A niche in the mountains- Mount Arthur Trail run

A 5am start is sometimes what you need…

Planning a day in the mountains takes me a few days, what to do, where to go and how to do it. Weather checks, gear checks and food prep. Making sure everything is ready and easy to access. GPS charged, do I have the right map?

All of this figured out the days mission was selected, Mount Arthur, Kahurangi National Park, New Zealand. Aim was to complete a 25km loop in a short time as possible.

Waking up in the inky blackness of 5am, with the sounds of waves crashing onto the nearby beach, I bundled up my sleeping back, made a quick flask of coffee and a tub of sticky thick porridge. From my location in Marahau (close to the Abel Tasman National Park) I had to drive for 1 hour to Flora saddle.

Country lanes in New Zealand are fun to drive, but in the pitch black of 5am, blurry eyed and sleep deprived they are not as fun! Dodging around hopping hares and narrowly missing a pouncing possum I met with a gravel track. 4x4 mode engaged I started to climb. Flora saddle carpark sits at 1000m above sea level, the road goes straight up. Nearly all the way excessive vibrations from the undulating road travelling up through my arms. Worth it, as the distant sunlight started to lip the tops of the mountains across the bay. EYES BACK ON THE ROAD. Up and up the road winds, until satisfied that enough height has been gained, you reach the carpark.  

Remembering the 5 P’s (Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance) I necked the coffee, scoffed the now cold porridge, threw on my pack and started my GPS tracker. Fell shoes tied tight I pounded into the bush along the well-marked track.

There is something magical about the bush at 6am, the birds newly arisen from slumber announcing there morning calls. The light cutting its way through trees mottled by leaves, by a red sun as it rises from behind distant mountains. Very few insects as the cold morning air clings to the dense foliage.

The track, being a long up hill is easy to cruse at this point, settling into a loping rhythm, I started to pace uphill along the track. Dense beech forest waxing and waning into sections of podocarp, giving a feeling of being in Jurassic park: damp ferns, big flightless Weka and impenetrable forest.

40 minutes into the run you reach Mount Arthur hut, I found no signs of life here so I kept on up the hill. A Short stint later the forest gave way to an alpine landscape. A strange feeling of being at home over comes me here; it’s like the trails of most Welsh mountains, tracks and path cutting their way through grassy tussocks. “Dropping gear” and knowing I can travel faster in this environment, a fresh breeze cooling my skin, I ran hard. Following the trail this way and that along a wide ridgeline into a cloud bank.

As I look to the side away from my hammering feet I spy a ghostly visage in the mist. Wreathed in a rainbow is my own ghostly shadow, massive as the sunlight bends around my body through the cloud and onto the mist below me. Fascinating, this natural phenomena known as a Broken Spectre or Mountain Ghost, is seldom seen.

The ghost fades into nothing.

I run on!

The land changes again, alpine tussocks start to give up and bare rock and stone start to show as I reach the limits of altitude they can survive. This place is not devoid of life it is just different, smaller plants cling to niches in rocks that you wouldn’t believe possible, attempting to fix nitrogen from thing soils and rocks. Symbiotic cohabitation from lichens, mosses and tiny pioneer species of plants with tiny flowers. I will be back, I think, to study you later!

Quickly now the summit approaches, the 450 Million year old Limestone bulk of the mountain now bared to the sky. Cracks, divots appear as I cross the top of a dissolved area of karst, stretching out below me a dangerous mix of sink holes and ridges, a place not safe for human feet.

Up and up a little scrambling and then I look back. STUNNING, UNBELIEVABLE and BREATHTAKING, cloud flows, over the ridge-line I have just come from. Up from the Tasman Bay the warming air of the morning was slowly lifting the cloud up and over the mountains and drawing it back down into the cooler mountain air. This flow of clouds is something to behold, something special, something I will never forget.  I watch and draw in breathe, turn and run. I must get to the summit to see this.

10 minutes of hard pacing I arrive, elation, 1795m elevation! The cool mountain air soothing my burning lungs. 1 hour and 45 minutes of pacing hard and the reward: endless views. 

