When I’m away guiding, people often ask me if I get bored driving the same tracks week after week. The simple answer is no. I’m always with a different group of great people, the weather is different and the tracks change.
The Hopkins Valley is one of my absolute favourites and features in our Wilderness Camping and Explorer Comfort trips. It is truly a stunning valley with the views getting better and better the further up you go, approaching the Main Divide.
In the middle July, my good friend Aaron Rich and his family were skiing at Lake Ohau and the idea came up of doing a “snow run” up the Hopkins. I had never been in during the Winter, so was pretty excited.
I left Christchurch early and met them at Ohau Lodge, where they had been staying.
From there, it’s a quick trip up to the beginning of the track and into the valley and up to Monument Hut. There wasn’t as much snow as we were expecting on the valley floor, but the mountains were covered with fresh white snow and looking truly majestic.
We didn’t really have a fixed plan, but we intended to spend two nights somewhere before heading back out. The river was very low, and the crossing to Red Hut was straight forward. The crossing point at Monument Hut had changed again and was almost back to the same place as when I had first driven the track over ten years ago.
From Red Hut, we carried on up, not stopping at either Elcho or Cullers and went as far as we could. Another friend had tipped me off about a great campsite with an amazing fireplace that they had found and improved. We found it and added it to the list of possible campsites for this coming season’s wilderness trips.
Over lunch, we discussed the plan and decided that we were going to head for Elcho Hut. Crossing the riverbed, I made a “schoolboy” error and took a shortcut over a section of grey sand. I went in straight up to my axles and Aaron had to winch me out.
It turned out that this was just the start of my problems. A little further on, I was stuck again and Aaron thought that I wasn’t in 4WD. Strange.
We got to the hut and got set up for the night Aaron and family took the hut and I set up the tent and diesel heater.
The next day, the weather was absolutely perfect, and Aaron and I spent the morning getting some great photos, me for our trips and Aaron for Xpeditionz. In the afternoon, we managed to get a fire going, despite the wood being soaking wet. Fired up the BBQ and ate burgers as the sun started going down and the temperate started to drop rapidly.
The morning of the second day, saw a very relaxed start. The temperature had dropped below -10C overnight and the morning was bright but still bitterly cold. Aaron and family had rented a cottage at Black Forest Station and that was the destination for the night.
As soon as we got underway, I realised that I had problems. I definitely didn’t have 4WD. Closer inspection revealed that I had blown a wheel bearing and narrowly avoided damaging the brake line. Going to Black Forest wasn’t an option and I just hoped that I would make it out of the Hopkins. In the end, I managed to limp my way to Twizel, which was covered in a blanket of heavy freezing fog.
By this stage, the writing was on the wall and I knew that this was the end of my trip. I parked at the Autoshoppe and called the AA. If you don’t already have it, I highly recommend getting AA Plus membership. It costs about $120 a year and is fantastic. Within half an hour, I had accommodation booked, arranged for the truck to be taken to Christchurch and had been provided with a rental car to get me home, all at no charge. Absolutely brilliant service.
Unfortunately, there had been several accidents on State Highway 8 and the road to Christchurch was closed. A tour bus was involved, and several people had been severely injured. I was told in no uncertain terms to be very careful on my drive back to Christchurch the following day.
Aaron and family came to visit me in the motel before heading off, cross country, to Black Forest Station. By this stage it was dark and with the thick fog, I was sure that navigation was going to be an issue. Aaron assured me that it would take less than an hour, but in the end, it took them three. The fog was so thick that it was virtually impossible to navigate the river in the dark.
The following day I left and started the drive back home. There was still thick fog and I had been warned of black ice. The fog persisted until I began the climb out of Tekapo towards Burkes Pass. All the way, traffic was moving at no more than 50kmph and with good reason. By the time I left, there had already been two further accidents and conditions were treacherous!
Once out of Tekapo, the sun came out and the scenery was just stunning! Really a Winter Wonderland at it’s very best.
The drive back to Christchurch was uneventful and despite the damage to the truck I had had a fantastic trip, discovered a new campsite and taken heaps of great photos.
By Richard Soult
