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Today we're heading to North Canterbury and a classic multi-day tramp. Let's talk about The St. James Walkway

Peter 0:06

So

Jonty 0:13

Kira and welcome to the Tramping Life, a podcast about hiking in RO New Zealand, or as we call it here, tramping. I'm ch and in this episode I'll talk about a specific track or hut. I'll give an overview and share my experience along with the highlights and some practical advice.

Speaker 0:31

The St. James Walkway is a 66 kilometer tramp through Lewis Past Scenic Reserve, St. James Station Pastoral Lease, and Lake Summer Forest Park. It's typically walked over four to five days, and when it was developed in 1981, it was one of the first walkways established in the high country walkway forms a near loop from the Lewis Pass Road State Highway seven in Lewis Pass and finishes at Boyle Village, which were about 20 minutes drive apart. It is suitable for people with moderate fitness and some tramping experience. The route traverses, expansive, high country valleys, beach, forest, river flats, and two relatively low passes., Parts of the walkway Follow Old Farm and Mustering Roots from the historic St. James station, which was purchased by the Crown in 2008, incorporated into the conservation area. One of the key appeals of the St. James Walkway is its sense of scale on openness. The wide valleys of relatively gentle gradients allow for long, steady days with often expansive views. I walked it at the end of March, 2025, which was an ideal time of year with pleasant hiking temperatures and very few people around the last two huts on the walkway are on the tiara. Most walkers come through this area in the summer. Lewis Pass is a beautiful part of New Zealand. From here, the track Heads North through classic New Zealand Beach Forest. I'd spend the day following the right branch of the Maria River Cannibal Gorge was named after. Remains were found of people eaten alive after a battle and is now crossed by a number of suspension bridges. Bush occasionally opened up to views of the mountains with the Fryberg range to the West and Spencer Mountains to the east. There was a fair amount of bird life, including South Iron, Robbins, fantails, and a pair of rifleman. There were a number of streams to cross, easy now, but more challenging after heavy rain. and the track ran alongside the main river at Points cannibal. Gorge Hut was a welcome site and the first hut I visited, which had triple level bunk beds. The most scenic part of the day followed as the track wove between bush flats and by the river with impressive views of the surrounding mountains. I finished the day at Ada Pass Hut attractive spot with great views of the Spencer Mountains, which marked the board with Nelson Lakes National Park. The next day I walked over the imperceptible 1008 meter pass coming down. There were a number of Canada geese around the fewer than I'd expected based on what others had told me about the walkway. there was a fair amount of bird life along the track. At one point there were four Fantas flicking around me, and when I stopped for some food, I was joined by two inquisitive South Iron Robbins. The wonderful views along the valley by the Ada River. Christopher Colors Hut is an attractive four bunk hut,, they mostly replaced the news by the new Christopher Hut. One kilomet away. Place to spend the night with stunning views from the deck. And for a second night, I had the place to myself. An added bonus was seeing a herd with the famous st. James horses grazing nearby following day, where the ADA and Y Rivers merge. The track got narrow and quite overgrown in places, but offered lovely valley views and things got easier when it joined a four-wheel drive track for a stretch, it was a decent bridge to cross over the Henry River, and it was a relief to finally see Ham Hut in the distance. The comments scratched under the hut name about it being the most exposed hut in New Zealand seemed understandable though for my money. That would be Simon Hut on Mount Taranaki. An hut was the best of the hike so far. Had double glazing, two bunk rooms, lines of drying clothes, and two toilets. It can also be extremely busy judging by the Hut Intentions book as it Lies on the Terrier. Here I met the first hikers in three days, both Tierra Walkers. One was a local from Richmond and Nelson doing the TA in sections. He stayed the night in the other bunk room. The other was an American walking the ta, south island from south to north. He left about 2:00 PM to walk another 22 kilometers to weigh ta. Walkers are a different breed of hiker. The penultimate day was the longest, taking six hours to walk about 17 kilometers through a mixture of open valley and attractive bush while steady rain. Encouraged a good paste to finish the following day at Boyle Village. Leaving am hut. At dawn, there was an incredible sunrise filling the sky with color. Despite the dry of early autumn, there was still mud around. This section was the worst of the hike in winter or spring, I can see this being a very muddy and boggy track to walk. That will be wonderfully scenic with snow on surrounding hills. Track headed into bush and uphill over the 1,136 meter and saddle, an enjoyably flowing section. Follow downhill through wonderful bush with large patches of moss before returning to open valley. It was relief to reach the old but attractive ropey hut, which was a perfect spot for lunch, after which there was only about an hour left to walk to reach, boil flat hut, a nice place to spend the final night, particularly sitting on the window seats. it'd be less enjoyable. Visited in January or early February, though when large numbers of TA walkers come through with over 30 people staying in the 14 bunk hut on multiple occasions, This may be different in the future. With the hot now on the hot booking system. There was no water at Boy flat hu. The tank had been dry for several weeks due to a lack of rain, less than 50 meters away. Was a lovely creek. This was the ideal spot to fill up in water and have a quick wash, a refreshing if freezing experience. The next day saw the start of an atmospheric river system, which brought torrential rain to the upper south island for the next three days. Thankfully, the rain was steady. It hadn't been going long enough to cause any issues. getting out from the trap. I'd spoken to people who'd hike the scent James Walkway six months before, and they'd spent an extra unplanned day without any spare food on the track due to heavy rain and impossible creek crossings. Final day out from Boyle. Flat Heart was the easiest of the hike with the track. Mostly downhill graded in places to great walk quality, though less so in others. Most of it was spent in the bush, which provided welcome shelter for the rain. But there were a few open sections offering misty views. It was great to reach Boyle Village, which isn't really a village and the Boyle Outdoor Education Center who transferred my car from Lewis Pass, they do cheese laden pizzas, which tasted amazing after five days of dehydrating meals. Some of the highlights include that the St. James Walkways is one full sense of scale with large sections following river flats and the surrounding mountains are a frequent site. There's also a sense of history. The track passes through what was once St. James Station, a large high country pastorial lease. Remnants of farming infrastructure remain visible in places, And the open value landscapes reflect that pastoral history. Finally, the huts are varied and memorable and well spaced out to finish with some practical advice book the Huts. All the main huts now need to be booked all year round and hut and boil. Flat hut being on the TA are particularly popular. There are a couple of basic hus that don't need to be booked. Christopher Colors hut and rugby hut, Due to the relatively low passes. The St. James Walkway is a good option for a winter tramp, but do be prepared for mud and potentially snow and parts of the track can become impossible after heavy rain. So do check the forecast before setting off. Finally, the carpark on Lewis Pass Road is a common starting point, but the carpark is notorious for vandalism. Unfortunately, it's best to use the car location service from Boyle Outdoor Education Center. they'll relocate your car to their place.

Peter 7:43

So

Speaker 7:46

Thank you so much for listening to the Tramping life. If you've enjoyed today's episode, please follow the podcast in whatever app you use. Tell a friend about it and consider leaving a rating or a review. It really helps more people discover the show. you have any questions or feedback, I'd love to hear from you. Drop me an email at the tramping life, one word@gmail.com.