We woke up to another gloomy looking sky but at an amazing place with awesome views
I had no idea if there was a track going even further north so I thought I’d send up the drone to investigate
It definitely looked fantastic towards where we’d like to go but it was difficult to see a track
A little drone video
Today I’m armed with just a PLB and a camera
So we just went for it and luckily there actually was some kind of marked path, and stunning views along the Canyon Creek
Canyon Creek, as cold as it’s clear
All these little streams come from the Huxley Range and Thurneysen Glacier
The path we’re following doesn’t get walked a lot and is difficult to follow but the views are rewarding
And if you’re thirsty you can simply drink the water, no filtering needed
And it tastes sooo good!
Looking back at the Ahuriri Valley
Yay! The weather is getting better, finally some blue sky over the Huxley Range
And now that I’ve climbed higher I get a a good view of the Thurneysen Glacier
I would have liked to follow the track higher up the mountain but it’s not even listed on NZ Topo Map so I have no idea where it ends so I decide to descend again where Rachel was waiting as she didn’t want to climb as high as I did
Almost back at the Canyon Creek
The view looking back
Back at where we camped and left the backpacks
The Huxley Range
We’re now on our way back towards where we parked the car, still a long way to go
Just rock, water and trees here
Oh, and some grass
Déja vu
One last view back
Our exit out of the valley is just to the right of that dip, where the diagonal part begins
I’m mostly smiling because it’s just downhill from here
This is that exit, looking back down to where the previous photo was taken, the grassy patch
We enjoy another little rest
The view towards Little Canyon Creek
Back at the valley floor
Barrier Range again
Not far to the car now where there’s some well deserved chocolate to eat and diet coke to drink!
Rachel not far behind me, it was an amazing overnight trip!
Back at the car it’s time for some toasties, so hungry!
We camp next to the Ahuriri Valley with a great view of the southern end of the Barrier Range
And the Huxley Range in the distance
It was a steep scramble at the end of the track up to the waterfall, but very well worth it for the view and to drink from the pool.