off the beaten track

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Fixed-wire Traverse—infamously famous

30 August 2009 in Mt Richmond, New Zealand wilderness, Photography, Tramping/hiking trips | 6 comments

Following on from my article Mt Richmond—mountain and forest park, here’s an account of my experience on the infamous “fixed-wire” traverse.

The fixed-wire traverse is a route that gives access to the Richmond Range and Mt Richmond from Pelorus Valley. Some years ago, when I started exploring Mt Richmond Forest Park, I heard and read about the “wire”, a steel cable that assists in negotiating a steep rock face. I was told all sorts of stories about the level of difficulty, from “piece of cake” to “sheer horror”. The only way to find out was to get up there and have a look for myself.

View from point 1496 aka North Peak to Mt Fell (centre, 1599 m) and Mt Richmond (right, 1756 m).

First attempt—mission failed

On my first attempt I never made it to the wire. I set out from Rocks Hut at dawn, and descended to Middy Hut by the Pelorus River, which took a couple of hours or so. Behind Middy Hut I bashed through some thick bush in a southeasterly direction until the bush opened up to mature beech forest. There was no obvious track but the odd, old marker confirmed I was headed the right way. After the initial climb of 750 metres the track levelled off a little, before becoming undulating. The weather was near perfect, a bit too warm perhaps and there was a strong, gusty southwester blowing which would have been more of an issue above the bushline.

Anyway, I thought I had reached Conical Knob when, in fact, I had only made it to point 1034. When I did get to Conical Knob I stopped for a break to assess the situation. I realised that

I had underestimated the route
I was half way, if that
I didn’t carry enough water to get through the day comfortably.

To complicate things, I didn’t know what time it was! At some point during the ascent, my otherwise reliable, accurately ticking Swiss watch stopped working—flat battery! This was well before cellphones became small and light enough to carry. These days when I’m out tramping I have at least three clocks on me: My watch, cellphone and even my pocket knife has a mini computer in it.

Back to my reckoning on Conical Knob: I knew it was well after midday, and I was unsure of what challenges laid ahead, like the infamous “wire”. In the end I reluctantly decided it was time for plan B: Backtrack to Middy Hut.

Second attempt—mission accomplished

In December 2006 it was time for another attempt. This time I came in from the west, spent a night at Browning Hut, then over Totara Saddle to Roebuck Hut. From old maps and brochures I established that there used to be a marked track from Roebuck Hut to Conical Knob. Like many other tracks, its maintenance ceased in 1994. My guess was that the vegetation would be similar to the Middy Hut–Conical Knob area—mature, open beech forest—so I gave it a shot.

Roebuck Hut–Conical Knob

To my surprise someone had actually cleared the bush between Roebuck Hut and the smallish clearing above the hut, giving easy access to the old track. The initial climb was straightforward. Frequent, old track markers made navigating a breeze. In fact, the old markers led all the way up to Conical Knob. Beyond point 702 the track was rather pleasant, with lots of ferns and trees other than beech.

Bush along Roebuck Hut–Conical Knob Route

Bush along Roebuck Hut–Conical Knob Route.

The final assault of Conical Knob was a very steep affair. Above 1000 metres altitude the gradient increased considerably up a spur with lots of rocky outcrops. Once there, it was a nice feeling to be back on Conical Knob; new (personally) untracked country was lying ahead.

Roebuck Hut marker on Conical Knob

Roebuck Hut marker on Conical Knob.

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Lobelia macrodon—one of twelve lobelia native to New Zealand

5 July 2009 in Kahurangi, New Zealand wilderness, Photography | No comments

More than half of New Zealand’s known native plant species (2450 of them in 2004) occur in Kahurangi National Park, one of my favourite tramping “playgrounds”. Over the years I’ve certainly begun to appreciate the diversity of plant life in Kahurangi. Regardless of the location, altitude and exposure to nature’s elements, some plant has made itself at home there.

I have also learnt that unless I keep an eye out for them, most plants go unnoticed, usually because they are quite small and at the same time blend in well with the surroundings.

