Home » Adventures » New Zealand Extended Holiday » Nelson Lakes NP
Route I Walked
100 km
After leaving Greymouth several hundred dollars poorer, but now with a valid WOF for my van, I traveled Nelson Lakes National Park. Although I tramped here before, I enjoyed it enough to come back. I basically tramped the same route as last time too, although in reverse and with much better weather. I once again arrived at Bushline Hut near dusk, but walked across Robert Ridge the next day with fine weather and great views. After steep descent to Lake Rotoroa, a local staying at Sabine Hut showed us a nocturnal display of the large number of eels living in the lake. The next day a walk up the D’Urville River led to a long climb over Moss Pass, which was breathtaking at the top. A side trip to Blue Lake — some of the clearest freshwater in the world — and Lake Constance revealed great alpine lakes. A downhill walk along the Sabine River led to another climb over a pass with magnificent views, this time Travers Saddle. From there a long walk through the Travers River Valley led out of the park and back to my car.
My tramp through Nelson Lakes went much better than my prior time in New Zealand. Figuring out comfortable footwear with running shoes and being in better shape made my time in the bush much more enjoyable.
