Hawdon Valley Tramp, 29th March 2019

An aborted attempt to reach Hawdon Hut...

After recovering from my recent illness and surgery I have been doing a few short walks as part of my recuperation. I thought I might try for an overnight trip to a front country hut, 3-4 hours from the road end to see how my fitness is. 

Karen was working so it was Jon heading out on his own. I decided to go up to Hawdon Hut, one of my favorite destinations in Arthur's Pass, stay the night and then return home the next day.

Hawdon Hut from my 2015 visit, it is a nice 16 bunk hut!

Unfortunately my plan was stymied when after walking up river for over two hours I discovered that I was unable to make the mandatory crossing up stream from the East Hawdon confluence. After attempting to cross the river and failing to do so I reluctantly decided I had to head for home. 

If I had thought to take a tent with me I would have camped out on the picturesque banks of the upper Hawdon River Valley but I only had an emergency bivy with me and that wasn't going to cut the mustard as they say.

Interior of Hawdon Hut: dining area from my visit in 2015

Interior of Hawdon Hut: the bunk rooms from my 2015 visit

Even though my hut night was aborted it was still a lovely early autumn day and I enjoyed being out in the sun after weeks of miserable weather.  I had a nice walk up the valley and now I know I'm fit enough to go out for an overnight trip provided it is not too far from the road. 

Its all part of my ongoing plan to get back to peak tramping fitness. 

A four hour jaunt in the Hawdon Valley

I headed off late from home...it was 8 am as I drove down the road so I arrived at Arthurs Pass around 1030. The weather was fine but there had been some rain overnight so I had my worries about river levels. It was a uneventful trip until I  crossed over the Mt White bridge and started to drive to the Hawdon Valley shelter. 

The Silver Surfer parked at Hawdon Shelter

My trip was just four days after "Stormaggedon 2019" so there was significant damage to the gravel roads leading to the campsite; washed out river crossings, massive meter deep holes, large exposed rocks and mud from where the Hawdon River had broken its banks and flowed down the access road.

Map: Mt White Bridge to Hawdon Shelter/Campsite

Lucky for me a dozer had just been down the road to cut a new path so although bumpy I managed to get to the campsite. 

Hawdon Shelter at the mouth of Hawdon Valley....big pile of pest traps next to hut!!!

A quick look at the Hawdon Valley intentions book (at the shelter) showed I was the first person to visit the campsite in over five days. Despite that there was a fire smoldering in the fireplace so I suspect someone had been there more recently. I wish people would show a bit more sense and put fires out...a couple of huts have already burnt down in Arthurs Pass by people acting carelessly.

I used my emergency water supply to fully douse it!

I loaded up, locked the car and set off down to the river to see if I was going to be able to cross the Hawdon River

Start of Hawdon Valley Track next to the shelter....nice camping if it is calm. 

When I got down to the river I could see that the recent rain event had heavily impacted the Valley. There was a lot of flood debris and water damage to the banks of the river, a large digger was also hard at work building a new flood bank as the old one had several large breeches in it. 

The water level must have been damn high as there was flood damage on the access road one kilometer and about three meters higher than the river bed. When I got up valley all the grass was facing downstream and there were flood debris around trees. This was in places up to a kilometer from the nearest channel so the whole valley must have been submerged. 

Hawdon River with the Pyramid and Sudden Valley in the background...

The river level was up but because it was broken down into four channels near the shelter it was relatively easy to find a good crossing point. In the photo below you can see where I crossed...there was a submerged shingle bank most of the way across the main stream. I got across but the volume of water had me worried about the state of the river further up the valley. 

In the background you can see the Pyramid and the entrance to Sudden Valley both of which are on my list of future tramping trips. 

Main course of the Hawdon River near the first river crossing

I found the gate DOC have on the stock fence across the mouth of the Hawdon Valley and started walking up the 4 W/D track to the East Hawdon confluence. The track has been largely washed away by recent storms so it was a bit of a rock bash with multiple crossings of side streams and channels. Harder work than usual it took me nearly 2.5 hours to reach the bush near the East Hawdon. 

The stock fence across the mouth of the Hawdon Valley, start of the 4W/D track

As you can see in the photos below a lot of the overlaying soil and grass has been stripped away from the river bed but even so following the 4 W/D track is better than making your own way over the rough ground.

The crossing of Sudden Valley Stream was difficult, it was deep and fast but I managed to find a good crossing point where it spread out a bit. Take care on this stream as the run out goes straight into a deep part of the main river. 

Crossing point for Sudden Valley Stream...fast and deep!!!

I had the valley totally to myself for the whole day...I didn't see another person all the time I was tramping. This is not unusual during the week (it was Friday) but still a little unnerving you usually see some DOC workers or the odd tramper up here. 

I imagine I would have had the hut totally to myself if I had managed to reach it.

Heading up Hawdon Valley just after the Sudden Valley Stream confluence

The same general area of the Hawdon Valley back in 2014

The Hawdon River has changed its main channel once again..the Hawdon is a typical Canterbury braided river and every couple of years a big storm will carve out a new river bed. It used to flow solidly down the true left of the valley but has now migrated over to the true right.

This means you need to cross a couple of quite wide, deep and swift channels in the mid part of the valley. The process started back in 2015 but has gathered pace since.

The new course of the Hawdon River in 2015...this used to be a dry riverbed before 2014!

No photo of the new river channel of course, I took one it just didn't save to the memory stick on my camera (...more about that later...). Care should be taken when choosing a crossing point here...just don't go striding in....the clarity of the water hides how deep the river really is.

