Jonty 0:00

Today we're heading to the Lakes region to cross High Tust country between AKA and arrowtown. let's talk about the motor tap track.

Peter 0:08

So

Jonty 0:15

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. Motor tap track is a hard but rewarding 49 kilometer tramp between AKA and arrowtown. It offers stunning views for a heavy physical price with almost no flat sections, just relentless hills. It's technically relatively straightforward to walk, but it will test your knees and ankles, particularly on the descents. Track is largely exposed with long sections above the bush line and limited shelter. There are three 20 bunk huts, Thoburn Hut, Highland Creek Hut, and Roses hut. These will be busy in summer as the motor tap is part of t. The highest point on the track is the 1,270 meter roses saddle, and there's around 3000 meters of as cent and descent over three brutal Hills. Track was developed in 2004 as part of the sale of the Motor Tap and Soho Stations leases. Overseas owners, Shania Twain and her husband Mark Lan, producer of Def Leppard and Brian Adams amongst others. I walked it a few years ago, and getting to the start of the track was very easy. It was 12 kilomet from to. There I came across a rather large herd of cows in a rather small area, which wasn't the most welcoming start, they're not my favorite animal to come across while walking, particularly when packed together, blocking the track, moving slowly and carefully. I got through. Thankfully without spooking them, things improved in the stack conservation area. Following the river through pleasant Bush. track then started to head up along the side of the valley far sooner than expected, which isn't the common occurrence when jumping. I arrived at Fern Burn Hut. This relatively new hut made a lovely spot for an early lunch, and I had the place to myself. I came across five people walking the other way before reaching the hut. I didn't see anyone else for the next two days. Intentions book made interesting reading as usual with at least three quarters of the entries from international visitors, mainly Europeans and North Americans. also about half the entries were from people walking the tier trail. I also saw that somebody had brought a 14 month old with them and spent the night at the hut. You're never too young to start tramping. The track to this point had just been a warmup for what was to come, both in terms of effort and scenery from the hut. The track climbed relentlessly and I was feeling after not having walked with an overnight pack four months. The views behind me were increasingly stunning, though, particularly when Lake AKA unexpectedly appeared. Views peaked at the 1,275 meter Jacks Hall saddle with a beautiful panorama from here, it got tougher with a thigh and ankle destroying long descent down the ridge, cross over a stream, back up another ridge and down the other side to reach Highland Creek Hut. Thankfully, I arrived just as it started raining heavily, which continued almost nonstop for the rest of the day and evening. I had the hut to myself for the night, which was both incredibly peaceful and quite scary. It was less the thought of being joined and more the surprise of the piece being disturbed, which made me anxiously look out across the track for figures in the distance would've been grim and quite dangerous if anybody had been out there as there is literally no shelter from the elements on the track. This is definitely one to do in decent weather. It was also quite cold as there was no heating in any of the huts on the track, so bring layers. Arriving at half two in the afternoon. I had a long time listening to the rain drum on the hut roof, and enjoyed the solitude. Something quite special about being alone in the wilderness. Such a rare feeling living in a city. It's also something quite spooky about it. Turning to pitch black within the light of my iPad. Illuminating the empty hu. The night was varied from total darkness and noises outside from possums on the deck to later an illuminated night sky full of stars. Day two was one of the hardest days. I've had tramping finishing the track by covering 21 kilometers in just under nine hours, which was two to five hours faster than the dock times. There's a reason this is usually a three to four day walk. Doing it in two days was somewhat masochistic, more wonderful. Tussock landscape weighted me today, though. Heading up and down ridge lines with long shadows from the rising sun. The weather was pretty much perfect, clear and sunny, but cool and some wind to prevent overheating on the uphills. After about three and a half hours, lake AKA unexpectedly reappeared again behind me, perfectly still, and G glassy in the distance. Walking the other way would've been better for the views. Though the sun would've been in my eyes, The views behind gave me a good excuse to stop and enjoy them while giving my legs A brief rest motor tap station then opened up below, and soon I could see roses hut in the distance, although it took another half an hour of painful descent to finally reach it. The three huts on the track are near identical, so the inside was familiar and made to another great lunch spot. I could have happily stayed there but needed to keep moving, which unfortunately other than for the views involved a near 600 meter ascent to 1,270 meter roses saddle. From there, I thought that was on the home stretch, but it wasn't to be with some of the trickiest walking of the whole track. In the final section running above the Arrow River track was often steep and overgrown with thorns high route, when given that the river was at normal levels, I could have gone along by the river, which would've been much faster and easier. It probably would've resulted in wet boots though, and I wouldn't have had the views I enjoyed as I caught the final raise of sunlight for the day. Nice town was finally in sight when I saw the autumn leaves and I reached the empty camping area in time to set up my tempt before it got dark. This is my first experience of camping alone in the wilderness. I've always done it with others before, and oddly I found it less spooky than staying in the house alone. Fewer random noises. I did have an ideal first time though, with no wind, and it was dry. Mace Town was an evocative place to spend the night. It is an abandoned gold rush era town about 15 kilometers from Arrowtown, once home to 300 people. The school, a church, and two hotels, and now has a population of zero. It was gold in the Arrow River, the first book people here with over 1500 people camping out in 1862. Before the town was established, gold was exhausted within a few years. The quartz mining brought life back in the 1870s. Mace Town has been long abandoned with the only reminders of its heyday being some restore buildings and mining batteries. I passed the buildings on my way through the former town, including Needham's House, which belonged to the old school master. Set in the beautiful spot overlooking the Arrow River was relatively sizable for its time, although nothing compared to today's expectations for a family house. The campsite is really just a small area of grass close to the river with a long drop toilet. It's free though, and if you're lucky enough to have the place yourself as I did, it's pretty much perfect camping. Mace Town is accessible from Arrowtown by four wheel drive vehicle. There are 23 river crossings by walking along the four wheel drive road through the 23 river crossings, or more scenic, if not far more strenuously by the big hill track. This is a 12 and a half kilometer track, which lives up to its name, basically climbing over a 1060 meter hill and back down. The best sections are definitely on the arrow town side from close to Maytown, the track crosses three streams, which are too wide or lacking, suitable rocks to cross without getting your feet wet. It then heads relatively steeply up the hillside to the saddle with views behind before far easier walking back down the hill when this case mostly running to catch a bus from Arrowtown to Queenstown to catch a plane back. Walk The highlights of the motor tap track, the tasic filled landscape is glorious and the track spends almost the whole time out in the open in it with expansive views. Mace Town is an historic and atmospheric place to spend the last night on the track to finish with some practical advice. Take a tent. None of the huts need to be booked, but they can get busy during TRO season over the summer in autumn, and there are no huts at Mace Town. So unless you've got enough time in the day to get out from the end of the track over the big hill track to Arrowtown, you'll need a. Carry plenty of water as there is limited available along the track, and it can be brutal hiking than near shade. Less track in some, there are a number of river crossings between Mace town and Arrowtown, which may be tricky after heavy rain on the motor tap track. There may be risk of avalanche across some sections between May and November. If you're walking from aka, organize your taxi to Glen New Bay the day before. Otherwise, you may need to wait a little while in the morning. There's not a huge number of taxis in aka. Finally, do not underestimate the elevation gain and exposure. Although each day is approximately 15 kilometers, the sustained climbs weather and lack of shelter makes this a physically demanding tramp.

Peter 9:09

So

Speaker 9:12

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.