This post on the Travers-Sabine Circuit including Lake Angelus, is based in the Nelson Lakes National Park. It was written for us by Colin, based in Sydney, Australia. Colin is an avid hiker/tramper and was previously an adventure travel guide in the Australian Alps.
Day 1
While a reasonably hardy bunch of six we all felt a healthy level of apprehension on the trampers bus taking us 1.5 hours from Nelson into the Nelson Lakes National Park to the start of the walk at St Arnaud. 100kms over 7 days with full packs and some grinding ascents and descents promised to be a challenge for 60 year old well worn knees.
We checked in at the St Arnaud NZ Parks office at the start of the walk on Lake Rotoiti. Then on a balmy March afternoon, we commenced the day’s three hour walk skirting the Lake to Lakeside Hut.
Day 2
Day 2 started with a gentle amble through native grasslands between the towering St Arnaud and Travers Ranges. Being an eight hour walk ascending some 700m mainly at days end, we knew we should treasure the morning stroll. By midday, the valley narrowed to the extent that we were scrambling along the rocky banks of Travers River. Travers River Falls provides a rewarding rest stop before the mid-afternoon goal of Travers Hut was reached.
The final push of the day to Upper Travers Hut was made as the learned ranger at Travers Hut informed us that ‘next to Upper Travers Hut there is a hot natural spring that accommodates six blokes”. How good was that!. The only problem was that when we arrived at the Hut there was no spring in sight and the gullible Aussies had clearly had their legs pulled! (Ed: Aussie leg-pulling is a national sport in New Zealand!)
Day 3
Day three’s eight hours walk comprised a 500m ascent to Travers Saddle followed by a knee grinding decent to the Sabine River and West Sabine Hut. Off to the left of the Saddle is a beautiful tarn that was too tempting for some of the group to not strip and jump into. We were all saddened though to read a note on the Saddle cairn that asked that trampers look out for any evidence of an eighteen year old German male last seen along on the Saddle March 2015.
During the relentless afternoon decent a completely focused woman powered past us ascending the rocky scree slopes like a gazelle. 20 minutes later her tramping partner approached and happily responded to our queries about the powerhouse that was now just a speck way above us. ”We call her ‘Marilyn the machine’ and although you’d never know it she’s well into her 70’s”. As I hobbled into West Sabine Hut late in the day we were still speculating if there was something in the water that made Kiwis such a hardy bunch.
Day 4
Day four provided a timely break from carrying a still heavy pack with an out and back walk five hour walk further up the river to Blue Lake. It is also known as (as the unpronounceable) Rotomairewhenau. (Ed: only unpronounceable for Aussies 🙂 try this – Ro-to-ma-i-re-whe-na-u). According to NZ Parks it is the world’s clearest water and as we lunched on its shores we had no reason to doubt this fact.
Day 5
Day five was a comparatively easy five hour walk down the river valley to Sabine Hut located on Lake Rotoroa. Walking in the tranquillity of the mossy forest was temporarily shattered however when a wasp nest was disturbed and a hostile swarm of wasps attacked the exposed legs of some of our party.
Day 6
Day six offered a choice of routes. Either a leisurely four hour walk to Speargrass Hut followed by the final day’s walk out to St Arnaud OR a 1,300m steep climb to Mt Cedric and 200m descent to Lake Angelus followed on the last day with an eight hour traverse of Roberts Ridge descending to the trail head at St Arnaud.
With the weather looking good, we decided to climb Mt Cedric. About 2.5 hours after starting the day’s walk we broke through the tree line and onwards to the summit of Mt Cedric. The views were magnificent and the highlight of the tramp to date.
The best however was to come. As we scrambled the rocky ridges of the Travers Range the views were spectacular and then the magnificent Lake Angelus gradually revealed its grandeur to us.
Day 7
After a relaxed night soaking up the serenity from the very comfortable Lake Angelus Hut we departed early for the final days eight hour walk back to St Arnaud. At 5am with head torches on we scrambled carefully up to the ridge of the Travers Range. The scrambling continued well beyond daybreak but eventually the trail changed to fine scree then to a near ideal grassy surface. The final drop to the trailhead was another treat with beautiful views stretching out to a very distant horizon.
Thanks again to Colin for sharing his great adventure with us.