“On a Mish” #171 The Throne Room of the Gods (Part One). Earnslaw Burn. Mt Aspiring National Park. 10.7.2010. It is amazing how the Earnslaw Burn is only now becoming a popular overnight camping trip. It is definitely one of the most spectacular valleys at the top of Lake Wakatipu and is a relatively easy stroll to great campsites. For years I would stare at the impressive bulk of Pikirakatahi Mt Earnslaw while enroute to start a trip up the Greenstone Valley, or when finishing another adventure on the Routeburn Track. After looking at the area for years I decided it was time to go investigate the place they call ‘The Throne Room of the Gods’…
Surrounded on three sides by the Mt Earnslaw massive the Earnslaw Burn Valley is a good way of making yourself feel really small and making the world around you one of grandeur and splendour. Anyone who has driven the Queenstown to Glenorchy road on a cloudless day will have rounded the bend in the road at Bennetts Bluff and had to pick their jaw up off the ground when confronted with the stunning view of the twin summits, south face glacier and all of the other uplifted chinks of land north of Lake Wakatipu. The view is so spectacular that they had to build an entire car park and walkway to avoid road congestion.
I decided to finally visit the valley on a camping mish during the early stages of the 2010 winter with my girlfriend at the time and we both knew we were in for an icy outing. Not much snow had fallen by July in 2010, but it had been very, very cold. During one rather chilly week the thermometer in Queenstown never got out of the negatives, and at the time I was living in the legendarily cold Hamilton Road Guide Flat. I will never forget waking up seeing my breath in the air while inside a house!
After leaving the icebox in Queenstown we made my way along the northern edge of Lake Wakatipu and like always, the view at Bennetts Bluff was one of awe and wonder. I arrived at the small car park at the start of the track near a place called Paradise that resides in paradise. The ground was sparkling white with a heavy frost clinging to anything exposed to the frigid air. I made sure I was wrapped up warm before setting off, and this was a must as the very first obstacle encountered was a crossing of the Earnslaw Burn itself. I don’t think any energy drink could match the surge of energy you get once the water breaks through to your socks!
The start of the track was in the shaded forest, and the waterfalls on the west side of the valley were frozen cascades of thick ice decorated with huge hanging icicles. Every now and then blocks of ice would break off and interrupt the silence in the valley with crashing thuds echoing out like a mix of gunshots and glass breaking. Along with the ice, we also heard much bigger avalanches rumbling down the South Face Glacier giving the valley an eerie mix of peace and quiet, and the ear-splitting echoes of winter in the Earnslaw Burn Valley.
As we got closer to the head of the valley, we crossed over a couple of side creeks which were frozen solid on top with water still flowing underneath the ice. It was like a window over the running water and a real indicator of how cold it had been. Luckily for us the weather was bringing a front over the country (normally a bad thing), and this brought the temperatures up to a balmy 8 to 10 degrees. The introduction of warmer conditions was making everything thaw and come thudding down to the ground below. The valley was alive, and we were just two tiny dots making our way towards the Throne Room of the Gods…
