Up and up the bloody track went, give us a break, give me some flat ground! There's lots of talk about the Famous Waterfall Pitch on Rabbit Pass but not much mention of the monstrous uphill slog through the Beech forest, followed by an equally brutal 600m vertical descent on our final day, this to me, after a few days in the bush carrying a fully ladened pack is the final test piece of arguable one of the best walks in Aspiring National Park.
Rabbit Pass they call it, just to why it's called Rabbit Pass was a question on all our minds as the plane flew into Jumboland Flat. Surely any rabbit in their right mind would take the rather cruiser route along the shores of Lake Wanaka than head deep into the steep scree and tussock covered slopes of the Wilkin and Matukituki Valleys. Hopefully we would discover the answers to our thoughts as we follow their ancestral paw prints deep into this untouched wilderness.
Day 1: We had only 3 days to tackle the traverse from Wilkin River to East Matukituki Branch, so we decided to fly into the Wilkin valley rather than the extra 2 day hike from Makarora township. The first day was a short walk, approx. 2/3 hours to Top Faulks hut. Although pretty steady, we did have to cross a rather wide and powerful river and for some this was the beginning of the end as our feet would remain forever wet throughout the journey.
Day 2: The highlight of the trip, not only did we have the scale the notorious Waterfall Pitch but we would be surrounded by snow capped 2,000m peaks and sheer 500m faces, making us feel but mere rabbits in this vast towering landscape. Wait, maybe this is the answers to our quest, are we Rabbits of the Pass? We must push on to find the answer.
After leaving Top Faulks hut the path meanders onto the upper valley of the Wilkin South Branch, eventually the orange markers disappear to where we must follow our rabbit noses along the river bed into the heart of Waterfall Flat and to the base of the 90m face, Waterfall Pitch.
There was a lot of anticipation as we approached this notorious section of the walk, described by many as the crux of the hike. We took a deep breath and up we went, yes it was steep and exposed but there are well trodden foot holds and marker posts defining the track. We had glorious weather, no wind or rain only the intense UV to deal with, but in less than ideal conditions this section of the walk would be and has been fatal so this must not be taken lightly, as a slip on the tussocks is going to be near impossible to stop.
We reached the 90m top and from here the scree slopes stretched through the valley to the Rabbit Pass Saddle itself, from where we had our first glimpse of the Matuktuki East Branch and the way forward. The views from the saddle are spectacular, I'm so glad I hauled my full frame DSLR along with me.
The descent off the saddle is something that took us all by surprise and we all agreed that it was the most treacherous part of the hike, more so than the Waterfall Pitch. Loose scree, big boulders and rocky outcrops took a lot of care and time to negotiate. We found our 20m webbing rope really useful for lowering our bags and then down climbing without the extra weight. This section of the walk is not to be underestimated.
Once past the obstacle the long steep descent to the valley floor begins, as do the knees in thanking you for that extra bit of weighty luxury stashed away in your bag. The stream at the bottom of the valley was a blissful sight for all as we raced to fill our bottles before proceeding to find a campsite and end our 10hr day.
Day 3: A lot of parties may spilt this leg into 2 days but as soon as the words "Let's get a Red Star Burger from Wanaka" was mentioned we had no option but to push through the 11.5hr to the finish line. This day was hard, long and had one of the more gruelling sections of the walk to come, the Bledisloe Gorge traverse around.
Before that though, we left our camp to follow the calm flowing river, there are a lots of river crossing here and it's inevitable that your feet are going to get wet if you are to make good progress. The walking was easy and relaxing, we soon reached Ruth Flat and the rewarding views of Fastness Peak and Tantalus Rock, what an awesome camp spot this would make. From Ruth Flat the Beech Forest took over and so did the never ending ascent through the forest and back onto the alpine tussocks, only to be greeted by an even steeper descent back to the valley floor. Mentally this was tough, even Nils, a vegetarian for 2 years was inches away from taking a bite of a spicy bierstick sausage pulled from my pocket for a moment of tasteful pleasure. That was one good sausage!
Eventually we reached Junction Flat, by this point the party had split up so Myself, Nils, Andy and Rory noodled up and hit the home stretch. By this stage I didn't give a toot about the rabbits anymore, infact I never even saw one....I just wanted to eat a goddam burger and time was wearing thin. We raced on through the cow pats and endless paddocks to eventually reach the Matukituki River, one last river crossing we told our wrinkled feet, one last crossing and then we would be at our strategically placed truck.
Our feet dragged past the finish line, hi-five we've done it, we have completed Rabbit Pass and still had time for a Red Star Burger. Boy, that burger tasted good, so good infact we had momentarily forgotten about Doug and Hannah who, unfortunately had to spend the night on the edge of the Matukituki River, only a stone throw away from the car as it was too dark to cross. All they had was a handful of lentils and a peanut. We all took a moment, bowed our heads.... and then continued engulfing our rewards.
Well done team
Crew: Lee, Nils, Andy, Rory, Doug, Hannah 3 days 5th-7th February 2016
