Most
of these updates and
corrections are fixed in the 2005 edition. From 2007, no new updates
are being posted for this edition.
Lee Valley: The 2002
N28
map shows the new forestry plantations and roads in
1.5 Ben Nevis:
Diminished logging
operations in the right branch of the
Beebys Hut: The
Beebys tramping
track has signage and a proper carpark on
1.11 Top Valley - Mt Richmond:
The
2.11 Nardoo Creek:
Although the old
pack track into Nardoo Creek is still good-going, the other tracks are
now
getting more difficult to follow.
Rainbow road access:
For a fee and with
arrangements made in advance, Rainbow Station allows road-access from
the
northern end. The Clarence road section has had maintenance after many
years of
neglect. Shingle debris and washouts on the road above the Wairau gorge
are
problematic. Carry a shovel with your vehicle if venturing this far.
There is
‘emergency’ accommodation at DoC’s
Sedgemere Sleepout.
3.2 Begley Creek - Hamilton River:
Rainbow Hut is owned by Rainbow Station.
Coldwater Creek:
There is a good
crossing between Judges Creek and Coldwater Creek that passes an
attractive
tarn with good fine-weather camping. A pleasant weekend trip.
3.9 Muddy Stream:
Because of danger
from a newly forming rock gully, the Muddy Stream Biv has been removed.
4.3 Branch River - Leatham River:
Wildling pines in
Hot Rock Stream have become so thick and dense that this route is no
longer practical.
5.4 Te ao Whekere:
An exclusive
tourist lodge has been set up in Happy Valley Stream, and trampers are
no
longer allowed access.
5.5 Snowflake:
Campsite in
Snowflake Stream is 400m beyond the junction of the major tributary
coming in
on the true-right.
5.6 George Stream - Hornby Hut:
Hornby Hut has been
removed.
5.8 Conway River - Palmer Stream
- Cloudy Range: Broom has
completely taken over much of the upper
6.1 Buckland Peaks - Access is 1.5 km west of Omanu Creek, and is not shown on map editions earlier than 2003. An AA signpost on the highway indicates the 'Buckland Peaks Track' side-road, and there is a proper carpark 100m or so along this road. (A locked gate prevents vehicle access any further along this road.) The road is followed in a big curve on to the Caroline Terrace. Sign-posts at junctions indicate the way to the start of the track proper. It is about an 8 kilometer walk along these vehicle tracks and some people use mountain bikes. The actual track up the spur passes through a wonderful variety and mixture of forest types. There is a small sign-posted halfway-clearing. From the bushline, numerous poles lead down to the new 6-bunk hut. It has no fire. Note that the old track along the spur above Buckland Creek is well overgrown, with much more scrub then the map indicates, and is now a fairly dubious route.
6.8 Moonlight Creek:
The Moonlight Creek
road is to be maintained and be drivable in an ordinary car, if it
isn’t
already.
7.2 Mt Te Kingha:
There is a brand
new track starting from
7.4 Mt Alexander Tops:
The track up Camp
Creek is to be reinstated by DoC, with the work being done perhaps
during the 2006 or 2007 seasons.
7.5 Crooked River - Lake Morgan:
The track up the
7.6 Haupiri River - Lake Morgan:
The track up
on to
the Brian O’Lyn tops has unfortunately been removed from the
2000
K32 map. It is in good condition and DoC is going to maintain it.
7.8 Mt Mason - Waikiti River -
Trent River: Again, the old
track from the Haupiri up to Mt Mason has been removed from the 2000
metric
map. It climbs north onto point 369, and then heads east. DoC
intends to
reinstate the track over Trent Saddle and down past Lagoon Hut perhaps
during the 2006 or 2007 season.
Waikiti Gorge: The
route up the
8.2 Kirwans Hut:
Montgomerie Hut is
in good condition. DoC is maintaining the tracks and route via the pine
plantations between the
8.3 Murray Creek:
The Murray Creek
pamphlet is pretty much essential for following the old goldmining
tracks. A
full circuit will take longer time then you might think, especially if
you
spend time fossicking.
9.3 Pell Stream - Mt Mueller:
This is a hard trip. It is preferable
to walk up Pell Stream from where the old benched track ends at
Gilchrist Creek
to the next true-left tributary. From there follow the old track over
the
forested mound (point 760). The track then descends to the river and
flats can
mostly be followed up to the hut.
