Whymper hut

First thing the next morning Thursday we started the journey across the south island towards the west coast. It was soon clear what we were in for as the flat landscape was changing into mountainous countryside, with those mountains topped with snow, the excitement was growing. Passing and stopping at the delightful towns of Arthurs Pass and Hokitika, we finally made it to our destination for the night, Whataroa, where we were to stay at a cool little pub, enjoying some local beer and a nice steak.

Before we settled in for the night we traveled 20 minutes further south to have a look at the very touristy Franz Josef Glacier.

I was surprised with the amount of backpackers in the area, especially the female variety, "dam it Mike, why didn't we stay at Franz Josef"? After a quick look at the glacier which was pretty cool as it was the first glacier I had seen, we made our way back to Whataroa where we enjoyed a few beers in a great pub before hitting the sack.

Mike and Brent walking back from Franz Josef Glacier. Well this was it, Friday dawned and the excitement, along with the nervousness was building. We all woke early and split our gear into what we were going to take and what was to stay in the car.

The short drive to the helly pad was silent as we were all probably thinking of what was to come. The hut was located up on a ridge, about mt above sea level, and a tough climb down to the river, an amazing location with the jagged snow capped mountains circling in every direction.

This hut was different to anything we had been in. In Australia, the huts in the high country and there for adventurers who may find themselves in trouble in poor weather and and frowned upon if you use them for anything else.

This was different, the bush huts in NZ are there to be used and are very welcoming. We walked into to a spacious hut, full of food and fire wood, foam mattresses and instantly knew we were in an amazing place, excited about the days ahead.

Still in awe of where we were, we unpacked our gear and immediately chopped enough wood to last the 3 days, being mindful that we leave some in the hut for the next guests should they arrive in poor conditions.

With a sweat up already it was time for a coffee and some lunch and a chat on our plans for the arvo. With some pretty cool glaciers within eye shot of where we were, the plan was to load our day packs and head out on a hike up one of the near mountains to hopefully reach the snow.

It was about We dropped down from the ridge in which the hut is situated and headed in a south direction before we come to the valley that would take us up the mountain.

It was at this point that I realized that hiking in this countryside was going to be tough. Fast flowing rivers, huge boulders and steep mountains were going to make our pace relativity slow. Climbing the mountain side was tough going.

If we weren't scrambling across huge boulders, we were struggling to get a sure footing on the lose stones then wading through tick grass that was knee deep. Slow going, tiring but a load of fun and as we got higher and closer to the glacier, the views were breathtaking. Brent and I took a different path up the mountain to Mike and Joey, but we were all heading in the same direction for the same target, the snow.

Looking back over the mountain range was like nothing I had ever seen before, the enormous rocky peaks made me feel as if I were in the Himalayas, simply stunning. As we climbed higher we come into a grassy knoll which was a welcome relief from scrambling up the rocky mountain side.

We had a well deserved breather and took in the views as we digested a banana and a muesli bar and contemplated our next move. After catching our breath we continued onward and upward still with the glacier in our sight. The going was tough through the thick grass but a lot safer than climbing up the rock face.

It was now we came to a grinding halt. Lying between us and the heavily sort after glacier we a deep valley that had to be navigated with great difficulty before we could reach our destination. So close but yet so far, it was at this point that we reluctantly chose to turn back and start the argues journey down.

We soon come across Mike and Joey who were relieved to see us and also ready to head back. The decent down was great and a lot of fun. Scrambling down the rocks along a fast flowing stream was cool. We slowly edged closer to the bottom and we could soon see Whymper Hut in the distance, knowing a warm coffee and a lie down was in order on our return. We arrived back a little after four and were more than happy to relax with a warm drink, replacing our boots for the more comfortable crocs and chatting about what we had just done.

Before dinner we had decided to go for another walk, not long about an hour, just to get a good look at the Whymper Valley from above and do some recon on the walk we have planned for tomorrow.

With the cloud lowering and the fire going, there was no other place I would want to be as we cooked up our dinner and reflected on the adventure so far.

The sun disappeared behind the hills about 8pm and the light rain started. It is set in spectacular surroundings in the headwaters of the Whataroa River. The hut is perched on a narrow scrub covered moraine ridge below the Whymper Glacier.

Immediately south of the hut the view of the glaciers etc is blocked by a scrub covered knob but a bit of a walk can take you to a good vantage point. We day tripped from Butler Junction hut and it was a 3. The route is well marked. There is a little bit of windthrow at the moment but it's not a problem to get through.

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