South Island High Country Grand Slam tour ticks all the boxes.

‘Take your 4WD on tour’  is one of the catch phrases tag-along tour company High Country Journeys uses.  So that’s exactly what last year’s Your4s photo comp prize winner  Paul Richards did the summer just past, signing on for a ‘Grand Slam Tour.’

And so it began, High County Journey’s main man and tour leader John Mulholland in his Toyota Prado leading seven assorted 4x4s,  including a Mercedes-Benz, VW Amarok, Nissan Navara, Toyota Fortuner, two Toyota Hiluxes (one a Cross Country Rental) and our Mazda BT-50, out of Blenheim early one February morning.

John took a couple of passengers in his truck (you don’t have to bring your own) which made up a touring party of 18 people (eight ladies and 10 blokes).

The South Island High Country Grand Slam is one of John’s premier multi-day tag-along 4x4 tours, a seven-day/eight-night largely off-road Odyssey which starts in Blenheim at the top of the South Island and finishes at Cardrona in the heart of Central Otago.

First up, best dressed!

Day 1 took us out through Taylors Pass to the Awatere Valley and up to Camden Station for morning tea. We then travelled further up the valley to Upcot Station where John led us up the farm track to the top of the range behind the station for 360 degree views over the rugged terrain of the station. 

Safety was paramount here – each truck had to be fitted with a spark arrester on the exhaust, carry 5-20 litres of water, have a fire extinguisher and carry sacks for beating out flames. The grass and tussock through this area was tinder dry and John reminded us constantly to make sure there was no grass under the truck when we stopped as the heat from the exhaust could potentially start a grass fire. 

It was six km up to the lookout using 4L1 and 4L2 it was so steep. What goes up must come down, too, so it was back down to the homestead where Nicky gave us venison pies and salads for lunch.  Apparently deer are becoming a real problem on the station and nine  had been shot recently so there was an ample supply of venison. 

From here we continued up the valley, through Molesworth Station, stopping at the iconic Molesworth cob cottage and the Acheron Accommodation House, then on, via a rough Jacks Pass to our overnight accommodation in Hanmer Springs

MacDonald’s Downs 

Day 2 had us driving through Culverden and Hawarden (pronounced Harden by the locals and John) to arrive at the woolshed at MacDonald Downs where Bill Paterson gave us a very entertaining overview of the history of this huge station. They had recently added a block (or paddock) from a neighboring station – if you can call 809 hectares (2000 acres) a paddock! 

We then drove through the central race of the station (19km of well-formed farm track – part of the 200km of tracks that they have) to reach Okuku Pass Road, through the Okuku River ford and on down Lees Valley to Richon Station where we had lunch. John then took us up the track behind the homestead which was another 4L1 and 4L2 affair. 

Unfortunately the weather didn’t play ball and we were in the mist so couldn’t see the views. No matter. From here it was on down Lees Valley Road, through the Ashley Gorge and out to our homestays in Oxford.

On the dinner menu that night was venison, stuffed mutton, sliced mutton, salads, two pavlovas, jelly and ice cream. Top food at top venues with top hosts.

Day 3 had us driving through Porters Pass to Lake Lyndon then across to Lake Coleridge where we drove up to the head of the lake to see the canals and diversion races for the Wilberforce and Harper rivers which feed Lake Coleridge. 

After a quick look at the Power Station it was down to the main road and lunch by the Rakaia River, before the day’s big challenge, a long loop through Redcliffe Station where we went up a 4L1 and 4L2 steep track to the top of the range overlooking the Rakaia River, the Power Station on the other side and Lake Coleridge in the background. 

Fantastic!

We continued round under the back of Mount Hutt to a large area of cultivated ‘flats’ before stopping at a back country hut for afternoon tea. A very steep downhill track (4L1 and 4L2) took us back to Double Hill Run Road and out to our homestays in the Mayfield area. The menu tonight included a huge slab of beef fillet slow cooked in a BBQ. Again top food at a top venue with top hosts.

Station to Station

On Day 4 we drove up to Lake Heron and followed the track up the left side of Lake Stream. Unfortunately the recent floods had destroyed a bridge so we pulled into a sheltered area out of the Norwester and drizzle for morning tea. From here it was back to the Lake Heron Station homestead for a superb cooked lunch put on by the hostess Ann Toddhunter. 

The homestead is an amazing old building, suitably refurbished, with great views down Lake Heron which – on this particular day - was very choppy thanks to the stiff Norwester. Regular readers of this magazine might recognise that the picture which won me a set of Kumho tyres in the Your4s competition last year was taken at the south end of this lake on a clear day. 

From here we toured through the station tracks round the back of the lake and Mt Sugarloaf to come back out on to the road by the old Clent Hills Station homestead (now a holiday home with the station absorbed into the surrounding properties). 

