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Canon A7R, Canon FD 20, Canon FD 35, landscape photography, Nelson Lakes National Park, New Zealand, Sabine Valley, Travers Saddle, Travers Valley
The week before Christmas is one of my favourite times to head into the hills – missing the peak frenzy of the commercial madness that breaks out at this time of year, and getting in ahead of the crowded back-country huts post-Christmas when many folk head off into the back-country for some recovery. This year we decided to head to Nelson Lakes National Park and do the Travers-Sabine circuit – a six-day walk I last did 40-something years ago at the tender age of 17. This would be a revisit of the same route, travelling from Saint Arnaud on the shores of Lake Rotoiti up the Travers River to the Upper Travers Hut, crossing over the Travers Saddle into the upper Sabine where we would stay two nights at the West Sabine Hut, before travelling downstream to the Sabine Hut on the shores of Lake Rotoroa. The next part of the route would be the hardest – a 1300 m climb up over Mount Cedric into Angelus Basin where we planned to tent for the night; the final day would take us along Robert Ridge and back to Saint Arnaud. My two sons were also keen to join us on the trip – their first time on a multi-day trip of such length. Continue reading