To the East  cloud filled bay with Nunatak-like peaks on the far side of the bay over Nelson City. 

To the West endless views towards the West Coast, not sign of the sea for hundreds of pinnacles block the horizon.  

To the South large ridge lines halt the procession of the rising cloud like a dam. 

To the North the cloud penetrates the ridge and flows of cloud cascade down into the basin below me.

I rang my wife (hahahaha yes signal here!). It was hard to express my elation!

Chill air started to hit me here, no time to wait in this environment. In little clothing waiting around too long is seldom wise. About turn I faced and ran down. I love running down, as my brother use to say gravity is my friend! Leaping from rock to rock I pounded the trail down into the flowing cloud along the way I had come until a junction.

This back tracking was in aid of avoiding the area of sink holes, now that I had reached this junction I headed west, in among the tussocks and long grass of the alpine foothills. Poles out for some support to my tiring legs I powered on towards my next goal Gordon's Pyramid, 1489m. Undulating up and down the path tracked through the mist, until I see two ghostly shapes…two…well this isn’t a form of nature. Two Spanish chaps, been up in the hills for a week hiking, big packs on and looking nice and wrapped up in full Goretex. Feeling a little under dressed to be stood around, they quizzed me on the path ahead and I the same. Seems Gordon's pyramid might take longer than I had planned, 1 hour they said… “I better get a crack on I thought”. Scoffing a load of trail mix I said my good byes and dropped gear once again. 35 minutes later I crested the summit of Gordon's pyramid, renewed as I left the cloud behind me and took in endless views to the East.

Abrupt north turn off the Summit I double checked my bearings and started to run along the ridge line down and down heading towards the bush and the Cloustons Mine Track. Back into beech forest I ran, the sound of birds reverberating through the trees as I paced it on and down. And down and on and down and on and down and on and down. Jesus this path was never ending. After 4km which felt like 6km I popped out onto the Flora Hut Track, this massive wide path, suitable for a 4x4 was easy travelling but I was shattered! I had dropped to 800m and was on about 20km my car was up over 1000m and 5km away. I was stalwart and pushed on, my pace not quite running now but a steady canter up hill, fending of pain and fatigue. I reached the carpark 5 hours after leaving, the warmth of the day starting to kick in.

I had found peace on the mountainside and I knew that Kahurangi National Park had raised itself up into my top places in New Zealand and dare I say it in the world? I will be back, as in Maori, Kahurangi is loosely translated as “Treasured Place”.

The Grampians, Nelson, New Zealand

This tough thigh burning trail run starts from The Brook, Nelson as the easy centre point. It can be run in either direction but North to South is the best way to get technical downhill. 

Heading downstream paralleling The Brook follow the road around to the cross roads with Collingwood Street. Turning uphill you are faced with your first leg grueling challenge. The top of Collingwood Street is a short but significantly arduous gradient for you to think twice. Hammering your way up the tarmac road withing 100m you reach the start of The Grampians Walk.

Starting the first section, you notice the winding path increases in angle the more you go up, the occasional bench reminding you that a quick rest would be lovely.  Sheep boarding the path looking at you with disdain for the effort you make is stupid. 

A few moments later you reach the viewing area, which looks north towards Nelson, a stunning view. Perhaps if you are nice to yourself a quick rest. 



Toiling on you find relief as the gradient decreases and you begin running on an undulating ridge line, don't be fooled the up hill is not over. Soak in the views of Richmond and Tasman area. 

Another 5 minutes you are grabbed by the realisation you are heading up hill dramatically again. you are about 360m up at this point. Pushing your legs to keep going and running between patches of tree shade you can see the radio tower summit. Up the final path that parallels the summit access road you reach the top (about 35-40 minutes). Bugger no view!! UNFORTUNATELY TOO MANY TREES. 