However, now and then a plant seeks attention: “Hello there, come and have a look at my pretty flowers!” As happened with the plant portrayed in this article. It called out to me from below Kakapo Peak, which is a well-known day trip from Fenella Hut.

The pretty white flowers happily posed in front of my camera lens. Upon my return home, I was faced with the quest of finding out the name of the plant. None of my books and online searches gave me any answers. It was time to ask an expert, such as Nelson botanist Shannel Courtney:

Shannel’s verdict: “Your plant is Lobelia macrodon—one of twelve named species of native lobelia. This one is confined to scree margins and bare ground of the northern South Island down to about Mt Hutt in South Canterbury, and it is the most fragrant of all of them. John Salmon has it illustrated on page 244 of his field guide—he calls it mountain pratia as it used to be called Pratia macrodon (all the Pratia are now Lobelia). But there are about six species of mountain lobelia so this isn’t a good common name.”

Thank you Shannel!

(Shannel Courtney works for the Department of Conservation in Nelson, and is a committee member of the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. In 2008 he was presented with the Loder Cup, New Zealand’s premier conservation award.)

Lobelia macrodon flowering below Kakapo Peak in March.

What’s in a name? French botanist Charles Plumier (1646–1704) named the plant genus Lobelia and the botanical family Lobeliaceae in honour of Flemish botanist Matthias de L’Obel (1538–1616).

There’s that bear again! (See Bear sightings in Kahurangi National Park.) For size reference, the bear’s height is a mere 0.4 foot (130 mm).

Kakapo Peak (south face, 1783 m).

Southwestern view from Kakapo Peak.

Camera To view my other Kakapo Peak photos please browse my gallery or view the slideshow.

Mt Owen massif—wilderness at its best

17 May 2009 in Kahurangi, New Zealand wilderness, Photography, Tramping/hiking trips | 4 comments

As announced earlier, here is an account of my latest tramping trip to the Mt Owen massif:

Map with Mt Owen massif trip overview

Overview of my four-day trip to the Mt Owen massif

Day 1: Courthouse Flat–Granity Pass

The starting point of my trip was Courthouse Flat at the end of the Wangapeka River Road. There are two options to gain the first 500 metres in altitude: Via the Ridge Track or the Blue Creek Track. The latter was my choice, meandering along an easy walking track next to Blue Creek for the first half hour or so. A few hundred metres before the Blue Creek Resurgence, the track branches off and becomes a tramping track. It follows Blue Creek for a bit before relentlessly and steadily climbing out of the valley. After some heavy rain the day before, a few showers kept on sweeping through from the west, making the track slippery and muddy in parts.

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Diamond Lake—a jewel in Kahurangi National Park

12 April 2009 in Kahurangi, New Zealand wilderness, Photography, Tramping/hiking trips | 7 comments

Incidentally, one of the meanings of kahurangi in Māori is jewel. Diamond Lake is one of seven lakes in an area known as either Diamond Lakes or Sylvester Lakes. While camping there for a few days, I fell in love with the lake, a true gem in Kahurangi National Park!

Sunrise at Diamond Lake

Even though there is no track that leads to Diamond Lake, it isn’t too difficult to get to. In fact, it may be a good introduction to wilderness travel for those who have never ventured off the beaten track. From the western side of the Cobb Reservoir dam (at 820 m), it’s a two to three-hour walk along an old, disused vehicle track to Sylvester Hut (at 1310 m). Beyond the hut there are no tracks and wilderness travel in open country begins.

There are two main routes from Sylvester Hut to Diamond Lake:

Routes to Diamond Lake

Iron Stream Route

From Sylvester Hut, follow the ridge southeast of Lake Sylvester until you pick up a cairned route that leads to a steep, grassy slope down to Iron Stream. Across the stream head for a clump of beech trees and an obvious rocky outcrop. Pick up an old and still marked track, and follow it up through the beech forest to the open ridge east of Lake Lillie. Sidle past Lake Lillie to the bush edge south of Diamond Lake. From here, descend through the beech forest in a northerly direction, straight down to Diamond Lake.