 The challenge that afternoon was the track through Orari Gorge that comes out near Blue Mountain and Lochaber Station. This was a tough track with steep 4L1 and 4L2 climbs and descents along the Orari River. At one point John came over the radio saying; “When you get to the gap between the stone buttresses, pause, take stock, and then go left because that is where the track is.” When I got there, all I could see was sky over the bonnet!

Fortunately I have fitted a forward facing camera to the bull bar of the BT-50 so could see where the track was (below and to the left). Others didn’t have the luxury and it was scary blindly turning left to come down on the track. Tonight we were split over three homestays in the Fairlie area with ours by Lake Opuha. Once again, great food, great venue, great hosts. 

Day 5 took us through two more great tracks. From Mount Nessing Road we climbed up a very steep and loose rock track (again 4L1 and 4L2) to the top of Mount Nessing (1601m) for stunning views across the ranges and valleys right through to Aoraki/Mt Cook which had slight cloud cover but still looked magnificent. 

Black Forest

From the summit we then dropped down the back of Mt Nessing via a steep 4L1 and 4L2 track to come out onto the Hakataramea Pass Road. From here it was over the Pass and through to Haldon Road, then out to Black Forest for lunch by Lake Benmore. Some of the more hardy souls went for a swim but for most of us the views across the tranquil lake right through to Mt Cook were very refreshing. 

The spectacular pylon track through to Otematata and the Benmore Dam gave us special views of the lake – it had a hue of turquoise which neither John nor I had seen before which comes, apparently, from the snow melt passing through six of the Tekapo and Waitaki power scheme’s power stations on its way from mountain to sea. 

After a quick stop at the supposed drinking hole of Richie McCaw (The Top Pub, Kurow) it was on to our homestays in the Hakataramea Valley. Great food, great venues, great hosts.

Close to Home

Day 6 took us through two even greater tracks. We took the high track from Omarama through to the St Bathans area where we stopped for lunch at the cribs at Falls Dam. From there we travelled out along Home Hills Runs Road past the movie set of Jane Campion’s latest film The Power of the Dog  which had just finished filming. 

A quick visit to the curling rinks at Naseby was followed by the amazing and challenging track up to the Mount Buster goldfields then up to the summit of Mount Kyeburn (1636m). Near the top I had to admit to my darling wife that the track’s steep 4L1 and 4L2 loose rock surface and humps for water drainage had well and truly clamped my pucker muscle tight! 

From the lookout area we stopped to take in the views, then traversed across a shingle face and down the other side of Mount Kyeburn which was just as steep and challenging – 4L1 using engine braking going downhill! 

Thankfully, after a long downhill run, we came to the Danseys Pass Road and five minutes later were at the iconic Danseys Pass Hotel which was our overnight stay. And here I am saying it again – great food, great venue, great company.

Day 7 started with a trip to Ranfurly (John’s home town) then out through dairying country to the Old Dunstan Road, Poolburn Reservoir and the site of the Lord of the Rings’ movie trilogy’s Plains of Rohen Rohirrim Village. After lunch at Clyde John then led us up the Clyde to Bannockburn track. From here we went into the Nevis Valley and over Duffers Saddle which at 1300m is the highest public road in New Zealand. 

There had been recent flooding with at least a metre of water over the handrails of the bridge before the Ben Nevis Station and weed on the top of the sign posts so we were fortunate to be able to drive through to the old Nevis village and cemetery.

 Overnight accommodation was at the iconic Cardrona Hotel. And what else can I say.  Great food, great venue, great company. After the meal several people expressed their thanks to John for such a great trip including Liz who spoke on behalf of the ladies who appreciated not having to worry about food and accommodation, meaning  this trip was a true (and wonderful)  holiday for them.

Home time

Day 8 saw everyone go their own way after a group breakfast. We drove back to Twizel with one of the other couples then after lunch at the Musterer’s Hut with them (they were staying there and going fishing) we drove back to Geraldine.

We covered 2450km at an average of 11.85ltr/100k which I was happy with given the roads and tracks we had covered. And I was intrigued that even standard utes on good tyres could do this trip. John quickly evaluated the skill levels of the drivers and had easy, medium and hard tracks to suit. There were no punctures, no breakdowns, no dents, no one needed towing, and there was enough 4WDing to satisfy us all.

One of the many highlights for me was just how capable modern utes like my BT-50 Mazda are. There were many times where if you asked me if it was possible to drive up or down a section of track I would have said no emphatically, only to watch the trucks in front go up, and down, and realise that my truck was capable of doing the same; the limiting factor being in my head!

In fact, one of the many things I will bring away from this trip is the confidence to take my truck almost anywhere. Another highlight was to get some idea of how vast some of the high country stations are. John gave a great commentary over the radio as we went past with the history, ownership, size, stock units, and specialty areas like contracts with Icebreaker for Merino wool.

Trip of a lifetime

What a great trip. It really is a “trip of a lifetime”. A huge thanks to John and High County Journeys for giving us the opportunity to experience tracks like these, the amazing scenery, the superb accommodation and interesting hosts. I can appreciate why these tours are booked out well in advance.