Track grade & Season:
3 (1 is easy & 6 is hard) The walkway is suitable for both beginners and experienced trampers. This track has a walking season which is September through to May. This part of 'Te Ara Pounamu' is not difficult but the climate can be extreme. As the St James Walkway lies on the Main Divide of the Southern Alps, it is prone to extremely changeable weather conditions. Even in the middle of summer, the weather can change from hot and sunny to snow and freezing temperatures within an hour, so adequate clothing and equipment is required. It is in a sub-alpine area, including stretches of open tussock high country Sheep & Cattle Station farm land scattered with cattle and horses. About 66 kms long, it takes five days, allowing walkers to enjoy the scenery at a leisurely pace.
Times:
We meet for Dinner at 6.00 p.m. at the Maruia Springs Hotel on the Lewis Pass Highway 12km east of Springs Junction every Sunday and Friday. Hiking party members will meet for a "get to know each other dinner" and a soak in Alpine Thermal Spa. A gear check will be done this evening and those wanting to hire equipment will be issued them. Participants will not be able to start their walk if they do not have the correct hiking gear. (A gear list is available). Dinner, hotel accommodation, use of outdoor spas and breakfast is included in Package Price. Your walk starts from the hotel the next morning at 8:30am with a 10 minute transfere to the start of the track.
Where do we sleep? On the first and last night accommodation is at the Maruia Springs Thermal Resort. Dinner and your accommodation here is included in the price of your walk. Track accommodation is in public backcountry lodges with bunkroom sleeping in sleeping bags and shared facilities. Everything is supplied at the track lodge with meals being cooked for you.
What do I carry? Everyone carries a day pack which we supply. It contains your own clothing, trail snacks, raincoat and your camers. Since the walking is gentle and relaxed with plenty of time for photographs and a trail picnic the carrying of your day pack is not a burden.
Track history:
Generations of Maori people used the Lewis Pass area as a trading route to the Pounamu (greenstone) sources on the West Coast. A dispute over the area between the Ngai Tahu and Nagati Tumatakokiri is believed to have ended with an incident when a party of Ngati Tumatakokiri were ambushed at the head of the Maruia River by Ngai Tahu and were later eaten - hence the name Cannibal Gorge or Kopi o kaitangata (a good feed of human flesh). The first Pakeha to travel through the Lewis Pass were the surveyors Christopher Mating and Henry Lewis in 1860. The St James Station was first leased in 1862 when it was called the Edwards River Block. It grew to a size of 800,000 hectares with 30,000 sheep grazed on it. Today it remains one of New Zealand's largest stations with cattle and horses grazed on 80,000 hectares of land. Geology The mountainous scenery of the Main Divide of the Southern Alps results from an active fault system which, over millions of years, has caused sinking, folding and rising of the land. The hot springs found in the area are a result of this fault system. Rare fossil corals, tiny sea animal imprints (graptolites) and ancient sea lilies (crinoids) have been found and are thought to be more than 200 million years old.
Flora and Fauna. Plant life in the area is diverse. The lower slopes of the mountains are covered in magnificent stands of red, silver and mountain beech forest. At higher altitudes the beech forest becomes stunted and sub alpine plants such as Dracophylium and Oliria start to appear. At even higher altitudes the forest is replaced by tussock and alpine herb fields. During summer, alpine plants such as mountain daises and edgeweiss burst into profusion of delicate flowers. A wide variety of wildlife, both native and introduced, is found in the area. Native birds abound. The rare blue duck (whio) noisy Canada geese and paradise ducks (putangitangi) are plentiful on the river flats. Above the bush line, watch out for the native pipit (pihoihoi), and the kea (the only alpine parrot in the world. The Boyle, Lewis and Maruia Rivers provide good trout fishing. Chamois are present in low numbers above the bushline and red deer are found mainly in the forest.
Walking the Track:
Day One:
Lewis Pass entrance to Cannibal Gorge Hut (7 kilometres, 3½ hours) or to Ada pass Hut (10 kilometres, 5 hours). The track begins at the picturesque tarn and picnic area on the east side of State Highway 7, near the top of the Lewis Pass. A boardwalk crosses the wetlands and skirts the tarn before the track enters the beech forest and zig zags steadily down to Cannibal Gorge and the Maruia River. A swingbridge crosses Cannibal Gorge to the true right bank of the Maruia River and the track sidles above the gorge and eventually emerges onto a large grassy flat just downstream from Cannibal Gorge Hut. From the hut the walkway follows the Maruia River through beech forests and across grassy flats, climbing gradually to the Ada Pass Hut.
Day Two:
Ada Pass Hut to Christopher Hut (10.5 kilometres, 4½ hours). From the hut the walkway passes through lush beech forest across Ada Pass (998 metres) into the Ada valley. The beech forest is gradually replaced by open areas of tussock and grasses with patches of forest. Small tarns along the way provide pleasant places for lunch stops. The spectacular Spenser Mountains can be clearly seen from here. The majestic 'wild' horses and cattle of St James Station are often seen around this area.
Day Three:
Christopher Hut to Anne Hut (15 kilometres, 5 hours). The track continues to where the Henry River meets the Waiau valley. From here the walkway passes through matagouri thickets and some open rolling and swampy ground.
Day Four:
Anne Hut to Boyle Flats Hut (15 kilometres, 7 hours). The walkway continues on the true left bank of the Anne River for about 2 kilometres to a large terrace of red tussock and a footbridge gives access to the true right bank of the river, climbs steadily to Anne Saddle (1136 metres) where there are spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and the Boyle Valley. From the saddle the walkway drops steeply into the Boyle Valley.
Day Five:
Boyle Flats Hut to Boyle Village and main road (14.5 kilometres, 5 hours). The walkway continues through forest up onto terraces above the river flats. The final part of the walkway passes through regenerating forest and follows a short stretch of road to finish at Boyle Village and the Lewis Pass Highway. Transport from the end of the track takes us back to The Thermal Resort for dinner and a soak in the hotpools before bed. Breakfast the next morning is at your own cost.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
If there are over 4 people in your booking we will include a discount for the extras.
Also see tour packages in:
Australia and Oceania
New Zealand
Walking Tours
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