Richard Soult takes mates for a look around the south

Normally between weeks of 4WD guiding, I try to have some down time and concentrate on various other business interests. However, when a young friend of mine, Jack, from Auckland, told me that he was going to be in the South Island with his 4WD for a week, I offered to show him and his friend Dallas, some of my backyard.
The previous week, it had rained very heavily and driving back from Central Otago to meet up in Christchurch, it was clear that many of the Canterbury rivers were still in flood and would be impossible to cross.
We met up in Rolleston and headed off for our first nights camping in the High Country. I decided that we would spend the first night at the campsite at the Harper outlet to Lake Coleridge. This is a great little campsite and seldom used. The drive in from the Arthurs Pass Road and goes past Lakes Lyndon, Selfe, Evelyn, Henrietta. It’s beautiful, a great spot to fish and is also a great launch pad for accessing the Wilberforce and Harper Valleys.
After a great evening chatting around a campfire, we headed off with the aim of getting to the MaCaulay Hut via Double Hill through Glenfalloch and Lake Heron Stations. Driving up towards Glenfalloch, we could see that the Rakaia was running very high and wouldn’t be possible to cross.
I had tried to call Glenfalloch, without success and on arrival, we were informed that the track was closed, due to a slip. This was a bit disappointing because it meant driving all the way back out to get to the highway which would take us to Tekapo. We cracked on and stopped in Lake Tekapo to fill up the trucks and top up on supplies.
The weather was stunning and we were quietly hopeful that the MaCaulay would be crossable and allow us to get to the hut. After having nearly lost my truck in the MaCaulay last year, I am now very cautious when it comes to river crossings. The river was running a little bit high but was also very “milky”, a sure indication that the level was rising.
We agreed that “discretion was the better part of valour” and decided to camp at my favourite spot on the edge of Lake Tekapo about two thirds of the way up the Lilybank road.
This was a great decision and we had a wonderful evening around a campfire enjoying a fantastic sunset over the lake and the mountains. The sunsets there are really stunning and seldom disappoint.
Now I’m 53 and Jack and Dallas are 20, younger than my daughter Mathilda. It’s a long time since I’ve hung around young people and this week took me back to my youth. Two things were amazing, and that I had totally forgotten, were how much they eat and how much they sleep.
After having spent all day driving, my requirements for calorific intake are much lower than theirs. I couldn’t believe how much food they put away every night!
It’s fair to say that the mornings were relaxed. I didn’t mind this after a week of guiding. Despite having a “blackout” tent, I’m normally awake by 0630 and up and ready to go. In fact, the first morning at Lake Coleridge, I was up and packed by about 0800. At 0930, I decided that, with no sign of life, I was going to head off to get a phone signal and do some work. I left a note for my travel buddies and headed to Methven. Jack had heard me start the truck and assumed that I was driving to the “long drop” at the other end of the campsite. When I didn’t return, he became worried thinking that I might have been annoyed with him for some reason. When he found the note, they must have packed up in record time because they were in Methven barely after I had arrived and started work.
From Lake Tekapo, we headed down to Lake Ohau taking time to stop by one of the canals for a quick fish. I bumped into a friend, Max, from Nelson and some of his friends who were also fishing. There were some very big fish in the canal, but they weren’t biting. I guess that’s why they were so big. About an hour after leaving, Max sent me a text showing a 10lb rainbow trout that one of his friends had caught. An impressive fish by any standards.
Heading up the side of Lake Ohau and up into the Hopkins Valley, we were again hopeful that the river would be easily crossed and that we could get to Red Hut. The weather forecast wasn’t looking too flash, so I told the guys that we would not stay at Red Hut in case the predicted rain came in and we ended up stuck.
When we got to Memorial Hut, at the point of the first river crossing, the river was slightly high and Jack valiantly donned his waders and volunteered to walk the crossing. Again it was a little too high to be comfortable and we decided to set up camp and enjoy the rest of the day chilling in front of the hut. There are certainly worse places to be.
As predicted, heavy rain set in during the night and I was glad to be on the right side of the crossing. We had seen some lights high up on the hills the evening before and just before we left, a couple of young guys appeared in a 4WD with two impressive bull Thar heads on their roof rack. They safely negotiated the crossing and headed out. This really restored my faith in the youth of today. Two young guys out there doing it and doing it well.
From the Hopkins, we headed South to Omarama and over the East branch of the Manuherikia and up the West Branch to Top Hut. The weather was still pretty marginal and we had a great night in the hut listening to the wind and rain on the corrugated iron. I had brought a few of copies of NZ4WD magazine which I left in the hut, so next time you’re there, you’ll have something to read.
This was the last day for me. We’d had a brilliant adventure but I was desperately needing some “me time” to relax before the next guiding trip. We filled up in Omarama and went our separate ways. I headed to Christchurch and the boys headed off to Wanaka to catch up with family friends.
I guide because I love people and sharing this great island with others. The guys were amazed at the scenery and the tracks that I was able take them on and that was ample reward for having spent most of my week off with them.
So, another great trip with lots of memories made, reinforcing the reason that I own a 4WD and love getting out so much.