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St James
Interest
being already piqued by Alan's write-up of his Fowler Pass excursion,
my appetite to explore this country was further whetted by photos from
Andrew Scott, Diana Bowering & Geoff Miles' circuit of Maling Pass,
Lake Guyon & Fowler Pass. Deborah & I were dead keen to get in
there and, as Andrew & Diana were equally keen to explore further
on down the valley, off we set for Hanmer Springs on a perfect weather
forecast.
Climbing back up, we kept to the right of Stanley Vale and followed a stock track (call it single-track) round to the rustic Stanley Vale Hut. Apparently DOC intends to upgrade the hut which is well worth preserving. From here, we pretty much followed our noses over the grasslands - doing our best to avoid the matagouri - until we picked up the eroded trail of an old 4WD route. We crossed the river a couple of times and scrambled up or dropped off terraces before climbing high on the Stanley's left bank to pass Stanley Gates. Very LOtR. Past the Gates, we dropped down & over to the right bank again, meandering our way across a large flat towards The Peninsula. Eventually we came to the edge of the plateau and were rewarded with a stunning vista of the Waiau and ranges beyond. We found the bouldery 4WD track that dropped us a level but then made the mistake of following a stock track down another shelf to the river-bed. This proved unrideable so stay up on the mid-terrace, skirting the matagouri on the edge. Here you come to the crux of the ride and why it is recommended that you only attempt this route when river levels are low and no rain is forecast. Fortunately, Andrew & Diana had pored over Google Earth imagery - and Diana had taken the extra precaution of contacting the regional DOC office for valuable advice on this section - so we had a good idea of what to expect when we got here. Basically, you've got to follow the track to where it terminates at riverside bluffs. Scramble w/bike down & around the rocks into the narrow gorge where the Stanley makes its confluence with the Waiau. It's easy to see why you wouldn't want to attempt to ford the Stanley here in anything other than low-flows as 50m downstream it flushes into a fast-flowing Waiau. Rain would cause it to rapidly rise. A grunty scramble manhandling bikes up a steep flank on the other side and we were away again...
We were quickly onto a rough track and soon at McArthurs Bridge (also called Pooleys Bridge), a pretty flimsy-looking swingbridge only built in 1993 with a condemned notice on it already! The going got progressively easier from this point as the 4WD track across The Terraces became more defined. The gruelling climb/walk in stinking hot temps. up Charlie's Saddle was a good one to have behind us but the expansive views back up the Waiau were well worth it. Stopping only to mend matagouri punctures and get stung by a thirsty bee gagging for a sweat droplet, we swooped up & over into the Edwards River valley, the route the St James Cycleway will take after crossing from the true R of the Waiau. A fast downhill gets you to Scotty's Camp, whereafter you crisscross the river several times as you head along the valley floor. Settle in here for a fairly long ride out along a good 4WD track (great with a tail wind :-), keeping something in reserve for Peter's Pass - the last sting in the tail for this 58 kms circuit. Getting air off the water bars coming down off the Pass guarantees you come back out to the road with a smile on ya dial! Flag down a car for a lift back to Fowler hut or relax into the 12 kms shuttle back to your start point. Sections of this ride will no doubt be upgraded for the Cycleway so I recommend doing it soon while it still offers some technical & navigational challenges. The scenery won't change...
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