CLOSE TO HOME
NOW BOTH BACK BASED IN CHRISTCHURCH, 4X4 EXPLORER RICHARD SOULT AND 5GOOVERLAND MATE AARON RICH CELEBRATED WITH A RECENT TRIP TO THE HEADWATERS OF THE MIGHTY RAKAIA RIVER – AND BEYOND.
As many of you will hopefully know from previous articles in NZ4WD we spent last winter in Europe driving the French and Italian Alps and the Pyrenees.
My good friend Aaron Rich, meanwhile, of 5GoOverland fame, spent nine months traversing Central Asia with his wife Silwia and three kids.
Both of these trips were amazing, but as soon as we were both back in New Zealand, we began planning our next trip as we both had a few things we wanted to tick off our individual and collective wish lists.
Aaron, for instance, had a few routes he wanted to do, which mainly included
River Valleys, and I wanted to join the dots on a major Expedition that we are offering through our guiding business www.4x4exploreradventures.co.nz. This trip will run from Blenheim to Arrowtown off-road and will take 16 days… So close... yet so far!
Despite its proximity to Christchurch, neither I nor Aaron had previously managed to get up the Rakaia Valley as far as Reischek Hut. I had tried once, with Scott Gray, but the level of the river was too high, so we turned around without trying to cross.
This being my second attempt and seeing how different the river looked, I was convinced that Scott had made the right decision. Scott, ever eager for a trip, got wind of our little expedition and headed over from Timaru for the day... Scott’s willingness to put the kilometres under his belt never ceases to amaze me!
Aaron and I left from Christchurch and Scott and a couple of friends joined us close to Glenfalloch Station. We crossed the Rakaia and headed over towards the very impressive looking Manuka Point hunting lodge.
The trip up the valley was spectacular and not quite what I had imagined. The going was much easier than I had thought, with a reasonably defined track most of the way.
The river was low and running clear, making the many river crossings not challenging, but great fun!
Within a couple of hours, we had made our way the 20kms or so up to the Washbourne Hut, where we stopped for some lunch, marveling at the fantastic remoteness, expansive views and the opening views of the Main Divide.
Washbourne Hut is fantastically situated but is not luxurious, so well worth the drive further on the Reischek.
Lunch out of the way, we continued up the Valley the five kms to the Reischek Hut, which was where Aaron and I were planning on
spending the night. After a quick inspection of the hut and a brew, Scott and his friends headed off back down the Valley and home to Timaru.
Our day was done and we could now relax, sure in the knowledge that the others would be exiting the valley in the dark using their lightbars. I honestly don’t know how they did it. I got a message from Scott later, saxying that they had made it home at around 21.30. Given the 10.00 morning RDV, a long day in anyone’s book!
A perfect day!
Aaron and I settled into the hut, got the fire going and as we had a couple of hours of daylight left, sat outside the hut with a coupe of beers, reading, reflecting on a perfect day and watching the sun setting beyond the Southern Alps.
Aaron and I both agreed that however good our previous year’s trips had been, when it comes to Overlanding, New Zealand is right up there and is truly hard to beat!
We both enjoyed a very comfortable night in the hut. At our ages, periodic exits from the hut were required during the night and each time, the log burner was refilled ensuring that we awoke to a warm hut, despite the cold outside.
The hut itself, is located in a small clearing in the bush and barely visible. My TopoGPS was telling me that we were within 50 metres of the hut before we saw it.
I can imagine that on a wild windy night, this location would provide awesome shelter from the elements. Whilst the hut is owned by NZDA, it is open to the public and DOC class this as a ‘Basic Hut’ with six bunks, a log burner and a rainwater collection tank.
Another important point to note, is that this is one of only a few huts equipped with a Mountain Radio. We didn’t try it out and given how the antenna disappears into the surrounding bush, I’m not sure of it’s effectiveness, but assuming it works, it’s good to know that it’s there if you get into trouble.
Return journey
After a leisurely start, we headed off back down the valley and to continue our expedition. We headed out to back to Manuka Point and crossed the Rakaia to enter Glenfalloch Station and drove the Double Hill Route to Lake Heron and beyond.
All in all, an excellent trip, with great friends and new country explored!
With summer fast approaching, I hope that this inspires you to get out there 4x4 Exploring.
At https://www.4x4explorer. co.nz/?aff+2818 we have nearly 950 4WD tracks available. Each track has high quality photos, a detailed description and a downloadable GPS file to make sure that you find the tracks easily and don’t get lost.
We look forward to seeing you out there and if you see us, don’t hesitate to come over for a chat! Overlanding is all about getting to amazing places and meeting amazing people!