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Yeah, nah, do
Emily Peaks, Nelson Lakes National Park
I had sworn I would never tramp in the rain again after my soaking on the Wangapeka and saturation in the forests of Whirinaki. Why then was I on the ferry bound for Nelson Lakes National Park when Civil Defence on the West Coast was being ramped up in anticipation of an atmospheric river that was about to smash against the Southern Alps? I had my misgivings; our route would take us into the hinterland of the national park into the rugged catchments of Burn and Nardoo creeks. Would we get stuck on the side of a remote river, gazing across its swollen waters waiting for a helicopter?
1. Another walk in the rain
Ella Station carpark to Nardoo Hut
True to the forecast the weather was looking grey as Mat, Sarah, Emily and I drove up the Mātakitaki passed lines of freshly planted hops. From the get-go our intended route faced an obstacle, private property “NO ENTRY” blocked the bridge to the true-left of the river. Instead the information board directed us up the true-right before crossing opposite where Mātakitaki Base Hut used to be. Under ordinary circumstances this might have been alright, but with the threat of torrential rain we worried our escape route might be cut off. Emily resolved this dilemma by trotting back up the road to ask a farmer we had passed about access over the bridge. It was on his authority that we finally proceeded over the Mātakitaki and started on our way towards Nardoo Creek along a metaled road.
At the northern edge of Windfall Flats we found a signpost marking “Kyles Track. This turned out to be not much of a track, taking us through long swampy grass before we found a more solid 4WD track that took us steadily away from the flat. The air was oppressively muggy, perspiration was dripping from my forehead by the time we reached the low saddle. This problem was soon solved, the perspiration being replaced by precipitation. The promised…