A quick turn around the trick here is to take a sharp left onto the path that comes off the parallel road path. Down hill now you can break into a strong run through single track down hill tree lined paths. Over a fence you can start to get dramatic views of the Richmond Forest path as the track increases to a remarkable steep gradient (warning shoe placement and strong grip needed). Heading SSW the path contours slowly downwards. 

At the first junction, turn right and keep heading down hill. Then at the next fork take the less defined path left. Carefully placing you feet as you run through the grass. 

Another sharp left, you rejoin a more defined path, this quickly leads to a wide open track then gravel road section. Not long after this the steady run leads you into a grassy valley and a beautiful flowing jog down towards The Brook. After about 20 minutes of down hill running you arrive back to The Brook and can jog to the start. Great local jog. 

For Maps and GPX map files visit here

The Bay of Plenty of Fun

Splash! The first time you fall into the sea is always a shock....

Arising early, cars loaded, we set off for the short 15 minute journey to "The Glen". The Glen being not really Glen like, but a small coastal village with a stunningly classic kiwi play ground. Upon arrival I took it upon myself to have a quick play on the aforementioned play ground, making suitable use of the zip wire.

The mornings haze was starting to burn off an knowing the intensity of the blazing ball in the southern sky we splashed on lashings of sun cream. Backpacks at the ready! We started are coastal journey along the Cable Bay Walkway.

Slowly making our way up into the hills, the first remarkable feeling you get is like being at home, nothing foreign about the sheep in the valley, the pastoral hillsides green with the morning sun... Ah, no I misspoke definitely a foreign sun ☀

Slogging up and up we climbed until the grazed fields turned into native bush. Lush green ferns, hanging vines, the cool damp air only contained by the ample vegetation. Beautiful, serene and ideal for walking. Our pace sped up as the incline eased off and we begin to plateau.

Half an hour passes, with chit chat between the humans and birds alike. The track suddenly opened up, hopping over a fence we were in wide steep grassy slopes dropping down into the blue ocean. Lazy eyed cows goggling at us as we marveled at the brilliantly blue sky and deep navy oceans. In the distance the Abel Tasman National Park, with it's Sandy beaches and deep bays.

Wow a stunning site to behold and well worth the walk.

Parched, we slurped some fresh New Zealand water (bottled from the tap at home) and headed on! Down again the path wove into the cool forest once again. Brilliant light dappling through the fern leaves. "this country just keeps throwing beauty at you" I thought as we broken into a little down hill jog, arms flailing to keep our balance.

Not to be put done by the bounty of the forest we broke into the last part of our hike, rolling hills narrowly lined with steep tracks. Gulping a generous thermos of strategically carried tea we marveled at the vista, glistening ocean, verdant hills and endless sky.

Onward and upward! Across the valley, up the hill and then we were rewarded with the site of our destination, Cable Bay

Filled with excitement we hurried down to the bay. Little known to you as the reader we had cleverly made a suitable rendezvous with our stand up paddleboards. After a lovely lunch with family at Cable Bay Cafe who had come to meet us

Fifteen exhausting minutes of pumping in the mid-day sun we had them up and ready. Donning our hats and sunnies we first had a quick go in the blue lagoon which had filled slowly with sea water.

Joy! As we spot a sting ray gliding lazily through the shallow greeny-blue water. A suitable place for a start up paddle, but we must move on!

A quick turn around and back over the land bridge and down into the pebble beach we threw the boards into the ocean. It takes a little mastery to stand on a paddle board in waves, but once your moving it is like nothing else. Effortlessly moving over the surface of the sea.

Now it is time to break for the sea as we paddled further and further away from the shore, away from anyone. Bliss and peace as we travel in the most paleo of ways, a paddle and your own power.

Suitably satisfied we headed back to shore and that is where our journey ends back on the beach in Cable bay, loading our paddle boards into the roof of our trusty car (K9), we headed back to The Glen to pick up the other car.

All in all the day was an amazing success, and we shall return to Cable Bay for more adventures for sure!

