ScottC: Arthur's Pass Weekend

With my parents visiting us, we spent a weekend in Arthur's Pass , basing ourselves out of the Bealey Hotel. We had a chance to show them around and took them on three short trips. On the way up to Arthur's Pass we stopped off at the Cave Stream and Castle Hill as well.

Castle Hill.

Sunrise from the Bealey Hotel - Saturday.

Sunset from the Bealey Hotel - Saturday.

Sunrise from the Bealey Hotel - Sunday.

The first walk was to the Devil's Punchbowl falls, just a short walk from Arthurs's Pass Village, before heading back for a good dinner and drinks at the Bealey.

The Devil's Punchbowl Falls.

The second and longest walk was up Bealey Spur to Bealey Top Hut. We use this route quite often when tramping in The Park, but making a day trip of the section up to the hut and back allowed us to enjoy all of the details of a walk that we normally miss when on the way to or from other things. The day was rounded off nicely by dinner at the Wobbly Kea.

On the Bealey Spur Track.

Looking towards the Waimakariri and Turkey Flat from Bealey Spur.

Bealey Spur Top Hut - a historic musterer's hut.
A brief history of the hut is reproduced at the end of this post.

My parents enjoying the wind and views on Bealey Spur.

The last walk was up the Otira Valley, as far as the footbridge over the Otira River. We hadn't walked this section of track in the past and found it gave very easy access to the sub alpine scrub zone with good views back down the valley.

View down the Otira River from near the footbridge.

Otira River footbridge.

Bealey Spur 'Top Hut' is an enduring feature of Bealey Spur with a long history. Department of Conservation have placed pannels that provide more information on this hut as reproduced below:

This historic hut was built in 1925 by Walter Taylor and Harry Faulkner, owners of Cora Lynn and Grasmere stations, and used as a base for Cora Lynn's high country muster. In 1930, David Mcleod bought both stations and continued to use the 'Top Hut' for annual mustering.

Up to 6000 sheep grazed this area known as 'The Powers Country' until the area was retired in 1978. It then became part of Arthur's Pass National Park and Cragieburn Forest Park.

In his book 'Kingdom in the Hills' Mcleod describes the huts bunks as …'the most uncomfortable I ever slept in. They are made of thick diamond-mesh wire… There were no mattresses; chaff sacks made a thin, inadequate lining and canvas sleeping bags and blankets spread on top did little to protect our bones and flesh from the unyielding wires' In time McLeod replaced 'these instruments of torture…' with spring stretchers and old flax mattresses for extra comfort. The 'Top Hut' has changed little since McLeod and his weary musterer's slept here.

Generations of musterer's and mountain folk have enjoyed shelter under this roof - its preservation depends on your care.