“On a Mish” #413 Inquisitive Nature (Part One). Erewhon Park Ski Field. Hakatere Conservation Park. 21.7.2014. Inquisitive nature has led to some of the most epic adventures. If no one wondered what lay amongst the hills, then nothing would have been discovered. The mystery of what’s around the next corner is a driving force that keeps keen hikers hiking their way towards their objective, and has produced many mountain memories for me. After a tiny taste of the track up the side of Mt Potts into the Erewhon Park Valley I knew I needed to return for more, and since it’s a ski field I might as well bring my snowboard…
Little did I know that after the first time I visited Lake Clearwater Village I would return time and time again, with visions of climbing something or visiting somewhere. Over time my missions had got further and further away from the lakeside retreat until I discovered the Potts Range and the treats that lay in it. It was like turning on a tap and flooding my adventurous mind with near endless opportunities.
Not far from the village is Mt Sunday, the Rangitata Riverbed and the location of one of the most famous Lord of the Rings filming sites. Mt Sunday and the surrounding area was ‘Rohan’ and a lot of work went into creating a small village on the little hill. Nowadays if you didn’t know the movie was made here then you would just think the place had been untouched for ages. It is from Mt Sunday that you get a good look at the Potts Range and the entrance to the hanging valley where the ski field was. With one look around you can see why Sir Peter Jackson used the area so much in his films.
After spotting the track into the hanging valley above the Rangitata River I went for a probing wander one late afternoon. I only got some of the way up the track before daylight put a stop to the mish, but what I saw made me do some research and discover the history of Erewhon Park Ski Field. The location was abandoned for a very long time and was normally visited in the winter months by heli-ski clients flying in from the close by Mt Potts Station. Only recently (2024) has a new hut been built for those wishing to stay for more than just one day. I have been puzzled as to why building a place for people to stay has taken so long!
Back before the hut, and on my second visit to the area I came with board in hand hoping to go for a slide in the fresh snow that had fallen the night before. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I had a feeling my inquisitive nature was going to take me on a rather epic outing. Real life must-dos had meant I had a late start on my quest to the snowy slopes.
It was around mid-day when I locked up my car and began to hike up the zig-zagging track towards the snow. A cool breeze was blowing down the Rangitata and it was lucky I was moving upwards as standing still would have let the wind chill me to my bones. The step, step, repeat process along the old 4WD track was keeping me warm and had my heart rate up. This is what I love doing and soon I would be past the point I had got to last time, and on to new uncharted (for me) ground.
The track took me up to the narrow entrance to the hanging valley, and once inside I was out of the wind and in what felt like a completely different world. There was a calming peace about the place and now that I was fully warmed up, I was increasing my own inner peace with each step. Everything was going well, apart from the fact that it was so late in the day. I could tell I wasn’t going to make it to the head of the valley, so I was just hoping I’d find some snowy ground to play in before daylight lost its battle with nightfall…
