Tuesday the 29th of May: My Perfect Morning Beside the Clinton River

I step out of the trees and onto the riverbank led by the grand snowy mountain-tops that appear and disappear behind a curtain of morning cloud. A pool sheltered behind a large deep grey boulder from the flow of the river shimmers with the light of the reflected white peaks. The water is so clear that there isn’t much difference between the appearance of the river stones below the water or beside the pool except that those below the surface appear slightly magnified and more vibrant.  A dark tree reaches out and over the riverbank adding a frame to the scene.

I move closer to the flowing river and step up onto a large rock to get a higher perspective. At this movement a rushing sound catches me off-guard and I look down to discover two whio splashing wings in the water to move away from what had frightened them. I sit down on the rock and they quiet and begin swimming naturally in the water beside me. The instantly-recognizable song of a bellbird filters out clearly from the forest edge behind me as I watch the whio closely. This sound coupled with the gentle rush of the river in otherwise unbroken silence adds intrigue to an already fairy-tale like experience. I am fully attentive and gripped by the beauty surrounding me.

I move along the water’s edge as its surface changes from rippled to smooth like liquid glass funneled through a narrow channel. I notice how the very top of the stream catches light and contrasts with dark hues below. The whio move down-river with me but do so in the middle of the current, riding the water as perfectly designed vessels. Looking above the line of forest on the far bank I study the shapes, textures, and light-play of the high mountains thickly crowned in snow. The unmistakable shape of a karearea cuts the sky across the river and a kaka flies above beech trees that bend toward the water.

All of this in one tiny section of the Clinton River; a cross-section of Fiordland that I’m honored to experience.

Wednesday the 30th of May: The Giving River

This morning I walked to the river first. Before breakfast, before coffee, before even running I strode along the cold, dark path to reach the river. This was out of necessity as the frost on the trees told of freezing everywhere, including the tap on the water tank. So, now, bucket in hand, I reach the river and fill it from a clear pool of icy stillness.

I pause to look at my surroundings and am struck by the realization of all the river gives. Yesterday it gave me peace and wonder, today it gives me water, and through it all it remains the life-blood of the landscape. The fish swim in it while the whio feed above and the kaka fly overhead from tree to tree. A great churning force at times that returns to a mirror-like stream of steady calm, the river gives to the land and those that inhabit it in both forms.

Today I appreciate its calm and the water it provides for all that I need. I walk away with a bucket full to the brim of clear, cold water and think that knowing where it comes from more than makes the effort worthwhile.

Thursday the 31st of May: Magic Waters

I have stumbled across the most magical waters on earth. What else can I say? While walking along the track, head down and lost in thought, I happen to glance to my right and notice sunlight on the river upstream as it flows under overhanging moss-covered trees that almost bow to touch it. After a day spent entirely in shady frozen-solid frost hollows, I step off-track to get closer to the light.

A bend in the channel suddenly allows a view up-stream and the glimpsed light now reveals itself fully as it dances in mist rising off the water. I drop my pack in an instant and scramble down the bank to reach the pebbled shore. It is then that I walk into one of those special spectacles of nature. Ethereal golden light shines upon the turquoise water of the river, clear to illuminate the very depths of stone where the water is still and shimmering in waves of steam where the river speeds over ridges and rapids. A large boulder is placed so that a clear pool lies behind it as the main flow of the river rushes by.

Large beech trees draped in greenery grow nearly horizontal from either side of the river, framing the snowy heights of the mountains above and overhanging the water and offering reflections below. I walk toward the place in the river where the light is brightest – around the boulder and pool and across the shallow and sparkling water itself to the middle where the flow deepens.

I stand here looking up and down for too brief a moment but caught by wonder all the same. I had not expected this. I thought I knew what I was in for as I had walked this section before, but, never had I seen this stretch of river. All I can say is, “wow” and “woah.” Too little words for such a moment.

Two trout are visible in the water as clear as if they were on the surface. Magic water in dream-like light as far as I can see in either direction. Winter daylight might be impossibly short in a valley like this but when it comes it is not to be missed.

