Monday 26 December 2022

Richmond Range traverse via Mt Fishtail - Pelorus ridge

For a few trips I've been eying up the ridge system between Mt Fishtail and the Hoiere (Pelorus) River.  I managed to traverse the ridge from Pelorus Bridge and connect to the ridge running north west from Fishtail, but I was wanting to see if you could get down the north west face of Fishtail and along the 3ish km of ridge in between.  I can't find anything on the internet or Nelson Tramping Club website but it is far too obvious and elegant a route to ignore.

The pleasure of not having any intel on the route is that I just have to go on what I have seen from a distance, and what I can guess from the surrounding terrain and reading the map.  Studying the face and the section of ridge at a distance from various angles I've identified four bits that might be tricky and discovered a likely way through the first - a good ledge running down the northwest face of Mt Fishtail.  

I have a few days after Christmas, before my New Year Kahurangi trip, and work a crossing of the range into the itinerary.  I'm coming off a bit of an arthritis flare up in one foot which will slow things down, but all going well I'll get from Blenheim to Nelson in a reasonably leisurely three days to meet the support crew and head to Golden Bay for a few days relaxation before the Tasman Wilderness.

What:    Richmond Range Traverse 
Where:  Via Mt Fishtail
When:   27-29 December 2022
Who:     Solo



Brother number three and partner kindly agree to drop me off.  I've got my eye on a spur running up to pt 1250 on the Richmond Range SE of Mt Fishtail.  I could go up the Quartz Creek track, but I'll mostly be off track this trip so thought I'd start as I mean to continue.  

Right into Fabian Road, right again into Bartletts Rd, across the first ford and along to the (still) locked gate.  About 1045 I wave good bye and follow the short forestry track (marked on the Topo map) up into pines.  



It's the usual manky pine block travel with thinnings and windfall to negotiate and weedy undergrowth.  There's an occasional clearing with a large flat area for logging although at the moment they only seem to be used for wintering beehives.  They give a chance to see how slowly the Wairau River is dropping behind.  


It takes about an hour to get above the pines into native forest.  There's a few ribbons at one point, but mostly there is little sign of much foot travel.  The first possibly tight bit is the approach to pt 952.  I get a bit of a look ahead at one point and it doesn't seem to be too bad.  On the approach it gets pretty steep but a bit of scrambling is all that is required.


Approaching pt 952

The top is broad and marked by a survey pipe.  It's a bit after 2pm so progress is slow. 
  




Ahead up the spur it's looking pretty claggy, and it looks forbidding around pt 1166 - craggy and bluffy. 

It's a bit of a messy decent into the next saddle - no discernible trail, no defined spur and a mix of vegetation including spindly dracophyllum 'forest'.



On the the approach to 1166 I sidle below the top on the NE. I end up in bluffs in bush that require a strategic retreat.  Eventually I make the saddle before the final grunt up to pt 1250.  It's cold and claggy - I can't see a way up on the east face of the spur and I'm not game to climb the exposed spur itself, so sidle and climb a loose chute on the west side.  It's probably a good thing I can't see much below.  

Looking down the west chute - spur on the left

It's open at the top and the clag comes and goes revealing that, although there's high cloud, the clag is localised around the tops.



It's just before 6pm when I stop for a short sit down at pt 1250.  This is part of the Richmond Range ridgeline and I expect there will be a pretty good foot trail as, although there is no marked track, it is a pretty obvious route.  Sure enough there is a ribbon to mark where the ridge changes direction and a goodish foot trail.  

The ridge is pretty with the rocky bones emerging through moss and beech forest.  But with the climb taking longer than expected, the damp bush, and feeling a bit knackered, I'm clock watching and not looking forward to the climb up to Fishtail.    




The climb is uneventful - in the clag you have to search around a bit to get a round the odd bluffy bit but there's no really exposed climbing that I recall.  The top when it rolls into sight is welcome but somewhat anticlimactic.  At around 8.30pm I don't pause beyond the obligatory photo before taking a bearing and following the broad top NW and down.



I've seen the top ridge from below but not been along it - I recall reading though that you don't want to drop off the ridge too soon as the face below is steep.  I follow the compass into the saddle then make my way down into the basin.  Somewhere down here is a hut.  I'm reasonably confident that by dropping from the saddle I can come back along the basin to pick up the stream gully that passes near the hut - however, given that it is getting towards dark I take a quick check on the GPS to confirm.  