9.4 Mt Mueller Tops:
Mueller Tarn, with
a side-trip onto the tops is a good moderate day or weekend tramp.
However the
traverse over Mt Mueller is a considerably more challenging trip. The
Mueller
Tarn track has been removed from the 2001 edition map, as has the
signpost
beside the highway. The track starts 500m west of the hotel, just west
of the
creek draining the tarn. The traverse over
Mt Mueller is complicated. There is a pole at the bushline where the
old track
starts, northwest of point 1351. The upper section of track is easily
followable but then there is an incredibly steep section. The bottom
section is
becoming harder to follow, but is okay.
9.6 Upper Glenroy River:
Top Glenroy Hut has been removed.
9.10 Henry River - Boucher Stream: Forest re-growth now makes this trip harder and slower.
9.11 Trovatore - Discovery Peak:
The forest section
of the spur leading up to Trovatore is fairly hard going with stunted
forest
towards the top. Trovatore has communication aerials. If heading for
10.9 Sylvia Tops:
The forest on the
spur leading up to the Sylvia Tops has sections of pole beech and
re-growth
that makes the going a little hard work. DoC intends to cut a route up
here perhaps during the 2006 or 2007 season.
10.10 Devilskin Saddle:
Floods have washed
away an old car-parking spot beside the
10.11 Doubtful Range:
See the above note
on car-parking.
10.12 Amuri Pass - Hope Pass:
See the above note
on car-parking. DoC intends to reinstate the tracks over
10.13 Hope-Kiwi Lodge:
Museum Hut is
private and permission to use it is required.
Mackenzie Stream:
The track up to
Mackenzie Hut is in good condition and is to be maintained by DoC.
1.4 Locke Stream - Minchin Pass: The head of Locke Stream is very thick with scrub, and a direct route to Koeti Pass up the stream is not recommended. However the route via point 1396 should still be okay, but perhaps should be graded as 'Hard'.
1.5 Pfeifer Tops: DoC have now put in a new Pfeifer Biv.
1.20 Hawdon Hut - Walker Pass: The original Hawdon Hut has been burnt down, and a new hut has now been built 20 minutes up valley, above the Discovery confluence.
Discovery Stream: The northwest branch is difficult-going with travel in the forest the whole way. The main branch offers easier travel, but hte crossing to Sudden Valley requires care.
Hallejulah Biv, Waterfall Biv and Top Cox Biv have all been removed. The Top Poulter Biv has been replaced with a new biv.
Additional Information: Volunteers have marked a good route from Fenwick Stream up the obvious forested spur to Ranger Biv. (The biv was to be removed by DoC, but not sure of the current status.) From the biv there is a high-level route via the head of Row Stream into a creek giving access to the upper Cox River. (Note that Waterfall Biv has been removed.) Alternatively the Poulter Range can be followed south and a spur descended to the lower Cox River.
Jordan Tarns - Anti Crow Spur (new trip), Moderate 2 days: Walk in to Bealey Spur Hut on the Friday night. Traverse Hut Spur. Otherwise walk up Jordan Stream. From Jordan Saddle, there is a pleasant sidle to an initial high tarn, and then on to the main tarn. There is better camping at the higher tarns. Continue sidling and then climb to a low point 300m east of point 1762. Descend the other side and sidle onto the spur giving exellent views up the head of the Anti Crow River etc. There is good travel down to just before the tarns near point 989. Here it will be best to descend a short distance under beech forest. The shallow tarns, stunted trees and clearings make for a very pleasant spot, especially with the surrounding dramatic views beyond. Good travel through beech forest leads down to the valley track.