Friday the 1st of June: Frozen Ground

The first morning of June arrives slowly in this place walled on all sides by impossibly steep granite faces. I notice the sky lightening from behind curtains drawn in a feeble attempt to keep in some heat. I peer out and see the moon bright and full behind the trees and the snow-dusted walls of Mount Balloon coming into focus. Another brilliantly clear day is dawning. I slip down the track on icy compacted snow until I reach the shelter of the forest. A few minutes along brings me to the path leading to a clearing that holds Lake Mintaro.

Dark as earth and completely iced over, the “lake” doesn’t look much like a lake. Even so, the frozen quiet of the space holds me spell-bound. I inch forward over icy ground, water bucket swinging noisily beside me, and reach the edge of a channel of clear, flowing water. The massive snow-covered extent of Mount Hart, whose slippery rock walls form the catchment where the Clinton River begins, looms large from this vantage point. It reflects dazzling white light in contrast with the shadowy world around me and mirrors  its form off the still water. Impressive.

This clearing, a collection of mud flats, sandy soil, frosted plants, and forest edge holds winter’s imprint without letting go. I walk around it everywhere I can, crunching and splintering ice that has collected in depressions of frozen mud. Tracks of birds large and small criss-cross the icy ground.

Noise from the birds begins to sift in and break up the silence: a bellbird from the forest edge, the sharp call of a weka, and the insistent honking of a paradise shelduck on the water. They add to the sound of the breaking ice to create a muted cacophony. Eeking out a living in these mountains is tough, I admire the birds and the special niches they fill. They seem to be unaffected by the cold as I slip and slide across the ice with my bucket laden with drinking water. All day long they are my companions as I return with buckets to fill and an interest in striding around in the open.

There’s a long list of tasks to accomplish to stay comfortable in an environment like this but after enough firewood has been split and other chores finished I set off for a wander through the ribbonwood flats before the pass.

Colorful kereru fly noisily through the branches and waterfowl can still be heard on the lake. I didn’t feel the sun once today but I’ve watched its light grace the tall peaks and now illuminate clouds in gold. The shadow that has held this narrow valley all day deepens and frost that never melted begins to add new layers of fine ice crystals. The bird song dies away, the occasional boom of cliff band avalanches subsides, and night returns again with an impenetrable frozen silence.

Saturday the 2nd of June: Moonlight over the Mountain

The day begins with moonlight over Mount Hart and Aiguille Rouge and high cloud to give texture and color, a nice change from the entirely clear skies of late. The snowfields and cliffs plastered with ice are etched in clear relief by the rising sun. Clouds sweep over the moon and sometimes dissolve it in their midst.

I start my day early today drawing water from a softly bubbling spring and hauling it back to the hut. I set off mid-morning for a long run down valley, picking my way carefully over ice-slicked boulders, frozen snow, and frosted ground. The light is brilliant on the colossal mountains of the valley and no wind ruffles their reflection in the many glassy streams I cross.

The track opens up as it dashes through clearings and into lower forest allowing me to pick up speed. I make it surprisingly far down valley and then turn on my heels and head back to Mintaro. This time Mackinnon Pass looms large on the horizon and I move steadily closer.

Back at Mintaro, the afternoon and high cloud bring the temperature just above freezing, enough to allow a slight thaw. I enjoy the “Amphitheater of the Avalanche” as I chop wood, pausing to stare upwards as large chunks of snow are dislodged and roll with great noise into the forest. The clearing of Lake Mintaro provides an even better viewing experience with an uninterrupted 360 degree panorama of all mountainsides.

I find a kaka close by in a bare stand of houhere snapping twigs to unearth insects inside. I focus in on the moment and allow all distractions to fade. All that remains is the sound and the view. “Snap, snap” from the kaka, the occasional rumble from above, the paradise shelducks always in the background, the gentle flow of the river, the drip of melting, and the two tom tits I see chase each other in a blur of black and white, the majestic age-wisened silver beech trees that cling to the near-vertical mountain flank across the valley, a buttress against avalanches from above, and the snow-dressed, intimidating face of Mount Balloon. No doubt there are many wonders to behold in this single moment.