I find the stream and around 9.20pm the hut emerges in the gloom.  There's a couple with a dog  in a tent outside and three people and two dogs inside.  They've already turned in, so I quietly unpack and cook my dinner in the tiny foyer before crawling wearily into my bag.  It's taken 10 and a half hours to get up the spur and along the ridge - an inordinate amount of time.    

Fishtail Hut is a lovely little facility but way too small for four people and two dogs.  I really can't understand the thinking behind rocking up to a place like this in the middle of summer with one, let alone two dogs.  The couple in the tent have the good manners to bring their own accommodation and keep their dog with them.

I have a leisurely start watching the others head off in various directions - tent couple and dog head up to the ridge to explore and I assume head for the top, two-dog woman heads back along the track out then climbs the steep spur to the top from the SSW, the other couple (mother from Blenheim and her visiting daughter) leave just before me to head down the track to the carpark.  I get away about 8.20 - it's clear although the valleys are full of cloud that may rise as the air warms.

 

It takes about half an hour to potter up the scree and rocks to the ridge.  The first order of the day is to find a way down the precipitous northeast face of the mountain to the ridge below.  First I check out the notch at E 1640510, N 5411984 (west of the high point that is west of the large north face slip).  It  looks a bit steep and gnarly and I don't push it but proceed west to the next notch (E 1640341, N 5411900).  I know this one is a goer having explored part way down it on my previous visit.  




I make my way down the ledge.  It's pretty good going - there's a bit of a drop into some nasty chutes and cliffs but plenty of space to work with.  

Part way down - looking back up the ledge

The last section I didn't explore on my earlier trip turns out to be as straight forward as anticipated, and within 10 minutes I'm on the ridge and looking back at the face.  There's a bit of vegetation to get through to get to the ridge proper but a few animal trails help.   

After a lot of anticipation and studying this face from a distance from many angles, it is a relief, yet not an anticlimax, to get down so easily.  I am quite chuffed as I turn my attention to the section of ridge which is now in reach.



I take a bit of a break and sit looking back along the ridge.  The first notch I looked at could be a goer but it looks like a much more rocky scramble and nowhere near as straight forward.  I had also toyed with navigating the large slip and sidling below the rocky bits - from here that looks like a world of pain and frustration.  

Dunno what all the worry was about 

Getting moving again it's easy going for a short while to the first anticipated obstacle.  The topo map shows a bit of a pinch in the contour lines half way to pt 1329 (E 1639835, N 5412581) - eyeballing the ridge from a distance it had looked rocky but enough bush to promise a way through.  

I'm sidling on the east side of the ridge top when I get to the bluff (about 0940).  There are some steep crumbly chutes on the east face - a dislodged rock rattles down for a long time before dropping into a deep pool somewhere far below.   I backtrack to the top of the ridge and find an easier way around on the west - then I think a wee clamber down a less sketchy gully in bush on the east (I'm a bit hazy on this bit though - I tried and discarded a few options through here).


Looking down a chute on the east side of ridge


The next hurdle is a knob that doesn't look so bad on the topo map (E 1639779, N 5412692).  An aborted approach on the east sees me retreating from the middle of a wee face where the footholds become just too sketchy for my liking (probably doable, but I'm not that comfortable with 'probably'!).

Once again I scramble back to the ridge top and find a way around on the west.  It's steep but there is bush to hold on to and I find a way down to where the ridge continues.  It's rocky along here, but I'm past what I anticipate are the most tricky bits and it's not looking too difficult now.  


From the West side of the second knob

 

Looking back - first bluff on the left, knob on the right


I work along the ridge and to pt 1329 - this one looked steep from a distance but the map indicates it should be navigable by keeping away from the west face.  This proves to be the case - it's steep and covered in slippery humus but quite navigable.   

Partway down my foot slips and I come down heavily on my side.  Arresting the slide is first up followed by the usual rapid 'ouch' assessment.  My right ribs have taken the impact and it feels like there will be quite a bruise but no other apparent damage.  

Just after 11.23 I roll up to the top of pt 1173.  This is where I reached this ridge last time from Pelorus Bridge.  I take a break to sit on the mossy ridge top listening to the harsh calls of a stubbornly invisible long tailed cuckoo in the tree above.  

Although only half way across the range the main purpose of the trip is complete.  I wouldn't recommend it to most people, but it is satisfying to get through the short ridge section and not have to retreat and take a long route around.  







Being through this section only once before, I would hesitate to say the ridge is familiar but I recognise spots and can pick more efficient lines in places.  I stop for a leisurely lunch in the company of a few tōtōara (South Island Robins) and korimako.  



There's a few bony bits around pt 1137, which are by passable with sidles on the east if you notice in time.  

