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| Wanaka running |
Having dipped in and out of running for a few years, I have a bit of a mixed bag of experience in running. I have mainly ran on tracks and trails in the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, using it as a way of getting out and enjoying myself without the pressure of scientifically analysing my routines or runs (although I am a sucker for strava). So when I moved to Wanaka, with its many walking trails, I started to feel the urge to get out and explore the area through running and so far, I'm loving it.
Flat runs, hilly runs and lots that end with a splash in the lake, Wanaka seems to have it all. Getting out after work for some 'stress release' and beautiful scenery, picks up the motivation and soon Lucy and me were thinking about hitting the longer trails.
New Zealand is often described as having one of the best back country hut systems in the world. The people who run the show DOC (Department Of Conservation), say that there's over 950 huts. These range from very basic dog hut style shelters to modern, fully serviced, cosy wilderness hotel type huts. Due to the effort put in to this extensive hut system, New Zealand has opened up some fantastic multi day hikes through amazing uninhabited valleys, over mountain saddles, across glaciers and along coastal cliffs.
New Zealand trails were first brought to my attention by a friend, after returning from hiking tip to tip on the 3000+km Te Araroa trail(The Long Pathway). The adventures, the huts, the scenery, the people he met, it all enthralled me into adventures that I could have half the world away, especially the story of one man running the Te Araroa.
So in was inevitable, us wanting a longer trail to run, great back country huts and the Te Araroa passing through Wanaka, we had to give some of it a go....
Our weekend aligned and the weather looking borderline for getting into the higher hills, it looked perfect for a trail run and the Motatapu trail sounded like a winner.
The Motatapu trail runs from Glendhu Bay to Arrowtown, over 57ish kilometres of hilly backcountry. Although people run it in a day on the annual adventure race, completing the 3000 metres of ascent and descent over a distance, longer than a marathon was enough of a challenge for us over two days.
The borderline weather turned into two stonking hot days, which meant we had to be very aware of our hydration and effort output, with the long climbs and very few clean water sources.
Counting litres, calories, salt and hours, this started to seem like all that scientific stuff you see in all the magazines and Internet, but the rewards were massive. Big climbs, steep descents, technical traverses, were rewarded with big views of the surrounding peaks and later back to Lake Wanaka. The first day finished with a shuffle along the last gradual ridge, snaking down from above 1000 metres to the hut at 600 during twilight, with the added bonus of the hut to ourselves. Magical.
I must admit that having never got into the sciencey bit behind running, I tend to be one of the more lazy participants in stretching and even with doing some the night before, I still woke to that feeling of '5 rounds with Mike Tyson'. Nothing a coffee and OSM bar couldn't fix and we found ourselves on top of the last saddle, feeling ready to crunch the K's. The last few kilometres into Macetown, the official end to the Motatapu trail, was a treat in the summer heat. In and out of the river, crossing, traversing and the occasional dip, really helped ease the heat.
Macetown marked 15k till the end, which if ran constantly, would make up the last 2ish hours of our trip. Unfortunately for us, the steep trail had taken its effect on our knees and energy levels and despite our best efforts the time seemed to fly by without the miles we needed to cover and at 7 k left, we were given a dilemma...
Take up the offer of a ride with a 4x4 family, or stick it out till the end.
In our defence, we only had an hour and a half till our bus and we really wanted some greasy food from Arrowtown... So we cut the trip slightly short, but with a knee in a state that running was off the table, why soldier it out when life presents you with an offer like this. I could probably think of some more justifications, but the shredded beef, pepperoni and mozzarella topped pizza was good enough for my conscience.
So is New Zealand a trail running Mecca? From the walks we've done and the huts we've stayed in, I would say there's enough to 'go at' for a life time. Although some are better suited to runners than others, with a range of difficulties and track conditions. With the Motatapu trail being a fairly new trail and enough height gain and loss over the two days to climb Mount Aspiring from sea level, it maybe wasn't the best for our first taste of New Zealand adventure runs. With that said, over our celebration pizza we talked about what overnight run we should do next, which has got to be a good sign. However, the next one will probably be a flatter track.
A bit of postscript:
Anyone who see's my Strava log from the run, will see that it didn't exactly go according to plan. The long time and few kilometres covered, showing the steady pace and the confusing start position showing the unfortunate tell tell sign of a wrong turn right at the start. But just like all our other adventures in New Zealand, the negatives are far outweighed by the endless positives. Despite the mistakes and grueling challenges, we were completely sold on the idea of trail running/speed hiking. With Wanaka offering a range of trails, I believe we will be hooked by the time we decide to leave. Maybe even becoming Trail running junkies...
