Nelson Lakes National Park – The Winter’s Tale
A 7 day hiking loop trip through spectacular mountain scenery in Nelson Lakes National Park visiting Cupola Hut, and Angelus Hut via the Cascade Route up Hukere Stream.
This is a delightful child’s fairytale written especially for young adults who have yet to grow up, which of course includes many trampers as its intended readers. The story tells of the farfetched quest of two hikers, Sarah Saurus and Batt Mann, who decide to scale Mts Travers, Cupola and Angelus in mid-winter. Needless to say, they fail, but they do have some great adventures on the way as they pass through a wonderland of forests, rivers, and snowy mountain ranges.
Sarah Saurus whose name changes to Sarah Sawrus, after she cut and split a pile of fire wood at the first hut on their trip, has an overly imaginative and enquiring mind. Unusual tracks in the snow become the prints of dinosaurs, any strange noises are wild animals close behind. Wekas calling are a warning that they and their mates have ganged up and are about to attack. Other unexplained events are simply the work of evil aliens.
But there is a lot to be learned in the story from the questions she asks—how do the remarkable feathers of frost hoar occur? What causes wind crust on the snow surface? Why should you build a campfire so re-radiation is maximized? How does pyrolysis work? What are the three bright red stars visible in the night sky (answer: Mars—actually a planet, Antares—the ‘anti Mars,’ and Betelgeuse—that became ‘Beetle Juice’ to Sarah)?
Early in their trip they meet three trappers who are rebaiting some of the hundreds of rodent traps set over the length of the Travers Valley. Sarah and Batt are interested because they both have traplines of their own in Wellington—one of them on Poll Hill, the other the Whakanui Track and Kaukau. So, later when Sarah notices a long tail poking out the end of a trap, she easily removes the deceased occupant—a naughty rat—and resets the trap.
In a subtle way underlying the narrative is words and their meaning—for Sarah carries a game called Bananagrams—a version of Scrabble eminently suitable for simple-minded trampers—which the story’s characters enjoy playing every night. This provides entertainment and education and some good-natured argument. Sarah even manages to produce the word ‘pediatrics’ (although spelt incorrectly) in two successive games.
Their hiking route takes them up Hukere Stream where there is a steep and very icy top section that needs ice axe and crampons to pass. They climb this without incident and discuss the art of route finding and that there are often occasions where an initially obvious or marked path may not always be the best choice. They pick an alternative that deviates away from a marker pole and climbs a steeper start but once past the ice-covered rocks leads to much easier and safer ground.
After a journey of eight calm, fine and frosty days they arrive back at their starting point in St Arnaud where they meet the evil fairy godmother. She tells them that they can come into the hotel dining room for a meal—but only after they first go away and wash and clean themselves of the smells and grime of their time in the hills.
Recommended
Original Publication: This article was originally written by Dorothy and published on the Wellington Tramping & Mountaineering Club (WTMC) website. You can view the original post at www.wtmc.org.nz
One response to “Angelus Hut – a multi-day hike in Nelson Lakes National Park ❄”
Really enjoyed your pictures and stories. Lovely reminders of winter drives up to Mt Robert and ski trips.