Relentless

Wednesday 9th of September 2026… was a perfect day in Kaikoura, the weather was a cool, cloudless and sunny start to the day with a forecast to get warmer as the day went on… a perfect a day for what Jude had planned for us to do (which meant I would be doing it as well)… hike up to 1100 meters above sea level to Mount Fyffe Hut for brunch in the snow.

As we viewed Mt Fyffe from Kaikoura we could see it was going to be a haul up there and looking at the profile on the map it meant walking up from the start of the track at 120 meters above sea level another 990 vertical meters in 5.6 kms a grade of 23%. And on top of that we’d load our Backpacks up with gear for warmth, first aid, PLBs, food, a few litres of water each and our faithful stovetop expresso coffee pot and camp stove… yep reasonably heavy packs… well mine was anyway lol.

We arrive at the Mt Fyffe Car Parking at 0845hrs to ensure an early start as the estimate time to walk 5.6kms was 3 hours and we wanted to be there for lunch at midday. Boots on, backpacks on and walking poles ready we start happy and looking forward to the views. It only took us 200m to realise what 23% incline meant, at 250 meters Jude was already removing her light jacket and jersey and another 100 meters and I had my light wind breaker off.

After a km more we were getting the feeling this was going to be a test of our fortitude as the strain of the climb was certainly being felt, but even at this stage we’re still kean and doing a good click. There was no change in the steepness of the climb, it was a constant ascent, you’d get to what looked like a top of a rise in the track just to find it turn one way of the other into a long continuous uphill push. A demoralising moment was as we slowly rounded a bend, a super fit women comes running down in her tight leotards, light long sleeved running top, with a drink bottle on her training belt, gives a polite hello and says the snow up at the hut is lovely… I thought to myself “F’n smart bitch” she had either run up up there or got a helicopter ride, but looking at her she more than likely run up.

After a 2 km continuous climb we reached the Kaiterau plateau, the first clearing with seats and tables to rest, it was also where the Kaiterau MTB track reach the highest point before the downhill part of the MTB track. Jude and I took advantage for a quick break and a view of the valley running south east of the Hawk Range. After a 10min rest we started on our way up again with the false comfort of knowing we only had 3.6kms to go.

We kept supporting each other with idle chitchat about anything just to take our minds off the consistent steepness of the climb. About 150meters from the Kaiterau Plateau there was a lookout point where you could get a look at Kaikoura from 440 meters elevation and even at that height it was stunning and therefore gave us some motivation to reach the hut for hopefully even more amazing views, but first we still had a good haul up the track to the Mt Fyffe Hut.

We had work our way up to two thirds of the track and it was so freaking hard, there was no respite from the climb, it was just relentless, our pace had slowed down and we were taking more short stops which wasn’t bad as we were able to appreciate some amazing views on both sides of the ridge looking west down into the Kowhai River and east to the Kaikoura Coastline.

It wasn’t long before we reached the snow line which was starting to melt in the sun but still frozen in the shadows and it was getting thicker and widespread nearing our destination. Over the previous day or days some people had built little snowmen along the track unfortunately they were not doing well as the warmth of the day was doing them no good. It is amazing how hard the last kilometre was to climb, yes the climb was harder than we had ever thought and our pace had slowed right down but we had also become more determined to complete our task no matter how relentless the gradient was.

Finally after 2hrs 48mins we arrived at the hut yep we oldies made it 12mins ahead of the expected time. There was a good layer of snow at the Mt Fyffe Hut but being hot from the climb and with the sun being warming and with not a breeze it was just the perfect reward for our effort. Now we can have lunch and enjoy the views. The hut was amazing and well kept but we never went is side as it was so lovely outside in the warmth. The views were out of this world and well worth our effort to get there.

However what goes up must go down!

After the photos and brunch we faced the task of returning to the bottom, knowing it was downhill for 5.6km it was a relief to know that gravity was going to be an asset going down. We started heading down from the hut and for a start it was nice not to be climbing against gravity. About a kilometer down the hill we started to get pain in the toes as they were being crush against the front of our boots… yep gravity was again working against us again.

We stopped to take a couple of pictures and to take the pressure off our toes regularly, but it didn’t take long for the discomfort to return. The next thing for me anyway was my quads and hip flexors were starting to feel the decent as the quads were forever acting as brakes. By the time we were halfway down I knew the weight of my backpack was the issue, and it was obvious that I’ll pay for this in the next few days. I finally worked out that I was leaning too far back which was putting unnecessary strain on the hip flexors and once I leaned slightly forward the discomfort eased immensely. It didn’t take us as long to get down as it did going up but it certainly let us know that although the effort going up was physically challenging for us, going down was much harder on the muscles and joints. Getting to the bottom where Suzuki Jimny was parked there was not only a sense of achievement but bloody relieved to give the downhill muscle and our toes a much deserve break and a beautiful steak at Kaikoura Pier Hotel. All in all it was a great effort for us oldies and we will do this walk again and next time maybe even summit Mt Fuffe.