Days 73 to 77 of a Te Araroa thru-hike take in some of the South Island's most dramatic backcountry — and almost none of it visible through cloud. Starting from St Arnaud, a small village at the gateway to Nelson Lakes National Park, the route climbs to Angelus Hut, drops to West Sabine and Blue Lake, and pushes over Waiau Pass before turning toward the St James Walkway and Hanmer Springs.
The Angelus side trip is the scenic highlight when the weather behaves. The track up from the road end is built to 'Great Walk' standard — solid tread, steps, plenty of climbing — but the writer reached the hut soaked after walking the whole way in cloud. Then, just as the rest of the group arrived, the fog lifted and delivered the alpine lake views. It's a decent lesson in New Zealand tramping: patience is often rewarded, but never guaranteed.
The next day is a big one — roughly 22 kilometres over a boulder-strewn ridge where visibility is so poor the trail markers can barely be seen one at a time. A slip on the muddy descent wrecks a knee and forces a rethink: the plan to push 32 kilometres is scrapped, a booking at Blue Lake Hut is shifted by a day via a call to the Nelson Lakes DOC office, and the bonus is a short 7-kilometre day. That flexibility is the real takeaway here — hut bookings along this stretch are worth making, but they're changeable, and a bad-weather day often means beds are free.
Blue Lake Hut itself becomes a base camp. From there, a spontaneous side quest up Moss Pass delivers steep, exposed scrambling up a loose rock chute — pole-free, hands-on climbing — plus actual views. The next morning brings Waiau Pass, one of the trail's most anticipated crossings and one of the steepest, with feet sliding backwards on loose shale on the way up and wet-rock scrambling on the way down. It's a proper alpine pass, not a walk-up viewpoint, and it's why this section of the Te Araroa has such a reputation.
The final stretch heads down the St James Walkway past Aida Hut to Cannibal Gorge Hut, with river crossings soaking boots by 7am and a helicopter flying a longline load of something unspeakable overhead. A zero day in Hanmer Springs — a hot-pools town — is the promised reward.
Why should a regular traveller care? Because you don't need to hike 3,000 kilometres to taste this. The St Arnaud–Angelus Hut trip is a popular overnight or two-night tramp from a road-accessible trailhead, and the Blue Lake–Waiau Pass country can be linked into shorter circuits. Book DOC huts in advance in summer, pack for four seasons in one day, and know that a '1km' sign in this country means very little.
