On June 2023 my alarm started bleeping at 4:15am. An hour later I would begin the journey from Christchurch to Arthurs Pass to experience the challenges and wonders that Goat Pass has to offer. As I lay there toasty and warm in bed, questioning my life choices, I briefly contemplated cancelling and staying tucked up in bed with my husband, who is much more sensible than me and was still asleep. But the mountains were calling and since it’s a song that I can’t seem to ignore I dragged myself out of bed to go and make coffee.
Goat Pass is well known throughout New Zealand as it forms the running section for the iconic multisport race Coast to Coast, which takes place in February each year. I had always pictured myself attempting this route during the warm summer months and had imagined enjoying the refreshing, ice cold water on my hot skin and feet as I waded through the multiple river crossings that this route demands. But when this trip got placed on the Christchurch Tramping Club calendar for the winter month of June I could not bring myself to pass it up.
We began hiking from Morrison’s Footbridge just past Otira, at the North end of the track. There were 27 kilometres, countless river crossings and 1000m elevation gain in between us and our finish point and the air was freezing, I was slightly nervous about how cold I was about to get. We crossed the footbridge across Otira River and I acknowledged and thanked it for allowing us to walk across with dry feet. It would, after all, be the last bridge we would see for the day.
We made our way up the first few kilometres of Deception Valley amongst the wide, braided river bed, the rocks crunching under our feet. As we progressed up the valley it narrows and the flow of the river increases as it tumbles its way through the maze of boulders and channels. The water seemed impossibly clear and blue, almost inviting if only the air temperature had been about twenty degrees Celsius warmer.
The uneven ground meant we had to pick our foot placements carefully, which seemed like no problem for the members of the Christchurch Tramping Club. I watched as they hopped, skipped and jumped around like a small herd of goats whilst I, on the other hand, am not so graceful and teetered and tottered behind them trying to retain my balance and dignity.
The first river crossing soon came, and we braced ourselves for the first foot dunking of the day. I was pleasantly surprised and very relieved that the water was not quite as cold as I had feared and my good ole faithful trail running sneakers came in handy once across as they easily let the main bulk of the water drain away. Luckily my feet didn’t complain too much at the rude plunge they just received, which is a good job since it was to be over 8 hours before they would experience anything warm and dry again.
Further up the valley, we were delighted to spot two Whio on the river feeding in the fast flowing crystal clear water. Also known as the Blue Duck they are found only in New Zealand’s back country and require fast flowing, clean, river water to survive. Extremely vulnerable to our non-native predators their numbers have drastically declined and they are now listed as a vulnerable species with a population of under 3,000. They seemed completely unafraid of us passing through their territory and we watched them go about their daily business from a distance as they expertly searched in the cascading water for invertebrates to snack on. Their grey feathered bodies blended perfectly with the rocks around them each time their easy to spot beaks disappeared back under water. They were cute to watch and I am privileged to have seen a pair of them in the wild.
The valley continued to narrow and track markers criss-crossed us across the river and up through the bush that covered the steep valley sides. My arms and legs got a workout as they hauled me up and over the stacked boulders, each offering a quick puzzle to solve as I worked out the best path for someone with shorter than average legs.
Eventually we came to Deception Hut and stopped briefly for some lunch before the next 2 km push to Goat Pass Hut. As we left the rain jackets were pulled from our packs to protect us from the elements that were becoming noticeably worse the higher we got. This was the slowest section of the trail and the gradient became suddenly steeper and rockier, the air colder and wetter.
The last 500m or so pushed us up a rocky gully that currently had a steady stream of water flowing down it. We had to navigate the rocks, boulders, and pools of water carefully, each rock a natural stair taking us slightly higher. The bush either side of the gully too dense to take on. My rock hopping skills had definitely improved by this point, but my new found confidence took a hit when I hopped onto a rock that was covered in a thick layer of water polished ice. That was never going to end well but luckily my elbow took the brunt of the fall in a much braver fashion than my ego did.
By the time we got to Goat Pass hut at just over 1000m the air temperature was less than hospitable so we regrouped and moved on in an efficient fashion. Immediately past the hut we were on much more civilised terrain, the Department of Conservation (DOC) having spent time and money cutting tracks and installing boardwalks and steps for parts of the track. Large sheets of ice covered the trail signaled just how cold it was at this elevation and provided us with yet more obstacles to dodge.
Soon after the hut we walked past a cheeky, juvenile Kea, who was watching us with keen interest as we passed. The Kea is native to New Zealand and the world’s only alpine parrot. They are highly intelligent and notorious for causing trouble for back country explorers in the form of stealing or damaging items that they deem interesting. Despite their naughtiness they are a much loved bird and another of our protected species. They are magnificent to watch in the air, hilarious on the ground, and never fail to make me smile.
As we descended, the track guided us down Mingha Valley, into lush, moist West Coast forest where trees grow tightly packed together, ferns happily live under the cover of the canopy and moss grows on anything that stands still long enough. It’s magical bush that belongs in any good fairy tale.
A few short but steep ascents and around 6 km later we popped out onto the river bed of the Mingha River for the remaining few kilometres. Two more uneventful river crossings and the end of the valley was in sight just as the sun began to set and turned the sky a light shade of pink. We hadn’t even needed to retrieve the head torches from our packs.
Eight and a half hours may have gone by since we first entered the wonder of Goat Pass but it had passed by in a flash, and as I changed into dry clothes I breathed a contented sigh of relief. Between the physical exertion and the mental concentration required to undertake this trail I was tired in both body and mind, and never had dry shoes and socks felt so damn good!
Useful links:
Information from the Department of Conservation (DOC) on this route:
https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/canterbury/places/arthurs-pass-national-park/things-to-do/tracks/mingha-deception-route/
