Time: 5 hours and 30 minutes
Distance: 17.2 km
Start: 2WD car park end of Benmore Road, Springfield
Finish: Same place (it's loopish)
Date: Friday 3rd May 2024
Warning: According to the Department of Conservation (DOC) website, the access easement across Annavale and Benmore stations ceases in June/July.
The DOC track times on the signs weren't always accurate so here is a synopsis of our walking times:
- 2WD car park to 4WD car park: 30 minutes
- 4WD car park to the junction of Benmore Track/Annavale Track: 10 minutes
- Annavale Track to junction of Annavale Track/Benmore Link Track: 1 hour
- Junction of Annavale Track/Benmore Link Track to Sugarloaf summit: 45 minutes
- Sugarloaf summit to junction of Annavale Track/Benmore Link Track: 40 minutes
- Benmore Link Track to Benmore Hut: 35 minutes
- Benmore Hut to 2WD car park: 1 hour and 45 minutes
An absolutely stunningly beautiful bluebird morning. Driving on State Highway 73, a few kilometers from Springfield and across the oneway bridge over the Kowai River, we turned left onto Benmore Road into Benmore Station. Over the old rickety bridge, a sharp right at the T-junction (no signage so just follow your nose) then past the old farm buildings and along the gravelly road. We parked at the 2WD car park with the DOC sign "car park" and discussed whether we should take the left gate (closed) or the right gate (open). Weirdly, there was no information on the sign as to in which direction the track might lie, but we eventually clamboured through the left gate towards the river and soon found a partially hidden but more informative DOC sign. We were on our way.
It took us about 30 minutes to walk from the 2WD car park to the 4WD car park. The farm track was definitely a 4WD affair and my 2WD would not have made it. The track followed and sometimes crossed the Thirteen Mile Stream. On foot, this required some careful rock hopping to maintain dry feet. In the riverbed we saw a cluster of ewes and a ram. Rams have had a bad rap lately and so we were immediately on high alert. I noticed that he had curly horns and wool the same colourings as a lovely jumper my mum knitted me a few years back. I was going to zoom in for a decent photo but he was looking at us in an evil manner and so we quickly moved on. When we got to the 4WD car park, the gate was firmly padlocked. We found a nearby turnstile and we were soon at the Annavale Track junction.
Now began a slow slog (1 hour and 45 minutes) up Annavale Track (an old farm track) all the way to the Sugarloaf Summit. I had expected it to be much colder, and so I was kitted out in my softshell trousers and polyprop top. But the sun was streaming down and I was majorly overheating. We had a good conversation about travels to Peru and Bolivia and tying pesky siblings to washing lines. As we ascended, the views just got better and better until we were standing on the summit of Sugarloaf (1203 m), looking out at the Torlesse Range and the spectacular trio: Foggy Peak, Castle Hill Peak and The Gap. It so happens that me and my Hoa Rangatira traversed all of that last weekend (when there was much less snow). I can vouch that standing in The Gap is a pretty epic experience. Apparently someone flew a plane through there once.
We retraced our steps back to the Benmore Link Track. A poled route led us down the hill to a picturesque tarn and we were soon at the bushline and entering the beech forest. Thirteen Mile Bush. During the first 15 minutes or so, we nearly lost the track a couple of times due to treefall blocking the path. We had to pause and consolidate - we decided that we probably shouldn't get lost in here. Soon we were through all of that though, and the track was clear again. Walking through beech forest is lovely. There was a steep section and then we popped out onto Benmore Track. At first we wondered which direction the hut could be, but then we saw it though the trees. Benmore Hut owned by the New Zealand Deer Stalker's Association - bright orange - recently painted.
The hut was in shade, and it felt like the afternoon was whizzing by, so we had a very quick snack and prepared for departure. I refilled my water bottle from the tank outside the hut. It had a pump mechanism to extract the water and as I pumped, a strong smell of sulphur wafted up. I stashed the half-filled bottle in my backpack anyway - for emergency use only.
We were on the Benmore Track, heading back down the valley to the Thirteen Mile Stream and the 4WD and 2WD car parks. The DOC track time was 3 hours but it only took us 1 hour and 45 minutes. A fantail followed us for a long time hopping from branch to branch and flitting about our heads. Cute. When we hit the river I rinsed and refilled my drink bottle. We finally exited the bush and we were at Thirteen Mile Stream again and heading along the 4WD track. We met two seperate groups of hunters, guns sticking out of backpacks. They were barely out of their teens and had that youthful male slightly wild-eyed look. They were on a back country adventure. In a few hours time, I imagined, they would all be stalking deer - running around in the pitch black forest with their guns having the time of their lives. Jaysus.
