In 2023, after moving from the Pacific Northwest to New Zealand, Trail Cutter and I decided to start our time in the country by taking a very long road trip from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island. Luckily for my birthday, we lined up my birthday with a trip to Arthur's Pass National Park. With limited time available, we chose to fit in a quick day hike of Avalanche Peak to celebrate the passing of another year of life.

To hike to the summit of Avalanche Peak, two walking tracks lead to the top. There is the Avalanche Peak track or Scott's track. I wanted to experience both and make the day a loop. Since the Avalanche peak track is known to be lacking in maintenance, with that in mind, we chose to ascend that track first and then take the easier Scott's track back to the parking area.

The beginning of the Track is heavily wooded. On this occasion (time of year?) the Track was muddy and required a significant amount of root grabbing to ascend. Save for occasional views and a couple of waterfalls, the Track remains this way until it breaks out of the trees after around 500 meters of ascent.

Once we had broken out of the trees and into the alpine area, the Track opened up to sweeping views of the valley below and the sea of mountains that make up the national park's core. The view of Mount Rolleston's Rome Ridge were especially enticing.

After a bit of ridge walking, we came across a patch of spring snow, and we ascended to reach the final walk to the summit ridge. While it was only mildly technical, this section might be a consideration for anyone wanting to use the Avalanche peak track early in the year. We made the ascent without technical gear. But that may not be possible in certain conditions.

The last push to the summit was my favorite part of the climb. Though only a mild scramble, it felt liberating to put my hands on a rock and feel a bit of exposure below my feet.

The summit views from Avalanche Peak are incredible. Now that I have hiked many other trails and peaks in the area, such as the Phipps - Temple Traverse, I can attest that the views are some of the best you can get without an overly commiting day out.

Descending Scott's Track back to the car was a much more pleasant walk than our walk to the top. The Track is well-kept and has more views. Scott's Track is a preferable walk to the top for the casual day hiker. Whatever route you choose, Avalanche Peak is an excellent way to experience Arthur's Pass.

While the hike was a great experience, the end of the day will always live in my mind as the most interesting part of this adventure. Since there is little to no food available in the National Park's village, we made a rushed drive to Greymouth, where only one restaurant was available. Though their kitchen was closing, they agreed to make us some food and keep it under the heaters until we arrived so we could eat it during bar-only hours.

Upon arrival, the locals quickly noticed my American accent and Trail Cutter's Russian accent. We quickly began to experience a rash of excitement from the locals about how we ended up as a couple and how we ended up in Greymouth in the middle of the night to eat.

I doubt I will ever forget the astonishment and excitement being displayed by those locals' faces throughout our brief stay at the restaurant.