Chasam Track Attack

First on the cards was coffee from Drovers

Attending to the grumbling belly at Arthurs Pass Store

Lake Pearson

Lake Pearson

The Taramakau River Bridge

The Taramakau River

The magic and crystal clear Crooked River

Lady Lake

Lake Haupiri

Haupiri River

Lake Haupiri Outlet

Ahaura River at the end of Haupiri Road

Next up were some back roads through the Nelson Creek area. I was half expecting not to be able to get through with the recent storm bringing down numerous trees however someone (presumably a 4X4 club) had been through with a chainsaw and cleared the way. Nice job!

Some of the tracks are getting more and more eroded

After a good sniff around some back roads, the day was running short and it was time to find a place to camp

The next morning it was off to check out the crossing for the Chasm track. This photo makes the crossing look like a walk in the park but looks are deceiving. Even though the water is running extremely low the river is still very boldery with deep pockets well over 3 feet; ample to drown a bike. That was to be expected for this river, what was the surprise however was the water temperature. Just a few months back at the tail end of the fishing season I had a session on this river spending a good portion of the day wet wading around waist height. Like most New Zealand rivers in late summer the temperature was fresh, but tolerable. I expected the temperature to drop with the snow melt however not as severe. Even spending just a few minutes in the icy cold water feels like someone is stabbing you in the legs with a dagger. In all honesty it would be bitterly unenjoyable ferrying six bikes across the river waist deep in this icy cold water, this is ideally a summer trip when the water temperatures have raised. The concluding good news from this reconnaissance trip is that the riverbank lends itself well to safely pendulum the bikes across on inflatable pontoons. So at this point it is all systems go for the Chasm trip, we'll just have to scratch in the dates for mid/late summer

The rest of the morning was spent walking this river and nearby tributaries investigating fishing spots for the upcoming season.

After packing up camp it was off on the bike again

Some nosy onlookers

For a late lunch is was fish and chips down at the "Eatin Place"

A brown out feeding in the foam lines. He's sitting in front of a rock centre/right in the frame

To wind up the trip was a feed from the Hurunui Pub