Waiau Pass

Last night was cold, but not too bad. I left my gaiters outside my tent and they had a skiff of frost on them this morning.

As we're packing up the mountain katabatic wind pours down the valley, chilling us into hats, gloves and jackets. We're tough kiwis though and our legs are bare. We'll warm up soon enough. As soon as cross the stream it's up and steep.

Mountains have wind systems. At night dense cold air drains down creating a cold insistent wind in valleys called at katabatic wind. As the day heats the wind direction reverses and blows warmer up the valley, as the warming air rises.

As the sun rises of the ridge and reaches us, beanies and gloves come off. The wind continues and jackets mostly stay on. It's a perfect day and the views are breathtaking. The slope is pretty breathtaking too but that's to do with steepness.

We stop on a small ledge and take in the valley we camped in below us, and Lake Constance a turquoise gem. We'd stay longer only the wind is lazy and blows through us, not around us. I'm off in hurry, my teeth close to chattering so that final steep scree slope is going to warm me up!

Waiau Pass crosses the Main Divide, the Southern Alps, the spine of the South Island. It's always a spiritual experience for me to cross the Main Divide. As another blipper said, we're out there in a cathedral and it is good for the soul.

Waiau Pass in snow, ice, rain or a white out would be a very different proposition. The descent is steep and unforgiving. There is little room for error. Fortunately we made none.

Lunch was spent part way down beside a small tarn and lively stream cascading off into nothingness. I woofed down whatever it was I'd packed for lunch.

Eventually steepness gave way to roughness. That's different to steep and rough. We stayed at Waiau Forks in preference to pushing onto Caroline Biv. We'd done our research and knew the sand flies would drive us mad.

Our small camping area was shared by 2 retired farmers, 71 and 75. They were tall and rangy and moved with the grace of men who've spent all season on steep slopes in the high country. They were right at home.

A magic day, just the best. Now we've passed from west to east, from the province of Nelson to the province of Canterbury.