Day 25

Route : Lagoon Saddle – Bealy Carpark

Length : 7 km (327 km)

Down, down, down, through between wonderful trees. At the end we had two Spanish girls take us to Athur’s Pass. In the evening there was plenty on the table. I had a plate of four bratwursts and mashed potatoes, plus extra chips. Logan had nachos with meat sauce and a salad

Day 26

Route : Morrison Footbridge – Goat Pass Hut

Length : 14 km (341 km)

Since the weather was predicted to be rainy for the next few days, we decided to stay on the TA, but backwards, SOBO (South Bound), instead of heading west to the coast. The friendly gentlemen from DoC advised us not to walk along the river in bad weather, as the water level rises quickly and there are many places that do not allow escape

We are both really glad we decided to do the section we walked as an alternative to our plan. We followed a river uphill all day, climbing up lots of big rocks. Afterwards we got a very warm welcome at the Goat Hut

Important: The pick jack looks to the right

Day 27

Route : Goat Pass Hut – Arthur’s Pass

Length : 14 km (355 miles)

We walked together with our card playing partners all the way back to Arthur’s Pass. We talked with Jay for a while about traffic problems and their solution. Without really coming to a conclusion. When I asked Jay what he does for a living, I was surprised that he is the second computer scientist in the last two days. Later I realized that he was one and the same person

We were lucky when we arrived that there was a bus to Graymouth the same afternoon. Unfortunately, the bus wasn’t very punctual, which kind of stressed me out because no one could tell you what was happening – something I could work on

If the bus hadn’t worked out, we would have missed our accommodations in a fully converted cargo truck. The owners lived in the truck for three years to save money. The family of four lived in an area barely larger than my kitchen. I found that quite remarkable

Official website of Te Araroa