“On a Mish” #337 Klondyke Gold (Part Three). Waimakariri Valley. Arthurs Pass National Park. 7.7.2022. Getting the views and having a tale to tell is a successful mission in my mind. The tale doesn’t have to be too adventurous, but if you do enough missions eventually you will have some book worthy encounters. Any outing is a good thing however I do have mates who are hunters and they seem a bit down if they go on a mish and don’t return with anything. Returning back to reality with the ability to say I went into the mountains is as rewarding to me as an early prospector returning with the news they had struck their fortune…
Over the years I have accumulated thousands of photos of Aotearoa and other equally awesome spots around the world. To me it is kind of like mining. I set off with intentions of returning with something. Luckily for all involved the only sign that anything has happened is a small pile of rocks and more pictures for the never-ending collection. Recently I have discovered that here in Aotearoa you can get some pretty sweet gems without destroying your body in the process!
With everything falling into place on the Waimakariri Riverbed it looked like I was in for another epic outing. The glaciers seemed to get closer as the afternoon drifted on and I think this might have been because the shadow of Mt Bealey(1836m) had kept the Klondyke Corner camp area frozen solid for not only today but the first couple of months of winter. The place looked ‘cool’ however my old aching bones needed somewhere less frozen and with at least a little bit of sunlight. After scanning what was around me I found a great location in an area where the Jordan Stream flood overflow meets the Waimakariri riverbed.
The driftwood and flattened ground in places showed me how different the place would be during heavy rain. Arthurs Pass and many other locations near big rivers used to be notorious for drownings. Looking around me I could see the results of a huge amount of water powering its way into a much larger body of water. The sight would have been both amazing and intimidating, and also the opposite of the camping weather I was hoping for. I was lucky enough to be there on a day with not only no rain, but also very few clouds in the sky and little to no wind. I knew that once my tent was ready and I had retrieved my second pack I was in for a very successful mining mission…
