Lake Angelus

Day 1

I decide to return to Nelson Lakes National Park, for what will probably be my last couple of New Zealand tramps. I was here for a few days earlier on in the summer, but at that time I was resting my feet, so was only able to do short walks. The scenery is stunning and there is a maze of tracks and lots of huts to stay in, making the area a tramper's paradise. I thought then that I would try and get back to this area on my return journey to Nelson and just now I seem to be lucky with the weather at the moment. There has been a fall of snow on the tops of the mountains, but not too much and the weather is set fair for the next week. 

I camp at the site right by the lakeside at St Arnaud and spend a day making my plans. There are many tramps to choose from in this area and I feel that some of them are beyond my capabities - for example too many days; or too much very steep climbing. I want one that will be enough of a challenge, but stay within the realms of enjoyment. There is an excellent visitor centre here in the village of St Arnaud, so I do my own research and talk to the Department of Conservation people and make my choice. I will do a 2 day walk, which climbs up Mount Robert and goes along a ridge to a hut located on Lake Angelus.  The return walk will be down a creek, making a good circuit walk. 

I am up at first light, as it will be a good 8 hours of walking today. The day dawns cold and clear and the lake looks beautiful, with mist rising in the early light.

Dawn at Lake Rotoiti

First of all I have to drive Josephine up to the car park at the end of the Mount Robert road, where she will wait for my return. The path starts by zigzagging steeply for about an hour and a half up the exposed face of Mount Robert. The views back down to the lake and the countryside beyond are magnificent.

Lake Rotoiti

After breaking through the bushline the gradient becomes more gentle and leads to a junction. I have been here before. Last time I stood at this junction I felt the ridge track drawing me towards it, but that time I had to turn left towards Bushline Hut and the short return to the carpark. This time there is nothing stopping me heading off along the ridge, where there is a huge expanse of wilderness beyond and on either side.

Ridge Path

 

The track climbs gradually and before long I am among the remains of the recent snow fall. Where the path takes the shady east side of the ridge the walking is a little hazardous and I take my time and am very careful with my footing.

Snow on the Ridge

The track continues to climb, passing various cairns and steep rocky outcrops that I have to negotiate, often using hands and feet. I have to stop for several rests along the way, but it is good to be able to remove my eyes from my feet and have the time to take in the view.
The next section of the track sidles across an exposed scree field of boulders, which require sure footing and once again I am very glad of my poles.

Scree

At the end of this section there is a saddle where the path divides. In one direction is the hut and in the other is tomorrow's descent.

View from the Ridge

 

There is another rather slippery shady section and then I can look down to Lake Angelus (which is actually two lakes), which is in a basin surrounded by ridges and peaks and with the hut looking out over the lakes. It is still another 30 minute descent to the hut, which requires careful negotiation. Today's walk was made more challenging by the conditions than I had envisaged. It has actually taken me over 9 hours to get here, but I am not worried about my speed - better safe than sorry.

Lake Angelus

The hut is almost brand new and sleeps 36 in two rooms, but tonight there is just the hut warden, myself and a kiwi man here. Outside there is a large deck which looks out across the lakes and I take in the last of the daylight and enjoy the reflections of the mountains in the still water. There is total silence here - no wind, no birds, no water moving - just the sound of silence. Inside we struggle to keep the fire going with wood that is rather damp and we sit around the stove to give it the attention it needs and chat in the dark.

Reflections in the Lake

 

Day 2

The early dawn light catches the top of Mount Angelus and makes it shine with a rosy glow. 
 

Dawn on Mount Angelus

 

 

Overnight the edges of the lake have frozen, but they will probably melt again during the day. Later in the winter they will be frozen solid for several months. I wait until 10 o'clock to leave, to give the sun time to get high enough to start to melt the snow, which has also frozen harder again overnight. I climb back up the ridge the wqay I came down yesterday, to the path junction at the saddle. Here tussocks of tightly-packed alpine plants show through the snow.

Alpine Plants

From here my route drops steeply down to the left following Speargrass Creek, with Mount Robert ridge, which I was struggling along yesterday towering above me.

Speargrass Creek

 

Mount Robert Ridge

 

The track crosses and re-crosses the stream, which to begin with is no problem as the stream is very small.  But with the descent the volume of the stream increases and it begins to become difficult to cross with dry feet. After a couple of crossings that see me pacing up and down the bank looking for the perfect set of stepping-stone boulders, I decide the time has come for me to be initiated into the real world of New Zealand tramping and just wade across in my boots. Having done it, it doesn't seem so bad, in fact it is very liberating and far less fuss than the messing around I was doing before and I make the next crossings with a smile on my face at how easy it is!
I stop at Speargrass Hut, where I take off my squelching boots off, drain them out, wring out my socks and leave them to dry for the time it takes me to have my lunch. The rest of the walk is relatively easy, through beech forest along the banks of the creek and as the light begins to fade in the forest  I am back at the carpark where Josephine is waiting for me.