3.6 Long Valley Stream - Mt Misery: This trip is really only of moderate difficulty, and is best done in reverse, thereby keeping dry feet for most of the trip, and also taking advantage of a scree descent into Long Valley Stream. There is discreet parking behind poplars on the north bank of the Cass River. Follow the vehicle track up Pylon Gully. A recently cleared foot track leads to clearings on the saddle. From here ascend and sidle through open forest on northern slopes to gain an attractive parkland. Unfortunately the marked stream draining the basin and gully below 1911 is often dry, although a smaller gully 100m to the west has water at about the 1100m contour. Follow up clearings and beech forest to intersect the stream draining 1911 at the forest edge. Continue up easy slopes to 1911, passing the marked tarn. Traverse the gravel tops to the low point 600m to the west. Sidle for a further 300m and descend scree. Do not descend into the gully at the bottom, but rather sidle out and descend tussock. Gain the gully on the true-right near where it confluences, and boulder-hop on down. The best camping is on a terrace at the fork of tributary with the marked 50m waterfall. (There is probably good camping at the high marked tarn to the south of 1854, but note that it is a slight detour from the above route.) Long Valley Stream has much wider gravel flats then is indicated by the map and they go pretty much all the way down to the Cass confluence.
3.11 Mt Cheeseman - Mt Izard:
Much of Castle Hill
Station has become public conservation land, including the Mt
Cheeseman skifield road. This will allow much easier access,
particularly during summer months.
3.12 Mt Cloudesley - Mt Enys: There will be public access on Long Spur and in the bed of Whitewater Stream. DoC will hopefully be putting in signage to this effect at some time.
3.15 Bold Hill: The old Avoca homestead has been restored and is a great place to stay. It has six beds, but there is room for more.
4.4 Birdwood Range Circuit: Bristed Stream has good campsites two-thirds through the gorge, and also above the gorge. Allow about 4-5 hours to get through. Low flow is essential, and teamwork makes a big difference. If instead of crossing from Hanging Valley Stream over into Basins Creek, you descend to the Avoca then the old track from the forest-edge in Hanging Valley Stream down to Avoca Hut has been partially re-marked and is good going.
Mathias Pass: If you
can manage
the first few crossings at the bottom of Canyon Creek then you will
probably
get through. (There are about 20 crossings in all.) This
assumes that there is no avalanche debris.
Turtons Saddle - North Ashburton - Middle Stream (A new trip): A four-bunk A-frame hut is not marked on the 1998 K35 map and is located near the confluence of Comyns Stream. Comyns Hut provides good accommodation with eight bunks, although a couple are saggy. With low to moderate flow (ie. no snow-melt) it is pleasant to walk down to Cookies Point. (There are about three dozen crossings below Boundary Creek.) Cookies Hut is in excellent condition. Middle Stream is mostly easy boulder-hopping except for three short sharp scrub-bashes to get around cascades. There are good gravel campsites at the scrub-edge. The upper valley is particularly attractive. The higher basins with tarns are a little stoney, so camping there is limited. Return to Turtons Saddle over point 2109 and the spur running down past 1504. Note that Cookie Hut belongs to Black Hill Station, and although Middle Stream has long been retired, it is still leasehold to Black Hill Station.
5.6 Woolshed Creek : Mount Somers Hut has been replaced. The new hut sleeps 24. The old sauna is gone. There has been some rationalization of tracks with the Tri-Falls route and the Canyon route no longer signposted/promoted. The Bus Stop Track is signposted from 'Hydroslide Stream'.
5.7 Pinnacle Hut:
Note that the 2002 K36 map has Pinnacle Hut marked 800m northwest of
its correct location. The
walkway is wrongly marked as well.
5.11 Taylor Range:
Public access to
Double Hut is along the vehicle track along the south shore of
6.4 Havelock River: Finlay Face Hut was wiped out by an avalanche in the spring of 2004 and it is not going to be replaced.
Murphy Stream - Carnerys Creek (Hard) : The boulder-hop up Murphy Stream is particularly challenging, especially the last section, just before the orange triangle marking the route up an overgrown gut on the true-left. Towards the top of the gut, the route climbs on to a narrow rib overlooking the gorge. Permolat then leads down to the streambed which is easily boulder-hopped up to the biv. There is not much camping at the biv. Thread through the scrub behind the biv for 800m, and locate a hidden small cairn indicating an old track down to the stream again. Easy boulder-hopping to the top flats. The route over to Carneys Creek is up easy slopes on the edge of a scree just to the east of the obvious saddle. From the ridge-crest, do not descend directly down the scree on the other side, but follow down the broad spur. Lower down the spur erodes, and there is a good scree descent, which ends in a small cascade that requires some care to bypass. Boulder-hop down to the main stream.
Easy Col
: Scrub on the Forbes side is very thick, but a possibly better route
would be to traverse the ridge to point 1448 and descend scree from
there.
