5 - 6 Hour Return | 9.2km one way | Kahurangi National Park
I had put off doing the Mount Arthur Track a few times over the years because it just seemed to be a little bit too much effort for the mood I was in at the times I was going to be in the area. What an error!! It has actually become one of my favourite tracks and one that I wouldn't hesitate to do again, even on a day where I don't have all that much energy at the start of the day. Whether it is a day trip, or you plan to spend a night on the mountain, this is certainly a 'must do' if you are in the Nelson Marlborough region.
The Track starts in the Flora Car Park and is a nice gentle introduction to the day, following a four wheel drive track up into the bush. After about 20 minutes the path branches off to the left away from the road and winds gently up through ever thickening native bush. Every now and again you get a glimpse out through a gap in the trees and thanks to the drive up to the car park you have already gained significant elevation, so if you are lucky you can be looking down on the cloud that cloaks the valleys below.
Just 45 minutes after leaving the car park I found myself at the Mount Arthur Hut, a 14 bunk DOC Hut situated just below the top of the bushline. It is a cosy little hut with a fire and just a couple of minutes walk up the hill you get beautiful views out across the valley, so I think it is well worth staying here if you have the time and taking in the sunset/sunrise. This is a bookable Hut, so you can check the availability on the DOC website ahead of travelling.
Once up above the bushline I found myself smiling from ear to ear as step by step the view became more expansive and beautiful! Every couple of meters it felt like the view changed, with ridgelines rolling out in front of me, clouds still rising from the early morning and beautifully coloured vegetation appearing between the clouds as they rolled over the hills.
From here, the walk was pretty straightforward for around 45 minutes to an hour. The well worn track followed the ridgeline and rolled gently up and down, but without any real effort required. I could see a mass of cloud heading my way and so needed to get a bit of a move on through this section to make sure I could get a view from the top, so I upped the pace and headed on through to the final up hill section of the track.
The terrain starts to change a little from here, with more rock and less vegetation. The below picture shows the start of this with a little cairn marking the direction as you pick your way up across the rock. In poor visibility this section of the track would be hard to follow as the markers become further apart and there is a less well defined track to follow for sections at a time. On a clear day though it is stunning and you fly along with sweeping views either side of you.
The track skirts along the side of the ridge and drops slightly to the right hand side of the ridgeline, with a deep valley dropping down to the right and the rolling hills left behind you as you head towards the summit. The cloud had moved in a little by this point, so though there was still good visibility on the track, I wasn't quite sure what lay ahead until I turned each corner. This corner was my favourite to turn. The track started to drop down and as I looked up, a big rocky ridge looking a little like a wizards hat appeared in front of me - the track clear to see as you look from the other side.
It is an impressive landscape, with enormous gaps between rocks and at this time of the year the odd speck of snow still to be found in areas where the sun struggles to find it. From this point it was only another 40 minutes to the Summit, so it is the final stretch and probably the section I most wanted to stop and take it all in....but I was racing the cloud so I couldn't and instead pushed on up.
Three (very enjoyable) hours after setting off from the car park I had made it to the summit and had beaten the cloud by the skin of my teeth. I got a short glimpse of the panoramic view, before sections were blocked off through cloud cover. None-the-less it was still spectacular up there.
The final section before reaching the plateau at the summit involved a little bit of rock scrambling, but nothing too technical. I had a bit of snow to deal with which made it a little trickier, but I imagine in the summer this would be relatively straightforward.
The way back down offered me more of an opportunity to enjoy the spectacular rock formations that can be found here as I was no longer in a rush. It reminded me a bit of Castle Hill in Canterbury and had I had the equipment to do so I would likely have camped up here for the night to truly explore.
Parking: Flora Car Park which is reached on a gravel road. I was fine with a two wheel drive but conditions were good. DOC advises that a 4 wheel drive is recommended.
Overnight Options: Mount Arthur Hut is a 14 Bunk bookable serviced Hut, or there are options to camp on the Mountain (no facilities, so abide by the pack in, pack out principles)
