I had been meaning to tackle this part of the Te Araroa trail for some time, so when the chance arose to do it in early September, I jumped at it. With the days getting longer and the temperatures on the rise, it was the perfect time to embark on a weekend hike before the TA hikers arrived.
Our journey began at the car park located next to the Harper River, where the DOC sign indicated that it would take around 7 hours to reach Hamilton Hut. However, I had read trail reports of people completing this section in 5 to 6 hours.
The Harper River Track section of the Te Araroa trail is 18.5km long and follows an active 4WD track for all but the final 15 minutes. Over the past few months, extensive work on stop banks had been carried out to aid the river flow and power scheme intake.
We started off walking on a newly created stop bank for the first hour before cutting to the left, through a new fence, and back to the 4WD track in the river bed. We found ourselves in the vast expanse of the Harper River, with the Craigieburn Range in the distance and our destination for the night.
To our left was the Avoca River, which leads to Basins and Avoca Huts. We anticipated the crossing of the Avoca River to be challenging after recent rains, but we were pleasantly surprised to find it at just under knee height and flowing slowly.
The trail then deviated from the 4WD track, following a fence line before returning to the river once again for our first of many Harper River crossings. This one was deeper, faster, and icier than the Avoca, but we picked our lines to ensure we crossed at the safest place.
Halfway between the car park and Hamilton Hut lies The Pinnacles on the true right of the Harper River. These pinnacles are the result of many years of erosion caused by rain eating away at the vegetation and soil. It is possible to cross the river here and gain a better view of The Pinnacles, but we opted not to due to the frigid river. Instead, we enjoyed lunch while admiring the view from afar.
As we made our way up the valley, the river narrowed, and the crossings became more frequent. Although it's possible to avoid some of the crossings by staying on the true left of the Harper River and following the old 4WD track, it doesn't save any time or distance due to overgrown tussock, scrub, bogs, and mud.
We were soon traveling the easy 4WD track as it climbed onto a river terrace, eventually reaching the DOC sign indicating that no vehicles were permitted further up meant that Hamilton Hut was only 15 minutes away.
We passed the swing bridge that continues the Te Araroa Trail to Cora Lyn, and there is also a nice side trip on the other side to Mirror Tarns, which is well worth a visit if you have the time.
As we followed the trail through the beech forest, we could see patches of snow on the far side of the river, but we were grateful to be on the sunny side. We emerged from the forest directly onto the empty Hamilton Hut. This great older-style Lockwood hut is perched on a terrace above the river, with 20 bunks and ample room for tents. Water is sourced from a tank behind the hut.
Overall, completing the Harper River Track section of the Te Araroa trail was a fantastic overnight trip to do in spring. It's achievable by anyone with reasonable fitness and confidence with river crossings. However, it's important to check the weather before going, as an increase in river flow will make many of the crossings dangerous. I'm delighted to have completed another section of the Te Araroa trail.
Details
Distance - 18.5km each way
Time - 5 hours each way
River crossings - lots!
Access - car park on Harper Road 2 hours from Ashburton
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