“On a Mish” #174 Arthurs Village from Above (Part One). Mt Aicken(1863m). Arthurs Pass National Park. 4.9.2014. Tucked away amongst some of New Zealand’s finest peaks is Arthurs Pass Village. One of the few towns located in a national park, the area offers views as well as all the other treats that are available in our parks. Many of the climbs on offer are an easy stroll from anywhere in the tiny village, and within a short amount of time you will be looking down at the cribs / bachs from above…
I was very lucky to have the use of a bach in the village, and this gave me a homebase and comfortable start to whichever peak I wanted to climb. After an adventure up Rome Ridge on Mt Rolleston I was back at the bach wondering which peak to climb next. After looking at a map of the area I decided to go from the west side of the road to the east. Mt Aicken caught my eye. It stands a little lower than Mt Rolleston but at 1863m it is still an excellent mountain and would be how I filled in a sunny day in Arthurs Pass National Park.
I strolled up a very quiet Highway 73 in the cool, crisp air of early-ish in the morning. The village was slowly transitioning from dark to day, and while most humans remained asleep the local animals were beginning to wake up and let their presence be known. During my stroll along the highway towards the start of the track, the bush around the road began to turn up the volume switch with a glorious morning chorus. The noise was a tribute to pest eradication work done in the area.
I left the road and crossed over the Bealey River on the Devils Punchbowl Track. It was now light enough for me to see the towering 112-metre-high Devils Punchbowl Falls rumbling down from the snow-filled valley above. I was looking forward to seeing down into the valley later in the morning. If you are in the village and only have a short amount of time then I highly recommend you check out the awesome waterfall, which is only a quick stroll from the village.
Beyond the waterfall track I found the much less used trail up Mt Aicken. The change from the well-groomed waterfall track was a sign that I wasn’t on the easy stuff anymore. Not far up the track I came across some old mine activity and it was cool to see at first the old relics of the past, but also to discover that the place didn’t become a much larger mine.
The track took me up a series of old glacial plateaus, each seemingly ending with a steeper and steeper climb. The trees thinned, and it wasn’t long before I was above them and could see the outstanding views. Knowing the views were only going to get better was easy motivation to keep climbing higher…