Finally I get to pt 820 - this is near where I'll veer down a different spur from last time.  It's easy to spot the junction - the ridge finishes at a wee pile of rocks.  Left drops to pt 678, right is new territory - a spur that drops to pt 206 and the river.




There is no obvious foot trail on the spur and there's a bit of treefall and undergrowth.  It's mostly straightforward although you have to be careful not to be diverted right into a gully at around 600m.  There are some lovely flat sections and cathedral like forest.  




Approaching pt 206 there are sections of dense understory and tātarāmoa (bushlawyer) to contend with, and in the absence of any trails I start veering left to find a way down to the river.

The map would have you believe that this side of the valley shelves gently to the water's edge.  I'm not convinced though and am unsurprised to stumble to the edge of a sharp 10m or so drop.  It's not climbable so I scramble northeast along the foot of the spur, through rigger growth.  Eventually the bank eases and I find a way down to the edge of the river.  

The river is another decision point.  I know the Hoiere can be deep with rocky banks and I'm mentally prepared for a pack float - providing I can find a suitable entry and exit with run out options.  My luck is in - the river is relatively low and here it is flat with sand on this bank and shingle on the other.  It turns out to be just over knee deep and I barely need the stick I find for the crossing.




It's a small relief that the river crossing has been better than expected - Plan B was to sidle, traverse and or boulder hop up valley to find a better spot or reach the bridge a K or two upstream.  I suspect this would have been a bit painful.  

Scrambling up a 2m bank on the other side I find myself on the track showing every sign of many TA walkers passing through.  

Captain's Creek Hut is a short way up valley and there are four tents pitched outside.  I resign myself to camping but it turns out that no-one is sleeping in the hut so I have it to myself.




At 5.40 it hasn't been a particularly long day (a bit over 9 hours with breaks) but I am feeling battered and worn - and yes, just a little smug.  

Looking back on the day it was around 40 minutes from the hut to get past the Fishtail face and onto the ridge, a bit over two hours to get through the tricky bits, and a bit over 6 hours to traverse the rest of the ridge and cross the river to the hut.  It could all be covered in far less time but it has gone surprisingly to plan.

I get about the business of eating and turning in and keep to myself.  My ribs are bruising up and getting a bit sore and I'm not really in the mood for company.

The morning is bright and sunny and I'm in no hurry, but at 9.20 I'm still the first to leave the hut clearing.  

The route I've mapped out runs straight up an interesting looking spur behind the hut. There's a few steepish looking bits but it doesn't seem particularly gnarly as it winds in a series of steps to pt 992.  There's a bit of a saddle then I'm hoping to pop out above the Maitai Dam around the Dew Lakes.   




Initially, the spur has quite a bit of tight understory but it soon opens up, barring a few areas with tree fall and/or thicker undergrowth.  Despite this and the lack of views, it's a really pleasant amble upwards.  








I haven't got any time pressures so have a long lunch break at pt 992 chasing a wee patch of sun along a log.  

Lunch stop

There's no obvious trail off 992 to the saddle, so I follow the compass through thickening bush using the odd glimpse of the cliffs around Maungatapu to keep on line.  As it is, I end up a bit west of the saddle proper and have a bit of bashing through thick ferns to get back on line.  I think the trick through here is to head due north off 992 before swinging northwest.

There's a more obvious trail coming up out of the saddle - not sure if animal or human but it gives something to follow.  The topography is a bit confused and it gets a bit scrubby and boggy but up is easy - finding a way down would be another thing.  At one point I hear voices which must be near the Dew Lakes but I don't encounter anyone until I pop out on the ridgeline track around E 1634340, N 5424940 - on the Maungatapu side of Dew Lakes.  There's a couple just disappearing southwest, and a northeast-bound runner sweats his way past a minute or two later.

It's open on the ridge and I can now see it's 3.25 on a beautiful afternoon.  To the SSE Fishtail lurks on the horizon and I reckon I can just make out the line of my ledge (yep - still a bit smug).        




It's familiar territory now - down past the Rush Pools to the Maitai.  I potter on down, only seeing the runner on his return leg.  It's sweltering in the open patches and the shade of the bush is welcome.  



Once on the forestry road I think appreciably of the lift I got up the hill last time through, but no such luck today.   I note there are four cars in the carpark at the bottom - it's 4.20 so these are not great odds for hitching a lift.  



