Haast is for the hardy

Tarmo Rajasaari has a winter adventure on the South Island’s wild West Coast.

At just under 1600 metres, pyramid-shaped Mt Haast on Rahu Saddle near Reefton offers a very accessible day hike, with excellent views of the surrounding mountains. In favourable conditions – depending on the hiker’s mindset, that is – this six-hour return trip can turn to a true winter adventure.

Rahu Saddle itself sits at 592 metres, which gives you a good head start. A neat car park by the roadside on State Highway 7 comes with a fleeting Mt Haast route sign. Blink and you’ll miss it.

The track up to the bushline is steep, but easy to follow. Bear in mind that at this time of the year a decent dumping of snow can be more than you bargained for. You would soon become very conscious of snow falling on your shoulders from tree branches above. The higher you tramp, the more it will happen.

After leaving the shelter of the forest track on the bushline, a high-country Buller winterland opens up.

And it’s not just the sight of snow. It’s the smell of it.

From there, snow masks any possible routes and makes the going slippery.

You did remember to pack thermal gloves and a spare jersey, didn’t you?

Adjusting your beanie, you would ponder whether it’s possible to scramble up to the summit at all. But ego is an interesting concept. You come to praise those few snow poles sticking out here and there. Stumbling in sloshy snow up to the summit takes you as long as it did getting to the bushline.

Once finally on the summit, your socks and old

Rock cairns can be a lifesaver when you’re on Mt Haast in the snow.

hiking boots are wet through, unable to keep your toes warm (spare socks are a good idea, too). A few moments of inactivity makes them go numb. Still, before you head off you need those priceless selfies – otherwise all this effort has been good for nothing.

Coming down from the summit is a precarious affair. You would grow to hate that icy snow grass, hard to handle even in the driest conditions. The scenery is stunning, yet getting safely back down to the bushline becomes the priority.

You take a tumble a number of times with funny-looking bum-sledding. But nobody’s laughing. The rocks around are hard and sharp.

Grade:

Moderate (hard in winter) conditions.

Time:

6km, five- to six hours’ return from the car park. Even if you’re feeling cold and miserable, make sure you get those summit shots to make sure the effort has been worth it. Then you lose the footprints you made on your way up. Numerous mini-avalanches snowballing down the steep slope have left deceptive trails. Surely you are not getting lost?

Slipping and sliding continue as you are trying to figure out which side of the ridge you are supposed to be going down on. Wander off too far to the left and you face nasty bluffs. Think clearly.

The only way to find the right route is to climb back up again. Your swearing is loud and going is snail-pace. You plunge waist-deep in the snow more often than you are prepared to admit to anyone. It’s not a good look.

Then you spot a lifesaver. A rock cairn, high above. In the white-out, the cairns are hard to notice. In summer conditions, this wouldn’t be a problem as the ridge is fairly obvious.

Look for snow pole markers. A good way down a couple of them reappear, pointing the route to the bushline. Soon, you are back on the soggy forest track. Half an hour later, the snow disappears. An hour more and the party is over.

A pint in Reefton sounds like a good idea. Let’s make it two.