Find the GPX map file here

From Source to Sea, An Abel Tasman Adventure

The first thing you always notice when you wake up in New Zealand is the harmonious orchestra of bird song. The constant chatter of many beautiful species fills the air. Perfect, you think, as you look out of the window of the floating backpackers to look at the brilliantly, beautiful , blue bay, surrounded by  bright and green native forest with the sun beating down onto the pristine golden beaches. That was the morning we woke to half way through our adventure…

It all started early on a Saturday morning, slamming back a coffee and hastily gobbling up some high energy breakfast.  We jumped in the car and sped off (within the speed limit!) around the Tasman bay. Travelling from Nelson City to Marahau taking only an hour on the small highway and then up and over a little hill  and being  greeted by a beautiful site- Sandy Bay.

Sandy Bay is the first real view of the Abel Tasman National Park, it takes away your breath. You probably have already done you research on the Abel Tasman National Park so I won’t bore you with facts, suffice to say it is unique, beautiful and now holds a special place in my heart.

Upon arrival at  Marahau we found the little hub for the  Aquataxi, parked up with ease and located our team.  Two guides met us, smiling and welcoming, and introduced us to the other 9 people who were coming on Saturday’s adventure… After a quick, clear and concise briefing from Oscar and Celine our guides, they took us off to get our wet suits…

“Today guys we are going to introduce you to a part of the park most people don’t get to see” says Celine, one of the guides from Abel Tasman Canyons “today we are going down Torrent River, Canyoning!”

Jumping on an Aquataxi we wizz off across the bay, north past Adele Island and into another bay called Anchorage . If first impressions were anything to go by then this was going to be a stunning day. To describe Anchorage as a perfect beach is not quite fair, but it is as close as you will ever get. This would be our base for the next 24 hours and what a base it turned out to be.

Not stopping for long, we sorted out kit, wet suits, helmet, harness and gear all into a bundle. Ready to hike we set off from the beach into the bush. Steep at first but not too bad, following the guides who knew every path like the back of their hands. 25 minutes later we stopped for a quick rest, drink and a local story from one of the guides (I will leave the content of that story for the guides to tell when you go on an adventure with them!).  After slurping down our juice we headed onward and upward!

In total we walked for about 1 hour, taking in the views of the Abel Tasman from a higher elevation, listening to cheeping of the local wildlife and soaking in luscious native bush.  All of a sudden we could hear the cascading thunder of water. Quick drop down a path had us at the top of the canyon.

Lunch, safety briefing, then we were away. First swimming in the cool river to a quick slide down the ravine. The view of the canyon beneath us opening up to show blue sky above, emerald walls of the bush and the torrent of rushing water. What an amazing feeling to be in such a secluded and raw natural place.

Scrambling on rocks we reached our first jump, 6 meters high! The guides placing safety first giving us the hints and tips to make this jump right. Looking up, committing and reaching for the sky I launched myself off the jump, the exhilaration immediately hit.

“BOOM! This is what it is all about!” I thought as I folded my arms across my chest into a safety position and plunged deep into the beautiful crystal clear water of the Torrent River.

Bursting to the surface I made a fist and put my hand on the top of my helmet, showing Oscar the sign that I was all ok and I swam to the side to watch my comrades making their own leap into the sky!

Little did I realise at that point that this was only the beginning. The next few bends in the canyon opened up more adrenaline filled treasures! A zip line, followed by water slides, a backwards slide, a magic carpet slide, a massive zip line into a plunge pool and onward and downward we went. Excitement, adrenaline and team work all the way down the canyon.

To say this was one of the best adventure days I have had would be an understatement. Everyone left the gorge with a grin on their face.  As a keen outdoor enthusiast myself I was impressed with the professionalism of the guides, but even more so I was awestruck by the amazing outdoor adrenaline junkie playground they had found. Torrent River is excellent!

Canyon fun and games over, the guides from Abel Tasman Canyons took us back down to Anchorage bay where we had chance to chill-out. Most of our party had to unfortunately leave the park and head to Marahau, but a lucky few of us were able to stay for the next stage of our adventure.

5pm arrived, and we went and stood by a little sign post on the beach, 200meters off shore  a man in a dingy sees us and speeds over to us. 