There's no-one about so I trudge off down the road hugging the patches of shade where possible.  After a while, a milestone marker informs me somewhat gratuitously that it is 10 long, hard and dusty kilometres to town.  This is a bit of a downer, as is the car that passes without stopping - one down, three to go.   I get past the 8km marker before a battered 4WD pulls up.  He's lives in the Brook and has just taken his two young children for a swim in the Maitai, away from the crowds at the popular holes closer to town.  He does a bit of hunting so I think was more inclined to be sympathetic to my situation. 

He drops me at the shops on Milton St with the choice of a dairy or the Sprig and Fern.  The dairy wins and a couple of ginger beers later I'm in a cab on the way to brother number one's Nelson place for a shower and a long sleep.

Postscript

This was a really satisfying trip.  The highlight was confirming the link through that short section of ridge off Fishtail.  I won't be repeating the trudge up the spur from Bartletts Road - it was quite interesting in places, and I would sort of like to know if there's a better line through the final crux - but not enough to do it again.  I still have unfinished business along the Richmond Range so I have no doubt I'll be doing the bit between Baldy and Fishtail at some point - hopefully with some visibility.   

The route off Fishtail requires care but is pretty straightforward - the following section of ridge wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea though.  Again, it was pleasing that the spur down to, and the crossing of the Hoihere were viable.  I struck it lucky - I wouldn't assume a safe crossing point at other places on the river.  

For some reason I was quite taken with the spur up from Captain's Creek hut - a much better alternative to a third trip on the Middy-Rocks track (unthinkable!).        

It might not have been the smartest move to do a somewhat challenging trip with just three days break before a longer even more challenging trip ..... I'm carrying a bit of damage as a result, but at least got to test a bit of gear and the food plan. 


Thursday 3 November 2022

Pelorus, Nelson and Fishtail - Richmond Range

I've got a bit of down time between jobs, a birthday to get to in Nelson, a ten trip to Blenheim on Sounds Air, and plenty of unfinished business in the Richmond Range.  The original plan of a double crossing of the range between Fishtail and Nelson is stymied by land access issues.  I'm a bit steamed up about that but suck it up and after an extra, rather grumpy night in Blenheim I hatch another plan.   

I'll start from Pelorus Bridge, climb south to Benbown and the ridge that runs SW to intersect another ridge which runs NW from the back of Fishtail to the Pelorus River.  After that, there's plenty of options to get through to Nelson.  For the return route I've got some interesting cross country in mind - a spur off the Bryant Range to Roebuck Hut, another up to Grass Knob and the ridge route from Fell to Fishtail.

What:   Exploration and double crossing of the range
Where: Richmond Range: Pelorus, Nelson and Mt Fishtail
When:  4 - 11 November 2022
Who:    Solo 


Part one - to Nelson


Part two - back again

Day zero - an aborted start

Iona and Col lend me the spare car which allows me to discover on Thursday just how closed the road ends are on North Bank Road - this seems to be a combination of active logging, not active logging but thinking about it so let's close the road anyway, and possibly storm damaged roads that haven't been repaired yet.  Combine this with no attempt to provide alternative parking spots and routes into the park and you can understand the frustration.  I can hardly blame DOC - I'd prefer they use any spare cash on pest control rather than recreation - but there is something fundamentally broken about our legal settings that means that landowners bordering on parks can so effectively bar access to public land. 

Day one - Pelorus Bridge to pt 1330



About 6.45am I leave the Pelorus Bridge carpark and head up the track to K trig through beautiful mature bush with tall emergent podocarps.  I'm carrying 4 Liters of water in anticipation of spending the night on the ridge - I've also identified points 995 and 920 as the best bail out points if the going is too difficult.  The crux of the ridge is pt 1330 which has a steep climb up then a narrow, steep and tricky looking ridge beyond.  There are no tarns marked but it looks like water might be obtainable to the SE of pt 858. 

It's a great day.  The K Trig track breaks out of the bush where the pines have been harvested on the neighbouring block for a view NE down the Hoiere valley I've just driven up.  The track continues along the ridge then climbs to pt 417.  South across the saddle the spur to Benbown has pines on the lower slopes which I'm going to have to get through.    


NE down the Hoiere/Pelorus valley

Pt 868 with Benbown beyond
The pine block has a healthy crop of gorse so I follow the track from the top a short way into the bush but quickly work out I'll just have to deal with the prickles.  There's an old forestry track heading for the saddle but it's covered in gorse so I drop east towards a clear road.  This sees me in the saddle at 7.50. 

From the saddle up to Trig K
There's no obvious trail leading up the spur from the Saddle.  An old 4WD track starts from the clearing and is covered in regrowth but I make my way through into pine forest then head upwards, sometimes straying west into regenerating native bush.  It's all a bit messy, no real signs of tracks and a bit slow going. 

