The Wilderness Overlander trip which takes in both The Rainbow and Molesworth Roads in the South Island’s ‘mid north-west’ is one of the most accessible and enjoyable expeditions that the new subscription trip website 4X4 Explorer has to offer. Richard Soult explains why.
Whether you have a hard out off-road ‘Tuff Truck’ or a daily-uses ‘Shiny’ this route won’t fail to give you what you are looking for. The Marlborough and North Canterbury stations offer huge skies, mountains and a feeling of remoteness.
The basic route can largely be done in any 4X4 vehicle without risk of damage or scratching. The additional side trips offer that truly “off the beaten track” experience, with varying levels of difficulty.
The route is circular and can be started at Hanmer Springs, Blenheim, or St Arnaud. Being 588kms in length, it is best done over two or three days, depending on how much time you have available.
The last time that I drove this route was with my father, brought along as road trip companion, photographer and video cameraman. I was happy that he joined. After having hosted a number of overseas visitors over the years, he had told me many times that he would never do a South Island road trip again.
“I know every road on the South Island like the back of my hand,” he claimed. So it was a hard job, but I did finally manage to convince him that the roads we would be travelling would be both new to him and almost certainly unknown, even to most Kiwis.
We joined the route at St Arnaud and headed south, off road. We had both been this way many times but had never ventured off through the passes and valleys that this expedition offers. We planned to spend the night at the end of one of the passes, which a map “recce” had shown was an interesting drive culminating in an open river valley promising spectacular views.
The weather was on our side and the trip down, almost to Hanmer Springs, was truly awe-inspiring with the Kaikoura Ranges offering a superb mountainous backdrop to what is relatively easy gravel road driving.
We found the access gate, entered the code and headed up towards the Pass. Coming over the last rise, we could see the magnificent valley and our campsite. A quick descent down a steep loose gravel track saw us perched on a level area above the river with nothing in sight but mountains and nature. We both had that true wilderness feeling which made me happy again to own a 4X4.
The next day we continued down to Hanmer Springs, refilled with petrol and food and headed north off road towards to Blenheim. The road north is the longest gravel road in New Zealand and is a 180kms traverse. Big, by anyone’s standards.
On arriving in Blenheim, there is a quick road section to get to the next valley.
It is here that there is the most challenging section of this expedition and can be either omitted or cut short. There are several river crossings, which vary in difficulty depending on rainfall. The most difficult section is towards the final destination, a DOC hut high up in the valley. Alternatively, accommodation can be found in DOC huts lower down the valley.
If you make it to the end of the track, you will not be disappointed. A great hut on the confluence of two mountain streams with stunning views.
If you enjoyed reading this article and want to use your 4WD to get out there and 4X4Explorer some amazing places, subscribe to 4x4Explorer on the link below. There is everything from scenic tarmac roads to remote High Country routes. Every route comes complete with downloadable GPX files, detailed route notes, grades and high quality photos.
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To read the full story in the October 2018 issue of NZ4WD go to Zinio.com (September 14) or purchase your own hard copy at the Adrenalin store.
