The Ball Pass Crossing | A Te Araroa Side-Quest | Chapter 5

With fresh snow hitting the Southern Alps, a side trip to Aoraki National Park seemed essential.

The Ball Pass Crossing is a short yet challenging alpine route in Mt Cook NP. With no trail to follow, hikers must navigate the many slips and steep scree fields of the hooker valley before climbing a steep gully to the playing fields, a rare grassy plateau with incredible views of Aoraki and the valley below.
From here, route-finding intensifies. Staying high on the screen beyond the plateau, hikers traverse a series of exposed bluffs until the route turns a corner exposing an incredible view of Kaitiaki Peak, Aoraki, and Ball Pass.

The pass itself is not glaciated, however, both sides require short glacier crossings. In normal, summer conditions, this could warrant microspikes, but with 10cm of fresh, wet snow atop the ice, kicking steps couldn't have been easier. We bivouacked just beyond the pass and were treated to a stunning sunset just 4 km from the summit of Aoraki.

The descent toward the Tasman Glacier made for easier route finding and if possible, even more incredible views. With New Zealand's largest glacier in the forefront and highest peak just to the west, I don't know if I've ever enjoyed an hour of hiking, as much as the Caroline Ridge.

After Caroline Hut, it's just a hop, skip and a boulder field before you reach glacier level. From which it is just a short walk back to the car park.

Read more about the route here: https://www.halfwayanywhere.com/hikes...