Tramping - Trips and Courses

This walk requires good fitness and the ability to carry a pack loaded with food for 7-9 days. We will be using huts most nights, but plan to camp for a couple of nights. We will use a fly and bivvy bags for this (unless you want to carry a tent). We will carry one emergency tent. There are $89 flights leaving at 7:05 am on Saturday 14 Feb, arriving at 8:30 am in Nelson. We then take Nelson Lakes Shuttles to Lewis Pass ($110 per person, but cheaper if there are more than 4 of us). Something is on in Christchurch, and flights are expensive. Day 1 Sat 14 Feb, Flight at 7:05, arrive 8:30, shuttle to Lewis pass (220 km, 2 hours 40 min) arrive 11:30. Walk Lewis Pass to Ada Pass Hut (12 Km, 4 hours). 2 Sun 15 Feb, Ada Pass Hut via Three Tarns pass and beautiful tops to Bobs Hut (15 km, 7-9 hours) 3 Mon 16 Feb, Bobs Hut to East Matakitaki Hut (8km, 3 hours) - an easy day 4 Tues 17 Feb, East Matakitaki Hut through the grand Spenser Mountains via Upper D'urville Pass, then Thompson Pass to Lake Thompson (13 km, 7-8 hours). Camp for the night. 5 Wed 18 Feb, Lake Thompson up steep rock to Waiau Pass and then fantastic hard country via Lake Constance via Blue Lake to Blue Lake Hut (10 km, 6-7 hours). 6 Thurs 19 Feb, Blue Lake Hut via Beech forest, and S. Island Robbins to West Sabine Hut(7 Km, 3-4 hours) 7 Fri 20 Feb, West Sabine Hut, walk then via Boat down Lake Rotoroa (14km, 5-6 hours). Shuttle back to Nelson. Spare days: 2 Sat, Sun. There are 2 rest/storm days in there somewhere. There is an $89 flight out at 6:30 pm. Views will be magnificent, and the country is grand.

Bart, Done this trip both ways, St Arnaud to Lewis via Waiau Pass, then Lewis to St Arnaud via Davids Pass. Still like to do Thompson & Moss Passes sometime in the future. Regards Robin