By Zena CM

In the October 2024 school holidays, I went tramping for three days in the Hakatere Conservation Park in the Ashburton Lakes district for my Duke of Edinburgh Silver Qualifying Adventurous Journey. 

On day one, we rumbled up to a turn-off for a 4WD track in what seemed like the middle of nowhere – open tussock land with a spitting grey sky. Ten teenagers hopped out of an old van with a 40 kilometre loop trek around Lake Clearwater ahead of us. We headed down a flat 4WD path adjacent to a small long hill, being careful to avoid the many puddles and mud holes that the rain had left. This path led us to something we knew we would have to face, a river. 

The river was a deep dip in the land that was wide and flowing strongly. An instructor had taught us that if a river’s current is faster than your walking pace, then you shouldn’t cross. We all knew, without even testing, that the current was too quick to be able to cross the river safely in that spot. We began to check the area for anywhere that might be better to cross, and failed. We decided to follow the river downstream to the foot of a hill. 

Clambering up the start of the hill was exhausting and slippery from the fresh rain, and we soon discovered that it was no use going over the hill, it seemed impossible. Carefully, we made our way back down into the shrubs, where the boys set off to find a safe route across. While we found a place to chuck our backpacks across, we were determined to find a drier place to cross and headed into the swampy bushes to find a safe place. It was a dead end, so we went back through the bush. We found where we chucked our bags over and then the boys kindly helped carry us across.

Crossing the river was a major challenge that our group faced on the first day of our journey. We all worked together to come up with a safe way to get across while supporting each other. The rest of that day’s hike was flat, but muddy, and we reached Boundary Creek Hut with relief. The rain started falling as we arrived, so we lit a fire and stayed inside to keep warm.

The next morning, I led the group back up the track to the turn off for the second day. Our shoes were soaking from the day before, so it didn’t affect us when we had to tread through more streams on our way up the hill. At one point, it was as if the whole track was a flowing river running down the hill. We took turns leading and being ‘tail-end Charlie’ at the back. When we finally reached the top of the hill after a long morning of struggling, we saw snow and the view made it all worthwhile. 

We began to head back down in the rain and it was much quicker than going up, but it was slippery. After stopping for lunch near Mystery Lake, it was my time to lead again until the tarns. It’s important to not only know where you’re going next, but for everyone else to know too. If they get asked or when they have to take over, they’re aware. We followed small rolling hills for the rest of the day towards Lake Clearwater, and I could see the lake poking out from behind the massive hills. We set up camp on an open flat behind a hill to block the wind, making sure there was a river nearby so we could collect water easily. That night we all gathered together to plan our route for the next day.

We decided to follow part of the Te Araroa trail back to the van for the final day. The last day was warm, nice and flat once again. We had fun walking together and our leader made us cross the same river that we struggled with on the way there. We covered a lot of distance in our last hour because we had to get back to the van by midday. 

I loved my trip. It was really fun and I made new friends. We overcame navigational challenges using teamwork, safety protocols and perseverance, as well as by supporting one another through physical challenges. Thank you so much to Peel Forest Outdoor Centre for providing a shadow leader on our Duke of Edinburgh qualifying journey and to The Maerewhenua Trust and Federated Mountain Clubs for helping fund this amazing trip. 

We’re delighted to share another trip report from recent recipients of FMC’s Youth Award Grant. These grants are awarded four times a year, so if you’re inspired to get some financial support, head over to FMC’s website to apply.