Having spent four nights in a hostel in Sydney, our camping gear remained stowed until we landed in New Zealand and the customs cleaning crew went crazy. Our hiking boots came back spotless and in neatly packed in plastic sacks; our tent was returned nicely fumigated and rid of the hundreds of baby spiders that made a mad dash for freedom when the fabric was unrolled.

It was during this moment of oops, that the customs guy took us for hikers as opposed to simply budget travellers, and as he scooped up a sample with one hand and sprayed with the other, he mentioned a hike we might be interested in – the St. James Walkway.

We hadn’t heard of it and since one of our goals for touring the islands was to sample as many of the tramping routes as possible, we tuned in and soaked up the details. A four to six-day, 66-km South Island tramp through forest and subalpine meadows with huts enroute and bus service that would drop us off at one end and pick us up at the other – perfect!

After stocking up on food, fuel and woollen mittens (it was still spring-like in late October) in Christchurch 190 km away, we entered the walkway from the bus stop at the top of Lewis Pass (off State Highway 7). Although Ada Pass Hut was only 10 km away, it was a slow, muddy slog that took us nearly four hours.

Reaching the first sign of habitation, we wiped the moisture from our eyes and came to the conclusion this was a private cabin. There was no way a public hiking hut could look so good – but indeed it did. Mysteriously the clouds lifted and we relished the luxury of a cabin to ourselves.

Day two was a scenic 3 ½ hour, 10.5 km stroll over Ada Pass to Christopher Hut, which we shared with two Americans and one Australian. Card games and conversation fill the hours ‘til bed beckoned. The hike from Chris to Anne Hut filled 4 hours, covering15 km of pastoral terrain. Arriving at Boyle Hut on day four, we shared the luxurious abode with a group of three women on the first night, and not wanting to head out just yet, shared it a second night with two couples.

Of course the downside of spending an extra night was the fact that food rations ran low, and as we ate starchy instant mashed potatoes mixed with starchier instant rice, we tried not to drool over the other group’s feast that included fresh strawberries for dessert. Surprisingly, day six was a fast hike out, covering 14.5 km in just over three hours.

St. James Walkway was a serendipitous hike that set the tone for several months of spectacular island tramping. For more details on the St. James Walkway, visit the Department of Conservation website as listed below.