Siberia Valley

The road from Wanaka to Makarora, the starting point for our Siberia Experience follows the western edge of Lake Hawea. After crossing through a saddle, the road drops down to skirt along the almost sheer eastern edge of Lake Wanaka. In one place, a landslide has taken out the road and the gap is now spanned by a temporary bridge.

Arriving in tiny hamlet of Makarora we met our pilot and the other members of our party. Parked beside a grass airstrip was an old yellow Cessna. At first we thought this is our plane, but it turned out that the company had two planes and ours was still parked in a nearby hanger – another Cessna of the same vintage.

We all crammed in, nursing our packs - there was no luggage space. Finally, we were off on our flight deep into the Mt Aspiring National Park, to land at a remote airstrip in the Siberia Valley.

We headed initially up the Young River valley before flying past mountains with names such as Mt Awful, Mt Dreadful and Mt Terrible. To a non-mountaineer, these names seemed eminently appropriate.

Hidden amongst the mountains peaks were deep valleys with almost vertical walls and flat grassy bottoms, and lakes clinging precariously to mountainsides. All the while, mountains towered above us.

After about 20 minutes we began our descent into the Siberia Valley. Flying up the valley, all I could see out the windscreen was a wall of rock. Distances were deceptive and valley didn't look wide enough to turn around in, but it was. We did another U-turn before finally landing.

I was trying to work out who would be our guide when our pilot explained that this was a self-guided hike.The walking track was across the river and was clearly marked - he didn't give us a map. A jetboat would meet us in the Wilkin Valley for the trip back to Makarora. And we had 3 hours to cover approximately 8 km. He returned to his plane and left us to enjoy our surroundings. There was a feeling of remoteness and isolation. And remote it was – it was at least a full day's walk to get here if you hadn't prearranged air or river transport.

Fortunately the river was only about 35cm at its deepest and we had all come prepared with alternative footwear for the crossing. Copious quantities of insect repellent were required (applied too late in my case) to keep the sandflies at bay.

At first the track crossed open grassland beside the river before entering the forest. The vegetation was amazing. Everything was covered in moss and ferns grew everywhere, even on the trees. Keas, New Zealand’s inquisitive mountain parrot, could be seen in the bush.

After a little while the track deteriorated to a rocky foot pad as it climbed, quite steeply in places, around the side of a hill above the river.

At the top, our senses were assaulted by a scene of destruction. The Department of Conservation was 'upgrading' the track and had literally bulldozed a track round the side of the hill using a bobcat. It came as a shock to see such roadworks in the middle of pristine wilderness.

As the track dropped down the other side of the hill it reverted to a rocky foot pad until it reached another formed track. This part of the track had been constructed years earlier and was now covered with leaf litter and moss has regrown over the rocks. It looked almost natural.

At the bottom of the hill we emerged from the forest onto the open grasslands of the Wilkin River valley. We continued downstream, passing alternately across grassland and steep, forest-clad spurs that dropped down to the river’s edge.

After 3 hours steady walking we came to the spot where the jetboat would pick us up, marked by nothing but a post. No sooner had we dropped packs and sat down than we heard the boat coming upriver.

We all clambered aboard for an exhilarating 30 minute ride back to civilisation. The river meandered across the flat valley floor and in many places was only inches deep. Several times we stopped to take in the grandeur of our surroundings.

For those on a tight schedule, this is an excellent way of experiencing the delights of bushwalking in New Zealand.