Around 8.40 I reach the top end of the pines and the going improves hugely under beech. 12 minutes later I stumble on a boundary peg.  The climb is steep in places but pretty straight forward once out of the pines.





Flat bit before pt 868

Skirting pt 868
About 3hr 35 after leaving the bridge I reach a pipe in a small bare clearing at the top of Benbown.  The ridge from here runs weirdly straight SW for quite a few kilometers.  I haven't found anything online about people traversing it so I have no idea if it is navigable - just in case I've lined up a few possible bail out points. I'm also a bit tired - possibly something to do with 4L of water on board.



The clearing gives views to the back of Mounts Riley and Sunday and west across the Hoiere/Pelorus Valley. 



Heading SW along the ridge top I quickly start getting a feeling for the countryside.  It's pretty knobby in places - rocky outcrops that you either sidle around or clamber over.  The going is generally good through open beech - with the usual windfall branches etc.  It's a lot more up and down then the map indicates so it takes longer than anticipated.  It's pretty much all in forest with the occasional view through the trees across to the peaks on the Richmond Range or over the Hoihere valley towards Tasman. 






About 1240 I get to pt 995. The top is under trees but open and it looks like there might even be a viable route north towards 815 then back to Pelorus via Bryant Stream.  Noted for future reference.  The wind has picked up and it's decidedly cold as soon as you stop moving.


View forward to pt 1330
I had wondered about tree fall being a problem along the ridge - there are a few areas where trees have tipped over but it's not too bad.  


A bit of tree fall between 923 and 858

View into a tributary to the Hoiere
I've got through a couple of litres so decide to look for water from the saddle before 858.  From the map I had identified the possibility of a source on the east side of the knob, but in the saddle the gully to the north looks promising.  A trickle forms not too far down the slope and I top up before heading on.




The ridge remains relatively easy travel with the odd scramble but I'm moving slowly over the endless knobs.  I look for water again on the west side of the saddle just before the climb to 1330 but waste a chunk of time and energy discovering there is none within cooey of the ridge.   

On the map, the steepening climb towards pt 1330 could be bluffy, but although it's a grind, no rock climbing is required.  The wind is strong and cold despite the sun and as it gets towards 6pm I start looking for a bivvy spot - not a chance.  I've found no flat spots by the time I hit the bushline.  I pause briefly to admire the view before ducking back into the bush to fossick on the east (lee) side of the ridge.

 
Back down the ridge, pt 920 is the closest knob.

North west ish - the ridge with 998 and 708 on the left
A robin keeps me company as I scramble about looking at banks and overhangs.  Eventually a bit of application of the boot and a few judicially placed rocks gives me a platform tucked into a bank that will have to do.  It's not forecast to rain so I roll out the bivvy bag, climb into as many clothes as I can and crawl into my pit.  Hot soup gets me warm enough to sleep soundly for 12 hours solid. 

Day two - pt 1330 to Middy Hut

It's a clear sunny morning and by 7am I'm climbing through low scrub to the top of 1330.  There's a trail of sorts so no bashing required.  The loose plan for the day is to complete this section of ridge, hang a right and head down another ridge to get the Hoihere River and hopefully Middy Hut.  



Above the bushline the views are pretty good.

NE

NW - from the bushline on pt 1330 back along the ridge to Benbown 

SSW Mt Fell on the left - the chain ladder descends the wee bluff further along that ridge  
From the top I can finally see the ridge ahead.  To my relief, although lumpy it looks navigable.  I'm a bit disappointed with progress yesterday and wasn't relishing the possibility I might come across a feature that would force me to back track.  


Start of the ridge from 1330 to 1173 - Fishtail on left
The ridge is indeed lumpy and there is a bit of scrambling but nothing too difficult - although I manage to gouge a tidy grove in my forearm when a foothold turns out to be a lump of moss with no rock under it.   

In between the interminable ups, downs and tactical sidles, I take the few opportunities afforded by gaps in the canopy to study Mt Fishtail and the ridgeline near it.  I'm keen to see if there is a way off the peak onto the ridge - it looks a bit dodgy on the topo map but potentially doable.  I'm also keen to see what the ridge is like from Fishtail to 1173.  

From what I can see, it looks like the large slip on Fishtail might be navigable, but it drops a long way before you could sidle to the ridge and it would be pretty tough going.  The rest of the face looks precipitous but there are suggestions of features that might be navigable for a tramper.   As for the ridgeline to pt 1173, there are two or three features which show rocky faces in this direction and if there is a route through it's not obvious from here.    