Mark, the owner of the Aquapackers boat says:

 “Evening folks, all aboard and I’ll take you to your accommodation, watch your step and chuck your bags in the middle”

Ahoy! Before we knew it we were boarding Aquapackers, 4 decked floating accommodation. Shoes off, and a quick tour of the boat, then up beyond the top deck to the roof. Why up the roof of a boat you might ask? Well it seems the only obvious answer to that after a day in the canyon is to launch into a dive straight back into the sea! This is the life!

Time to relax finally arrived, a splendid BBQ dinner cooked by Mark and Jane (boat owners) with many amazing side dishes, a cheeky cider and a few beers and we were content. With the sun setting , we had a communal  card game with all of the other guests on the back packers. Big grins and laughs all around. A super special place indeed!

Midnight arrived, flicking all of the lights off on the boat we all marveled at the stars, not a drop of light pollution here. Stars that you have never seen, stretching from horizon to mountain. Unbelievable and to be honest I thought nothing is better than this, until one bright spark suggests we go for a night swim. Splash! Brrrr! And wow the stars are even more impressive from the inky black water of Anchorage bay. Now I’m ready for bed.

The next morning we woke to day two of our adventure…. the bird part you know already. Not thinking I was even hungry after last night’s feast, the spread for breakfast was amazing. Wolfing down perfectly made pancakes, lovely coffee and some fresh fruit I was then ready for the day!

Saying goodbye to Mark and Jane our gracious hosts, four of us; two Brits, one Dane and a lady from Turkey  set off hiking away from beautiful Anchorage, to another beach called Observation beach. Tramping (hiking to us Brits) through the native green lush bush, soaking in the morning rays and chatting about the world and all its marvels. On route quickly stopping at the apex of the hill to take in the stunning view across Tasman bay back towards Nelson and the mountains beyond. In the moment gives me goose bumps. Wow, what a place, what a view, what a country.

Inspired , our international crew tramped onwards and downwards towards Observation bay. HA! Could it be have we trumped Anchorage with a better beach! Seeing two heads in the water we realise two more of our backpacking crew had made it there too. The party of six now all getting into the sea for a much needed morning swim….along the with a couple of Oystercatchers, naturally.

2 hours later after chilling, swimming, jumping off rocks and generally making the most of a private beach we spot, in the distant bay, a little flotilla heading towards us.  Soon a fleet of kayaks arrive.

“Hey guys!” a Canadian lass calls as she lands her kayak on the beach. “have you come from Aquapackers?”

“Hi, yes” we call back.

“Ok great! Then you’re with me and I have some lunch for you.” said Sarah, the instructor from Abel Tasman Kayaks.

At that moment we realise that all of that chilling, swimming and jumping off rocks has actually built up a rather large appetite and we scoff the food like it’s going to swim away.

After another efficient, concise briefing and delivery of more kayaks, we were on the water, heading towards the island in the bay, Adele Island (not named after the singer!). Approaching at some speed we slowed to observe the fur seals sunbathing on the rocks. These furry looking sea Labradors did not seem to be bothered by our presence in the slightest, but Sarah pointed out that we are in their home and we should not linger for long. Erring on the side of caution we moved along the edge of the island, listening to the to the avian chorus coming from the tree covered cliffs. Spotting more Fur Seals, Australian Pied Cormorants and Australasian Gannets as we go.

With a little time to spare we head to little visited Fisherman island, the  cliffs and coves showing amazing rock formations littered with yet more Fur Seals. Our guide regales stories of long ago explorers as we paddle on until we spot Marahau. We set sights for the beach , furiously paddling to make the distance across the bay.

At last we strike land, all content that the sea kayaking voyage had been a super success. Lugging the boats up onto the slip, we knew that our weekend’s adventure had been epic. From river source to the sea we had jumped, dived, slid, zipped, plunged and paddled our way. If I could do it again I would in a heartbeat, and it is certainly is the best way to see the stunning and beautiful Abel Tasman National Park.