Map: Approximate course of the new main stream Hawdon River is marked in red

Hawdon Valley: about an hour and a half up the valley approaching East Hawdon Stream

The Hawdon Valley 4/WD track..the preferred way to get up valley

The 4/WD track in the mid region of Hawdon Valley...Hawdon Bivouac in the bush directly ahead

As I was passing by I went for a short side trip to the Hawdon Bivouac, this is a small three bunk DOC hut situated in the tongue of forest just before the East Hawdon River. The hut is not for public use but is used by DOC staff when working on research projects, pest trapping and bird recovery programs in the area.

If you want to visit the site there is a very indistinct track leading away from the main track in the forest pictured above. 

DOC Hawdon Bivouac: Photo from the Hut Bagger NZ website: image by Charlie Ledbrook

The photo above is from the Hut Bagger NZ site, I have a new camera and I'm having a few problems getting used to it. I took about 20 odd additional photos on the day and for some reason none of them saved to the memory card.

The next time I am up the Hawdon I will stop and take a series of photos of the bivouac. 

On the banks of the Hawdon River, just before the East Hawdon River

Crossing over a mostly dry East Hawdon River, Hawdon Valley

Once past East Hawdon River I walked for about another kilometer up the valley until I got to the point where you make a mandatory crossing of the Hawdon River. It was not looking good....the valley narrows at this point so the river is always deeper and more difficult to cross there.

 It is about normally 20 metes wide and half way to my knees...so it can be crossed if one is cautious. 

Hawdon River in 2016: this is the flow level in early spring...normally easy to cross!!!

Map: Mid Hawdon Valley....red cross is location Hawdon Bivouac, blue circle my turn around point

I walked up and down the river for about 200 meters checking out possible crossing points...it didn't look good...deep and swift. The river is wider here but all the smaller streams form one bigger river channel. Additionally, there was still a lot of runoff coming down the main river and those feeder streams. 

I finally located a spot that look possible and found myself a branch about two meters long to use as a support. I stowed the camera, unbuckled my waist strap, splashed my face with cold river water and waded in...

Hawdon Valley: just past East Hawdon River and close to my turn around point

I'm missing a photo of the place I tried to cross the Hawdon River...stupid camera operator!

I got about 1/3 of the way across and it was just too deep and swift to go on, water above the knees, a foot high wave off my support branch and my feet were slipping backwards on the gravel....not good! I thought bugger this for a laugh...so I quickly backtracked and got my arse out of the river pdq. 

I stopped on the bank, dropped pack, brewed up and contemplated my options. I had another look up and down stream but there was no better crossing point I could attempt. So after much thought and very, very reluctantly I decided that I had no option but to turn around and go home.

Bugger....it was only another hours walk to the hut but I just didn't want to drown trying to get there. Unfortunately that is how things go but choosing the safer option is never a bad decision. 

Heading back to Hawdon Shelter

Once I had a firm decision to return to the car I packed up my brew kit and hotfooted it back down the valley as quickly as I could. I jumped back on the 4 W/D track and followed it for most of the way back to Sudden Valley Stream. 

Hawdon Valley: mid valley & heading back down to the car at the campsite

Gravel pinnacles in the mid regions of the Hawdon River Valley...they are about 60 meters high

Two hours saw me back at the crossing point of the Hawdon River down by the campsite and beginning of the track. The crossing was a bit more difficult than in the morning as the digger had closed off a couple of the side channels in the river, this made the level in the main channel higher.

I found a spot where the river fanned out into a several wide gravel beds and used this as my way across, it was knee deep but not as fast as the river could spread out. 

Hawdon river, getting ready to cross back to the Hawdon Shelter site

I climbed up to the shelter at the Hawdon Valley campsite and soon found myself back at the car. 

A trip finished long before I expected it would. 

The Hawdon Valley campsite shelter

If you ever want to camp at the Hawdon River campsite, make sure to check out the campsite shelter. It is a nice wee shelter and has an open fireplace and tables and seats for about 10-12 people inside. 

Hawdon Valley campsite shelter, note pile of pest traps to left of shelter

There is no wood shed and the forest nearby has been picked clean of dead-fall but have a look anyway. Every big storm brings down a few branches and trees and there is a lot of wood in the forest fringe around the rest of the campsite. Water is from the nearby Hawdon River but take it upstream of the stock fence across the mouth of the valley. 

 The sand-flies are murderous at the campsite easily the worst I have ever encountered in Canterbury and they could give their southern cousins from Fiordland a run for their money. 

DOC messages and intentions book holder, outside of Hawdon Valley Shelter

Hawdon Valley Campsite Shelter: left hand side

Hawdon Valley Campsite Shelter: right hand side

If you are looking for a short over night trip I recommend Hawdon Hut...the valley is very beautiful and feels wilder than the closeness to the road should allow. Just dont go up there when it has been raining as your not getting over the river when it is in flood. 

Cheers!

Access: Turn off SH 73 at Mt White bridge, take the road to Hawdon Shelter. Note the track was a real mess when I visited with mud, washouts and rough areas. Check DOC Arthur's Pass website for warnings. The Hawdon Valley track starts next to the shelter, fords Hawdon River and continues up valley to Hawdon Hut and Walkers Pass.

Track times: 4 hours to Hawdon Hut, another 1.5 hour to Walkers Pass

Hut Details: Hawdon Shelter: shelter only, open fireplace, toilets: Hawdon Bivouac: DOC use only, 2-3 bunks, water tank, toilet: Hawdon Hut, serviced, 18 bunks, water tanks, fire box, wood shed, toilets

Miscellaneous: Hawdon River is prone to flooding in rain and dangerous if in flood. There are at least 5 mandatory river crossings on this track.Exercise caution.