  
Fishtail - slip on left, main peak out of sight to left



There's many more ups and downs and some interesting faces in the bush on the north-west face of the ridge - but eventually, I'm on the last pinch up to pt 1173; arriving at 11.10am.

This is a significant milestone for the ridge and I'm happy to drop pack and sit on the mossy crest of the ridge.  I've come up the long leg of the T from Benbown and arrived at the junction.  Left, a bit over 2K away is Mt Fishtail with a bit of ridge in between that I fully intend to investigate one day soon.  Right, that ridge continues to disintegrate into a series of spurs down to the Hoihere River.   I turn right to see what comes next. 

It's pretty good travel, there are a few rocky down scrambles that I think could have avoided if I'd dropped 10-20m to sidle on the NE face of the ridge.    

The day is hot and sunny and there are enough gaps and low canopy to get views across to Mt Fell and pt 1496 (with the chain ladder).  Around 12.30 I take a break for lunch in a spot with a bit of shade and a view.   


Mt Fell at center
The ridge winds on - it's pretty much as you would expect from the map.  Most of the navigation is straight forward:  straight through to pt 1107, take a bearing to drop right then bear left, then turn left at the 960m contour, bear right at pt 820 then take a bearing to drop into the saddle before pt 678, gentle climb out of the saddle and as it flattens take a bearing to drop to the saddle before pt 444 - don't try to sidle pt 444 (I did and wasted some effort), another bearing in lusher bush towards pt 450 and finally -  a bearing to drop NW from pt 450 to the bridge over Fishtail Stream.  The last bit through some tighter vegetation.   

The bush is mostly pretty friendly - it gets lusher as you drop but there's a lot of open beech forest and stunted beech on the bony bits.  I'm pretty slow though - taking almost 6 hours to get from the junction to the bridge by 5pm.

Fishtail Stream
The section along the track to Middy Hut can't go fast enough for my liking.  I'm not moving fast though so it's 5.45pm by the time I get to the familiar clearing.



Day three - Middy Hut to The Brook




Writing this a few months later, I can't recall much about the stay at Middy Hut - no mice this time but there is a TA walker in situ.  He's lived in Australia but recently been back in NZ and is getting back to the TA after a break.  His pack weighs a staggering 20kg.   

I'm up first in the morning and have my breakfast outside to avoid disturbing him before getting away by 7.15am for the climb to the Rocks Hut.  The sun is crawling down the ridge and the Hoihere has shed the yellow clay lining it had last time I was through - its pools are back to their emerald green. 
 



I grind up the hill with a few stops, getting to the Rocks Hut at 9.15am.  A 15-minute stop for a breather and fill in the log and I'm heading on for Dun Saddle.  I've decided to head for the Brook via the Dun Mountain Trail - the given DOC track time is 5 and a half hours.




The track is good but clearly gets boggy given the wooden sleepers laid in many places.  Around 9.50am the track breaks onto one of those treeless expanses with the distinctive stunted brown vegetation you get in these parts.  




The track enters a bit of bush and sidles around pt 982 to climb through more of the stunted landscape to the saddle.  I'm delighted to find a tiny wee flower growing near the saddle.  It turns out it's the Mineral Belt Forget-Me-Not Myosotis monroi.  It only grows here and on Red Hills.    




A group of signs loiter in the saddle pointing in all sorts of directions.  It's 10.10 so about 40 minutes from the Rocks.




There's no track from the saddle marked on the map but there's an option that runs down the gully towards the Dun Mountail Trail as it descends into the Maitai, and another that sidles around pt 982 then drops into bush and the down to Coppermine Saddle (past the loo).   

I'm in the saddle before 10.30.  The clouds are breaking and it's shaping up to get quite hot.  There's plenty more signs here and on the way down with track times and information about the history of the trail.   

The track works are really impressive with some very skillful stonework benching the track around the corners.  Freshets provide cold water from above in many spots.   

I potter on down bumping into one hot Mountain Biker on the way but no-one else.  This is explained when I get to Third House Shelter (11.40).  The trail is fenced off and I eventually find the detour west of the Shelter onto the sanctuary fence line.  On reflection I recall that I had come up this way once before some time ago, so it's a bit surprising the trail is still closed.  

The fence line road is solid and wide.  I follow it down for about 15 minutes to a corner where the proper trail crosses a slip face.  A bit of engineering involved.  
 



