WAIAU PASS

We had heard of a land with golden sand beaches overlooked by dense native forest, clear refreshing water + well groomed track. All the locals told us that it is a MUST SEE destination, so when we arrived in St. Arnaud after the Richmond Range, we decided to go. We were within a couple hours drive + luckily our friend Matt had set us up with a ride from his girlfriends parents who were going that way after dropping her off to hike with Matt. It couldn't have worked out better but we were a bit sad to leave our trail friends for a bit. Here is what the Abel Tasman coastal track looked like...

After a bit of tramping, kayaking + sleeping in to the sound of waves gently brushing up against the shoreline, we headed back to St. Arnaud to tackle the Waiau Pass.

The Nelson Lakes region was immediately stunning. We walked on the side of a big, icy blue lake surrounded by peaks 5-6 thousand feet tall. The track was composed of roots, dirt, a little mud + wasps. One of which stung me on my right ankle. Somehow this little menace managed to fly between me + the tongue of my boot + get stuck enough to panic + sting me right on the joint that moves with every step.

The pain was bad + something I surprisingly had never experienced before. So as I walked for the next four days climbing up + down thousands of feet, every step felt as though I was being kicked in the shins by someone trying to score a winning soccer goal from half field.

Besides that, the pass was amazing + the huts spacious + comfortable. One of our favorite parts of the trip so far. First Travers Saddle came with a gradual approach that took all day but ended at a hut named after the saddle nestled right under the climb. The hut was perfect + the company of a few locals + other TA walkers we hadn't yet met made conversation interesting + fun.

The next morning we climbed the saddle which wasn't too bad + provided quite the view. Then, the trail, of course hit us with quite the grueling 4 hour downhill + another gradual ascent to a Blue Lake hut. Blue lake which is 50 meters from the hut is, scientists claim, "the clearest body of fresh water in the world." It is spring fed from a bigger alpine lake that sits a few hundred feet above it (Lake Constance) + made so clear from the lake Constance's water being filtered down through the mountain rock.

The next day we went over the glorious Waiau pass after walking along the edge of Lake Constance. The climb was long (4 hours) + the descent even longer (5 hours) + involved some rock climbing on the way down. Hard work however, definitely paid off...

The trail teaches you so many things: patience, persistence, overcoming fears + for us, the ability to work as a team. I think we both agree that without each other, we wouldn't have been able to make it to places like this.

-Devon