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| Past the Bealey on SH 73 heading for the Lagoon Saddle |
Although it is not quite half way along the South Island section of the Te Araroa trail, reaching Arthur's Pass village was for me a great milestone, as it feels like I have completed a major part of the South Island journey. Also, after about 8 days tramping through the forests and rivers of the main divide, I was glad of a good shower and a comfortable sleep at the YHA. The weather was also on the improvement, and there is nothing like a bit of sun on your back to brighten up the adventure. This section of the trail moves away from the forest covered mountains of the west and into the drier tussock high country of the east. A lovely change of scenery and a great measurement of progress.
On reaching Lake Coleridge village, I had also now reach the Rakaia River and the first of two major safety hazards along this part of the trail. The Rakaia River is a mighty braided river system, very dangerous most of the time and far too dangerous for solo trampers to attempt to cross by myself. So to overcome this hazard, Lynda very kindly offered to bring the 4 wheel drive Nissan up to Lake Coleridge and deliver me around the other side (via the Rakaia gorge bridge), so that I could start the Hakatere track section and continue to move south.
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