trouble was the risk. The fall was horrific, my head spun only slightly with the vertigo, I took a couple more steps and grappled hard, almost holding on for my life, and then it hit me. This was the 'a' mountain and I had conquered it although I was still 30 metres from the summit but I could go no further as the risk was intense. My heart was pumping as I steadied my feet and took a deep breath and looked around. Nothing could spoil this moment, this moment was priceless. As I looked around the air was so clear, the snow so white and the view dazzling. The sweat on my face had frozen; I had white specs all over as I brushed them aside I looked around to fully take in the view. The river looked tiny and went for miles; the road was like a strand of hair, the cars like ants. As I looked behind a puff of cloud rolled over the mountain top like a wave in the sea. I was literally on top of Arthurs Pass overlooking some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, if only I had David Attenborough sitting next to me commentating on what surrounded us. As I started to decend I found myself questioning again why we had done this, the climb down was twice as hard as the climb up as my feet slipped at every step. Eventually I rejoined Rachel; we sat back together and marveled at what we had achieved. If anyone had asked us to climb a mountain I would have laughed 6 months ago, yet on this crisp and icy autumn day it just felt right. Avalanche Peak, 1834 meters high, conquered.

As time was getting on we both decided to set off back down, the walk was tough and the legs at this point were really burning. The snow never seemed to end, as we came down a steep edge I helped Rachel down first then myself, although I kind of missed my step but thankfully I was on the pretty snow side with no sheer drop. Rachel turned her head to see me flying through the air, I arched my body to avoid her, and instead I lay buried in some really deep snow, face down with arms stuck out like I'd been flying. Rachel laughed hysterically; I stood and brushed myself down, giggling at the same time. Rachel eventually calmed down and asked, "why did you fall face first" my response, "to avoid hitting you and taking you out" but did I get a thank you, no, I was laughed at the entire way down. Although I think I can forgive her as I did cover her in snow the day before, he he he.
The day had been everything we had wanted it to be and what we had achieved would live in memory for years to come. As we descended further into the bush line we eventually leveled back out with the waterfall infront before dropping down below it. The sun caused a rainbow to form within it, leaving the perfect view as we left the snow capped mountains behind. As we neared the bottom we looked back at the sign welcoming us to Scott's Track, there we noticed the huge warning 'Avalanches', "I guess the name Avalanche Peak had meaning" I said and Rachel just smiled once more. As the day came to a close we stopped off at the local store to pick up some milk and bread before heading back to the free Doc Site from the night before. After parking up and getting warm we relived the memories via the photos before sitting back with a warm cup of coco and a movie, the perfect end to yet another perfect day.

The next morning we woke early and followed the same routine as the day before heading straight for the toilets. As I headed for the men's a Kea came squawking towards me, he landed just above me and stared down wondering I guess whether I had anything he could eat. The Kea basically looks like a green parrot, with a hint of blue on the wing and a stunning bright red belly, although it does not play the tune of a Rock Wren as it squawks like a broken door bell. After breakfast we hit the road and headed out towards the west coast once more. Looking in the rear view mirror the towering mountains capped with snow aligned behind us. It felt like we had entered winter for two days as the snow that had fallen had all but gone now and the trees were green once more. As I looked over to Rachel pondering what more was to come during our adventures, and now starting to ache from the day before, she sat back and sung to the tunes on the IPod.