The day gets warmer and I'm hoping to rejoin the trail, but when the opportunity comes, I realise it will be quicker to continue on the steeper descent on the gravel road.  It's surface and steepness are hard on the feet and I'm pretty much feed-up with it by the time I come out at the bottom.  There's a turn-around area and a road that heads off on the right.  I follow around a bend that find a track that drops to the left and meanders through cool bush to pop out on Brook Street.

It's around 12.50pm so about 5.35 hr from Middy and 3.20 hr from the Rocks.  Lucky Nelson being able to get into such areas with less than a day's walking.

Rest of day three and day four - Nelson

No tramping 😞

Day five - Nelson to Roebuck Hut



The route plan today is to take the track from the Maitai Dam to the Bryant Range at Dew Lakes, follow along the ridge to pt 956 and follow some spurs to the Hoihere River at Roebuck Hut.


JR kindly agrees to drop me at the Maitai dam but we discover that the road is closed at the first bridge after the last houses.  After the access problems on the other side of the range I'm somewhat pissed at this but wave good-bye and head off on foot - 7.10am.  A mucky climb through scrappy bush brings me to the water pipeline that runs above the road.  This gives a kinder surface and more interesting surroundings for a couple of Ks at least before I'll have to drop back to the road.   




I'm pottering along when a figure appears ahead - it's a woman taking her excitable dog for a walk.  I'm conscious that an unexpected encounter with a male could cause concern for some woman on their own so do my best to send harmless vibes - loudly cheerful and slightly gormless.  Her property backs on to the track, so she has a perfect dog walk route devoid of people and traffic (usually). 
 
This is the raw water feed from the Maitai dam and other head works to the treatment plant closer to Nelson.  It's nice to walk in the quite with the sun starting to hit the hills.  There's the odd bit where the side of the track has fallen away - one of which has had expensive shoring up work done to the bank.  The ground movement has damaged the pipe and I note the epoxy repairs have developed some leaks.

Just before the pipeline dives down the bank to cross the Maitai River the 4WD track zig zags down to the road.   You can't cross the river via the pipeline so it's a 4-5K road walk.  There's some significant repair work done but there is no sign of a reason for the road to be closed.  

Around 8.30am I'm at the info board at the base of the dam.  There's some interesting history covered including a reference to a Māori argillite quarry in the area.  

I'm pausing at the spillway when an ATV pulls up with a cheery greeting.  Les does part time work for the company that is contracted to run the dam and headworks - he's heading out on an inspection round. When he hears I'm heading up the track to the Dew Lakes he offers to give me a lift up the hill a bit.

We head up the forestry roads and climb a good 200m in altitude which has me very happy.  We park up and continue to chat for a bit - it turns out he's a retired electrical engineer who stumbled into a part time roll covering for the caretaker.  He describes some of the features of the dam (there's a tunnel under it), and I discover it's not the only collection point in the catchment.  He's a bit concerned when I mention the leaks in the epoxy on the raw water line - there's shouldn't be any as they can get larger fast.  He also says to look out for the argillite quarry by the track on the way up.
 
Around 9.05am he whips the vehicle around and I wave good-bye.  The engine noise fades leaving a quiet and clear morning.  The lift and good crack have completely erased the irritations of the tedious road walk - I follow a trail around the east side of a wee knob to join the main track up.  
 



The track up is wide and well made.  It has the distinctive mix of rock colours in this area with lots of rust colouring but also lighter greens, whites and dark greens to black.    To the north and east the Maungatapu track and pylons climb the North Maitai River valley to the Maungatapu Saddle.  As I climb there are views back to the dam and the caretaker's cottage behind.
  


Around 9.30am I get to the Rush Pools (marked on the map).  These turn out to be a flat boggy area covered in rushes - there's a foot trail across which seems to go no-where.  There seems to be nothing remarkable about the spot apart from the existence of a sizable flat spot on the way up to the ridge.  There may be significant flora present given the location and rock type, but I head on none the wiser. 




A few minutes further on I notice a different rock type on the track - sharp flakes of hard grey stone.  Just off to the right a sign has fallen over - it identifies this as the (an?) argillite quarry.  




A few meters off the track there is a rocky outcrop.  This is apparently where Māori broke off chunks of argillite to work down into tools and weapons.  I assume all the flakes lining the area mark the factory floor.  The hammer stones used were reportedly large boulders wrestled all the way up here from the boulder bank.  


Argillite outcrop 
Some of the flakes are quite sharp and you can see the utility of the rock and why such enormous effort was put to the enterprise.  
 



The chap from the dam said this was not the only outcrop but I've seen enough to get the picture.  I head on up the hill through bush and open ultramafic landscape.
  