7.2 The Three Passes: The old Grassy Flat hut has been replaced by a new 10-bunk hut.
7.3 Popes Pass - Julia Creek: The track up Julia Creek has been re-cut by volunteers during the 2005 spring. It now only takes an easy couple of hours between the top basin and Julia Hut. Cairns mark the route on the true-right that links up the hidden scree fields.
8.1 Lathrop Saddle –
Zit Saddle:
There is a more direct route through the scrub-belt from Lathrop Saddle
down to the Crawford that is
marked and is on the face northwest of Crawford Biv. The route from
Crawford Junction up the Kokatahi uses the riverbed for much of the
way, which is fine so
long as the river is not running high. From the old Top Kokatahi
hut-site, there is
an alternative track going up-valley, recut recently by volunteers,
that stays on the true-right which avoids the ford of the main
track. Note that Top Kokatahi Hut has now been relocated to near
the site of the old Top Kokatahi Biv. A route descends from the
ridge
700m
north of
Zit Saddle, down a rib into the northern tributary gullies of Zit
Creek, and
then
climbs out on to Adventure Ridge. It is marked with a couple of poles.
8.5 Mullins - Jumble Top: It is not necessary to descend into Diedrich Creek to get around the difficult knolls on the Diedrich Range. Instead descend the 'R' of 'RANGE' on the map. Sidle back up near the 'N', and then descend at the 'G', into a narrow deep fault scarp that is the head of Jumble Creek. Climb out and traverse easy slopes under Jumble Top.
Gerhardt Spur: The
track is to be re-instated by DoC at some stage.
8.6 Toaroha Saddle - Frew Saddle:
The side-track
from Steadmans Creek to Bluff Hut is now overgrown and slow. The old
wire
bridges in Frews Creek are now replaced with more substantial
structures.
8.11 Cropp River - Ivory Lake -
Prices Basin:
The Noisy Creek
track is to be reinstated by DoC at some stage. Nothing is planned for the badly overgrown track down to the
Cropp River.
Steadman Brow - the
Prices Flat
swingbridge is to be maintained. (It is the bridge across the
8.13 Mikonui Spur: The track is to be reinstated by DoC at some stage.
8.14 Tuke River - Galena Ridge:
Volunteers
have re-cut the track up Healey Creek Spur in early 2005.
8.17 Waitaha - County: Volunteers have substantially cleared the tracks up the Waitaha and County including Clearview Spur, in August 2007.
8.18 Scamper Torrent - Smyth Range: The Scamper Torrent and Headlong Spur tracks are to be reinstated by DoC at some stage. (As described in the text, these tracks are reasonably easily followable as they are now, for experienced parties.) DoC is hoping to sort out straighforward access. Currently you should phone Dave Wickham beforehand (03 7627020).
Waitaha Valley: Volunteers have substantially cleared the tracks up the Waitaha and County including Clearview Spur, in August 2007.
Contrary to the 2003 edition of I34, the cage across the Wanganui River (a kilometre northeast of Hunters Hut) is not locked and is for public use.
9.2 Wanganui River - Smyth Hut: Allow 6-8 hours from Hunters Hut to Smyth Hut. At Poker Bluff there is a short-cut route using a bolted chain and ladder; otherwise a marked route climbs a slip and descends a steep track. The track from Devastation Creek threads through a maze of giant boulders, and is particularly tiring work.
9.3 Blue Lookout - Lord River:
The Blue Lookout
track has been reinstated by DoC.
9.4 Lambert Tops - Lambert Glacier:
As alluded to in the text, DoC has
reinstated the Lambert Tops track.
9.5 Wilberg Range:
The old Mt Wilberg
track has been removed from the 2003 I34 metric map. Old permolat is found on the terrace on the true-right of
9.6 Speculation Range - Adams Flat: See the previous note on the old Mt Wilberg track.
9.9 Perth River: The
tracks up
Scone Creek and Bettison
Spur are both
officially maintained routes.
Update Logs:
October 20th, 2005:
Initial posting.
November 28th, 2005: Tutu Stream
January 4th, 2006: Cone Creek
; Deer
Valley
February
16th: Kinnebrooks Hut - View
Hill , Bristed Stream
January 12th 2007: Clarence Reserve , Mt French