Iron Hill Route

From Sylvester Hut, follow the spur between Lake Sylvester and Little Lake Sylvester, and head for the outlet of Iron Lake. From there, a cairned route climbs steeply through a maze of rocky outcrops and bluffs, all the way to the summit of Iron Hill. At 1695 metres it is the highest point on the Lockett Range, offering a breathtaking 360-degree panorama. From Iron Hill follow the Lockett Range to point 1631 and down the ridge northwest of Lake Lillie. When you reach the bushline, descend through the beech forest in a northerly direction, straight down to Diamond Lake.

Clockwise from top left: Lake Sylvester, Little Lake Sylvester and Iron Lake

View from Iron Hill to Cobb Valley and Peel Range

A word of caution

As with all mountainous and exposed areas in Kahurangi National Park, the weather can change very quickly. The first time I camped at Diamond Lake, I encountered a freak storm and cold snap that brought several inches of snow in the middle of summer. Be prepared! It can be lovely and warm one day, and unfavourable and freezing on the next. Visibility can change quickly too. If you need to travel in adverse weather opt for the Iron Stream Route.

Fog over Diamond Lake

How long does it take to get from Sylvester Hut to Diamond Lake?

Slowpoke Rodriguez and Speedy Gonzáles

That depends on many factors, such as level of fitness, how often you stop for breaks, the weather, and also whether you are a Speedy Gonzáles or Slowpoke Rodriguez type tramper. Anyhow, for either route, allow at least four hours each way.

Are there any campsites at Diamond Lake?

Yes, there are good campsites at both ends of the lake.

Diamond Lake is a good base to explore the other lakes, like Ruby Lake or Lake Lockett, and makes for a straight-forward climb to Mt Lockett.

Diamond Lake

How to get there

At Upper Takaka (at the base of Takaka Hill on the Golden Bay side), a narrow 28-kilometre road leads to Cobb Reservoir. For more information download DOC’s Cobb Valley, Mt Arthur, Tableland publication.

Baton Saddle

22 January 2008 in Kahurangi, New Zealand wilderness, Tramping/hiking trips | 1 comment

Baton Saddle, located on Arthur Range about 10 km west southwest of Mt Arthur, offers tremendous views deep into Kahurangi National Park.

Baton Saddle can be reached from Baton Valley Road along Baton River or by climbing out of the Leslie Valley. Both approaches require a climb of nearly 1100 m to the saddle at 1360 m.

Southeastern view from Baton Saddle

Baton Track

Photos

The Baton Track follows a historic goldminers’ pack track along the Baton River to Flanagans Hut. In many places the track is rather rugged and there are some stretches where it has been washed out by the river. There are several river crossings along the way, hence this trip should only be considered when river levels are low. In parts the track sidles steeply above the river and fixed steel cables offer assistance. The track is well marked with orange markers.

After four to five hours walk from Baton Valley Road, Flanagans Hut is a welcome sight. It is located at the foot of a pretty basin from where Baton Saddle can be glimpsed for the first time. Flanagans Hut (eight bunks) was built in 1986 by the Motueka Tramping Club.

It can take up to two hours to follow the poled route from the hut to Baton Saddle. The last section below the saddle is steep and there is an abundance of tall and prickly speargrass. On a clear day the panorama from Baton Saddle is breathtaking. To the northwest the views reach as far as Kendall Ridge, Herbert Range, Garibaldi Ridge, Morgan Range, Grange Ridge, Marshall Range, Kakapo Spur, Peel Range, Lockett Range and down to the Karamea Syncline and the Leslie Valley.

Baton Saddle panorama

Wilkinson Track

The Wilkinson Track offers a route from Baton Saddle to the Leslie River where it connects with the Leslie–Karamea Track.

The Wilkinson Track is by no means for the fainthearted. Some parts are steep and rough and there are sections, especially in the lower part, where the track is quite overgrown. Patches of tall and dense ongaonga (urtica ferox), the infamous stinging tree nettle, may also be encountered. It is, perhaps, not surprising that some discerning tramper altered the signpost in Leslie Valley to read “Wilkinson ~~Track~~ Horror”.

off the beaten track