Te Araroa Section Hike - Motatapu Track

This section of the Te Araroa trail is quite challenging. It involves four steep ascents, descents, and narrow sidles, and is located in an alpine environment where the weather can change quickly. Therefore, it's crucial to be well-prepared. This trail is not for the faint-hearted.

Along the trail, there are three huts, which means it can be done in either two or three nights. Camping is allowed near the huts, but nowhere else along the trail. Our original plan was to complete the hike in two nights. However, with a poor weather forecast early on, we decided to have two short days. This way, we could start our second short day later if we needed to.

Day 1 - Glendhu Bay to Fern Burn Hut

6.4km - 2 hours 36 minutes - vertical climb 458 metres

We started our journey early in the morning from Ashburton, leaving at 7 am. We made a brief stop in Geraldine to pick up a member of our group and then continued to Wanaka for lunch, where our adventure began.

From central Wanaka, it takes about 20 minutes to reach Glendhu Bay, which is the starting point of the Mototapu Track. At the trailhead, there is a small car park and a long drop.

With our heavy backpacks, we started walking on the trail with enthusiasm. The sky was clear, the day was warm, and we were having lively conversations. Initially, we walked through gentle farm paddocks where we saw and heard sheep. We had to climb through several fences, and the gates were quite small.

As we followed the Fern Burn and gained elevation, we were greeted with stunning views of the mountains ahead.

We stopped for a rest beside a small stream, enjoying the sun and checking the map to see how far we were from the hut. The easy terrain and gradual climb helped us reach Fern Burn Hut in less than the expected 3 hours according to the DOC guide.

Fern Burn Hut is situated on a beautiful terrace above the Fern Burn, offering stunning views of Lake Wanaka and Jack Halls Saddle, which was our destination for the next day. We basked in the warmth of the sun on the hut's deck while having lunch, and later, we played Qwirkle and had dinner inside the hut.

During the night, a young possum visited us and tried to play with the boots and shoes left outside. After rescuing the footwear, the possum left, and the night became quiet again.

Day 2 - Fern Burn Hut to Highland Creek Hut

6km - 3 hours 20 minutes - vertical climb 545 metres

The weather forecast predicted that it would rain at 9 pm, and it turned out to be accurate. However, the rain was not as heavy as expected, and in the morning, there were only light showers. We decided to stick to our plan of leaving later in the hopes that the rain would clear up and we would walk under clear skies.

We embarked on our journey to Highland Creek Hut from Fern Burn Hut at 9:30 am, which was only about 6km away from us, after our first steep climb over Jack Halls Saddle.

The trail initially climbs and sidles above the Fern Burn and weaves in and out of side streams, gradually gaining elevation until we reached Jack Halls Saddle. The wind was cold on the saddle, so we descended over the other side to take shelter behind tussock and alpine scrub while enjoying a snack. Bitingly cold sleet started falling, and we quickly resumed our journey, steeply descending along narrow sidles down to a side stream that feeds Highland Creek. We filled our water bottles and climbed out of the stream, embarking on the final stretch to reach Highland Creek Hut.

As we knew it was going to be a short day, we had lunch in the hut and spent the afternoon reading, playing games, and drinking warm beverages. Later in the afternoon, we were joined by another hiker who had come in from Glendhu Bay.

In the early evening, the rain returned, eventually turning into snow. The flakes were large, dry, and fluffy, and it was a wondrous sight to see the tussock and alpine scrub transforming into a winter wonderland.

Day 3 - Highland Creek Hut to Roses Hut

10.5km - 6 hours 30 minutes - vertical climb 876 metres

The snow didn't stop falling overnight, covering the area with a heavy white blanket. The water tank and tap had frozen, but thankfully, we had refilled them the night before. With the clouds clearing and the skies turning blue, we set out at 8 am, aware that this was going to be a long day with two big ascents ahead of us.

Leaving the hut, the trail briefly dropped to cross Highland Creek before abruptly beginning the first of two climbs. The thick snow covered the ground, making us rely solely on the marker poles to show the way. Gaining elevation and crossing many steep sidles, it was easy to fall into deep snow holes and slip off the track in places until we crested the first ridge and began the steep descent down to the beech forest and side stream.

When we arrived, we filled our water bottles before climbing briefly to rest in a sunny spot out of the cold wind for lunch. After resting and refilling our bottles, we climbed out of the beech forest and followed the trail as it zig-zagged up onto the ridge that we would climb to reach our final ascent for the day. The snow on this section was much lighter than the previous ascent, making the trail easier to follow. We had also left the steep sidles behind. We hiked just under point 1245 and knew we had completed the second of the two big climbs for the day. The trail in front of us followed the ridge line until it dropped down into the Motatapu River.

Our pace increased, and we could see farm paddocks and Roses Hut below us in the distance. As we dropped to the farm, we followed a 4WD track for about 100 metres and crossed the Motatapu River, which was knee-deep. After crossing the river, we climbed a stile and hiked the last 100 metres to reach Roses Hut.

This is the final hut on the Motatapu Track and sits in a large open clearing. It was bathed in the warm afternoon sunshine, with only a few patches of snow lingering on the ground.

Day 4 - Roses Hut to Macetown and Arrowtown

22.5km (15km on 4WD road from Macetown to Arrowtown) - 9 hours 45 minutes - vertical climb 660 metres

The temperature dropped below zero overnight, causing the tap on the water tank to freeze.

We began our journey early, under clear blue skies and with the sun shining on the slopes. We knew that we had our longest day ahead of us and that the final climb to Roses Saddle would be steep. The lower section of the climb was well-graded, but the upper section was more challenging, with the old track disappearing and the final few hundred meters being very steep.

Once we reached Roses Saddle, the track gently descended to the Arrow River. If the river was in low flow, it was possible to follow it through to Macetown. However, due to recent rain and snow melt, the river was high, forcing us to follow the high river track. This trail had gentle ups and downs as it followed the curves of the Arrow River and eventually joined an old water race from the area's mining heyday.

We crossed the Arrow River at Macetown, where the water was icy cold and knee-deep. We stopped under the trees to enjoy our lunch and take shelter from the warm sun. Macetown is a historic gold mining town that no longer has any residents, but there are many relics and restored old buildings to see.

From Macetown, Te Araroa Trail follows the 4WD road to Eight Mile Creek. At this point, you can either take the Big Hill Track or continue along the 4WD road. We chose to follow the 4WD road, which is longer but quicker to reach Arrowtown than the Big Hill Track. There were 31 crossings of the Arrow River along this road, with the river running slightly high from rain and snow melt. The depth of the crossings ranged from ankle to thigh height, with the deeper crossings being closer to Arrowtown.

In summary, this section hike of Te Araroa Trail, the Motatapu Track, is an incredible experience, but it is not a walk in the park. The uphill climbs and steep slopes are quite challenging, especially considering the unpredictable weather conditions in the alpine environment. Nonetheless, any experienced hiker who is well-prepared will undoubtedly enjoy this trail.