Traversing the Ashburton Glacier in Hakatere Conservation Park stands out as one of my more memorable and exhilarating tramps in New Zealand. Interestingly, this trip started as a backup plan. We were waiting for the Clyde River levels to drop so we could attempt to tramp into the legendary Garden of Eden ice plateau. Instead, the Arrowsmith Range delivered an unforgettable alpine adventure.
Hakatere Conservation Park is a fantastic area to explore. It’s packed full of easier and more challenging tramps. For example: Mt Somers & Mt Potts.
We didn’t end up making it to the Garden of Eden ice plateau that year as the Frances River was still too high for us to safely cross. Instead we found an alternative glacier in Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park exploring the Annette Plateau and Metelille Glacier.
Day 1: Snow Flurries, Spiky Flora, & Iconic Purple Door of Cameron Hut
6hr | 729m elevation | 15.8km
Starting from Hakatere Heron Road, we headed up the Cameron Hut Route, following the Cameron River valley on the true right. The trail alternated between riverside sections and terraced flats, with plenty of prickly matagouri bushes to keep us company.
Top Tip: Before you set off, make sure to sign the intentions book at the start of the Cameron Hut route. It crosses private land, and the owners like to monitor access.
About halfway up, we spotted the historic Highland Home (a private musterers’ hut) on the true left. The Cameron River was running high after recent rain so it wasn’t safe to cross on our way in, though we managed to visit it on the return leg.
Snow Flurries & Iconic Purple Door of Cameron Hut
After about 10km, there was a cairn to indicate that the track climbed 160m onto a high river terrace. While bypassing a gorged section of the river it simply traded water hazards for the classic Canterbury joy of battling through a dense village of healthy spaniards and matagouri bushes.
Just past Spean Stream, summer threw us a curveball: it suddenly started snowing. Watching snow flurries float down in the middle of summer just after Christmas felt incredibly magical. The final kilometer to the hut was slow as the track meandered over large boulders and we were all feeling the weight of packs heavy with alpine gear.
Cameron Hut is a Canterbury Mountaineering Club Hut. It is best known for its iconic bright purple door and its prime location nestled deep within the dramatic glacial basin amongst piles of moraine from the Cameron Glacier. The hut feels like a tiny little doll’s house under the towering and jagged peaks of the Arrowsmith Range. It’s an amazing place especially given it’s only 6 hours walk in.
The Cameron Glacier, Hide-and-Seek & the Circus of Kea
After dropping our gear, we headed further up the valley to get a better vantage point of the Cameron Glacier, guided by a few helpful rock cairns. Even though the Cameron Glacier has clearly receded a long way, it’s still amazing to see.
Once back at the hut a challenging game of hide-and-seek ensued. Emily managed to find the ultimate hiding place in the hutch in the centre of the hut with the help of Ilona and Tony. Matthew and I spent a long time turning the hut upside down looking for her with absolutely no success. Suddenly she leapt out of the hutch giving us a massive surprise. To add to the entertainment, a circus of very vocal kea circled around outside the hut.
Day 2: Traversing the Ashburton Glacier Traverse and Pulverised Crackers
10 – 11 hr | 1,095m elevation | 13.5km
The next morning began with a long, sustained climb through tussock and scree. Once we gained the ridge heading north towards point 2,238 there were a few narrow, technical sections that had a decent amount of exposure and required total concentration.
As we started to stop for a well-deserved lunch stop after point 2,238, a rogue boulder came tumbling and landed square on the lunch I had just pulled out from my pack. My crackers were now thoroughly living up to their name—they were completely pulverised!
The Ashburton Glacier
We finally got to the exciting and ultimate goal of the trip: the Ashburton Glacier. The initial descent was a straightforward snow slope that we could safely slide down with a good, long run-out.
Once the terrain levelled out, we stopped to gear up, putting on our crampons and harnesses and roping up for the glacier traverse. There were obvious crevasses here because of the convex rolled out nature of the terrain.
Walking across the ice was nothing short of incredible, especially since we got lucky enough to have such perfect weather for it. Mt Arrowsmith towered grandly above us, and the deep blue hue glowing from the depths of the crevasses was breathtaking. We took our time exploring, carefully navigating the ice. We had to jump across a few bigger crevasses that were too wide to simply step across while remembering to be cautious about the lip of the crevasse. Our team had done multiple glacier practice sessions so our communication and teamwork were flawless in ensuring the length of the rope in front and behind us was adequate and everyone felt supported.
Top Tip: It is possible to avoid the glacier traverse by keeping to its margins with care
The Endless Moraine Wall.
After the high-energy excitement of the glacier, we were quickly brought back down to reality with the long descent over the moraine wall. It was a long slog over the moraine. Emily and Matthew, who are boulder hopping experts, quickly left us in their dust. Ilona, Tony and I wished we had their speed and skill as we slogged over the endless moraine.
We were all incredibly glad to finally drop into the South Branch of the Ashburton River, even if we were immediately greeted by our old friends: spaniards and matagouri.
By this point, exhaustion was setting in. It had been a massive alpine day, and dusk was settling by the time we finally stumbled into Top Hut where a group of hunters had been tracking our progress down the river. Dinner turned into much laughter as Matthew’s dehydrated meal had feta in it and the rehydrated feta squeaked loudly as it was eaten.
Day 3: Wild Mans Brother Range
4 – 5hr | 316m elevation | 14.6km
After packing up our tents the next morning we were all keen to get moving to get into the sun to warm up. We quickly found a 4wd track next to the river. The river was easy to ford and we continued following this road to the private Wild Mans Hut and the fenceline that marked the boundaries of conservation land. The fenceline provided the perfect place for us to climb up onto the Wild Mans Brother Range, before dropping into a stream to follow back down into the Cameron Valley.
Looking back, what started as a backup plan turned into one of the most rewarding trans-alpine loops I’ve ever completed. The Arrowsmith Range doesn’t give away its views easily—you have to pay your dues in matagouri scratches, crushed crackers, and hours on loose moraine—but the reward of walking beneath Mt Arrowsmith and navigating the crevasses of the Ashburton Glacier made every step worth it.
