Enjoy a steady climb to two huts and breathtaking panoramas.

Lagoon Saddle Track – part of the popular Cass Saddle Track – is an accessible, non-technical tramp on the cusp of Canterbury’s big backcountry. It is also part of Te Araroa.

From Cora Lynn car park, it takes five minutes to reach Bealey Hut. From there it is about an hour of continuous climbing along a well-formed track, through bush and pine plantation, to open country. 

For the next hour, drink in the extensive views over the upper Waimakariri Valley and the shimmering peaks of Arthur’s Pass. Bealey Spur, another favourite with trampers, is also in full view.

The track stays high above the lagoon as it heads towards the huts at the southern end. The two options for bunking down have confusingly similar names: Lagoon Saddle A-Frame Hut and Lagoon Saddle Hut. Both sleep two comfortably.

Lagoon Saddle A-Frame was built in 1983 at an altitude of 1140m. It doesn’t have a view but is pleasantly sited on an open terrace above Harper River, which is nothing more than a quiet stream at this point. It seems many use the hut as a ‘lunch and loo’ stop, given its proximity to the road end. 

Options for exploring the vicinity are numerous, and the lagoon for which the saddle and huts are named is well worth visiting and takes about an hour to circumnavigate. Intriguingly, the lagoon straddles the saddle and empties into both the Waimakariri and Rakaia watersheds. 

This marshy, colourful subalpine environment is exceptionally brilliant in afternoon sun. I enjoyed the solitude with just a handful of Canada geese, pāpango, pūtangitangi and a lone kea for company. The contrast between the glistening white peaks of the Southern Alps and the sullen scree faces of the aptly named Black and Grey ranges was stark.  

Mt Bruce (1630) is an accessible dome to the east if you’re looking to bag a peak. Alternatively, Mid Hill tarns, an easy three-hour round trip from the huts, offer splendid views through Arthur’s Pass to Mt Alexander on the West Coast. 

Navigators will find options to head for the lagoon and regain the track near Lagoon Saddle, otherwise return the way you came.