“On a Mish” #358 Forced to Work (Part One). Mingha River. Arthurs Pass National Park. 15.11.2022. Heading outdoors is a great way to relax. Having nothing but the birds chirping and the wind blowing through the trees can leave you in a trance-like state where your mind is at ease. The mental benefits of an adventure can be even more beneficial than the physical effects, and when you can’t do many physical activities, it is best to get out into the wild as often as possible. The clean air and visually appealing environment will do you wonders, just be aware that there is a small creature that also enjoys New Zealand’s most spectacular places….
For some, stress relief is a difficult location to get to, but for me I just need to find a location and the stress relief will take place once there. After my hip injury I was removed from paradise to get repaired and to let the recovery journey begin, and it has been during this time that I have managed to avoid going insane by going on mini missions. I haven’t gone very far (apart from the times with my cousin) distance wise, but my mind has wandered to its happy place and that has given me peace. Of all the meds that I am taking now, nature has been the most effective and powerful drug I have consumed.
The need for a mish becomes too much to handle after a couple of weeks, so a quick overnight outing was needed. My last adventure up the Macaulay Valley had punished my body so I didn’t want to go very far. I scanned the map for potential patches of perfection to pitch my tent on. Arthurs Pass has always fascinated me and a couple of trips over the winter of 2022 have been extremely beneficial to my recovery and have left me wanting more. After camping missions around the Taramakau (west side of the park), I decided to see what the other (east side) looked like from a tent.
Now that I had a location, I had a race against time due to an approaching storm. So, it was camping gear into the car and off!
My forecast was for potential showers during the evening and then heavy rain setting in later the next day. Not the best weather prediction, however it was good enough for me and the Mingha Valley was my target. After cruising across the plains, I weaved through the mountains until I was rolling into the small car park next to Greyneys Shelter.
As per usual to limit the weight on my back I had my gear in two packs, and it was time to hike the first pack to a suitable spot. The adventure began with crossing the Bealey River to access the Mingha Valley, then I hiked for about twenty minutes and found an awesome place near the confluence of the Edwards and Mingha rivers at the base of the perfectly named ‘The Spike(1440m). With views up the valley of the stunning Mt Oats(2041m) I was satisfied that I had found the perfect spot, now it is time to head back to my car for my second bag…