Around 10.45am the track has levelled and joined the track along the ridge.  I head left a short way to a sign pointing to the Dew Lakes.  These turn out to be a scrubby area with some tadpole filled ponds.  






The marrow is quickly sucked and back on the track at 11am a sign informs that it is 2 hours to Dun Mountain and 4 to the Rocks Hut. First though, there is the pyramid shaped Little Twin to get over - not so sure why the moniker 'little' as it is taller than Dun Mountain. 


Little Twin
The trail is good and soon starts climbing up and over the wee twin.  A slowish 40 minutes to the top from the track junction then a gentler drop to the saddle before Dun Mountain.  Here the track breaks abruptly out of forest onto the barren landscape the 'mountain' is named for. 






The rust-coloured track climbs the ridge then flattens towards the top.  




There's a dark coloured wee plant growing in the cracks which I wonder if it is the forget-me-not I saw a few days back - it's not flowering though.




12.20pm I'm at the top with good panoramic views.  Time for lunch, but there's a coolish breeze so I follow the track to the hut a few hundred metres away.







Dun Mountain Shelter is not being marketed as a hut but would do fine provided you weren't expecting bunks.  There's rainwater and a loo so fine for a bit of shelter over lunch.  A plaque inside identifies it as a city council not DOC asset.    






I head off around 12.45pm on a track that meanders along the ridge for a while before falling off the edge into Dun Saddle.




On the drop into the saddle the forget-me-nots start appearing again having seen none along the tops.  




At 1.10pm I'm back at the loitering signs I saw a few days back and back onto territory I covered on the way over.  






35 minutes later I'm filling in the Rocks Hut logbook a short way below my previous entry.  






With a bit of farfing about it's 2.20pm before I get away with map in hand and frequent reference to compass and watch.  I want to drop off the track at pt 956 and don't want to wander past it.  It should be straight forward as the track does bend at that point from south bound to west bound, but sometimes it doesn't do this as precisely as the map might suggest.  

A bit after 3.25pm I leave the track and head down a wide, gentle slope with no signs of any trails.  

This sort of navigation is the hardest.  There are no macro features like spurs to indicate the direction to go and no views, so it's easy to overread the significance of local micro features like wee gullies and wrinkles that take you away from your line.  There's also a lot of areas of close growing saplings and the flora shows the influences of ultramafic geology to a greater or lesser extent (i.e. some areas of stunted growth with low visibility).   

I find myself following the compass pretty much from tree to tree - which is fine until you get into areas of dense saplings with visibility down to a few metres.          






At 4.35 I pop into an open area (around 700m contour) that gives a view across to the peaks above the Wairau valley and to the point where I want to hang a hard right.  In between, my spur narrows and drops into a slight saddle.  The bush also changes markedly with larger trees and treefall to contend with.    


Mts Fell and Richmond on the horizon.  My spur in foreground. 

20 minutes later I've reached the turning point, ahead is tall, open beech forest - behind is a band of close growing saplings. 


Looking back  


Looking forward

I find my way down to the 360m contour as planned at which point I follow bearings aiming to come out on the Pelorus Track near the first of the bridges to get across to Roebuck Hut.  It ends in a bit of a steep scramble and sidle east to the swingbridge.  In retrospect it would have been better to head east at the 360m contour to follow a better-looking spur to the track.  

In any event, it's 5.45pm, I've successfully completed the day's navigation and Roebuck Hut is just visible in its clearing across the river.
  



At 6pm I'm at the hut (after a bit of a pause on the second swing bridge to study the Hoihere River which I aim to follow up tomorrow).




I settle into the empty hut and take stock.  I'm still recovering from the first leg across the range a few days ago so feel more tired and battered than I should after a day's walk.  The most significant thing though is my top has taken layers of skin off my middle and back where the pack weight is borne.  It's a synthetic top which was slightly over spec for the hot day so sweat and bits of forest have formed an effective grinding paste.  I slap some large plasters on the worst of it and hope for the best.

I'm a bit concerned about how tomorrow will pan out.  I plan to head up the river to the second junction and follow a spur up to Grass Knob.  All good, except the river has a fair amount of energy.  My impression of the Hoihere is that it is frequently cut into bedrock giving narrow, deep sections with steep sides, and significant change in character over short distances - all combining to make it a tricky river to reliably find crossing points with good runout.  

There was only one reference online about travel up this bit, and it only covered as far as the first junction.  This suggested there were a couple of river crossings required but it was ok going.  Google earth is little help as the section to the second junction just looks dark.  I suspect it is gorgy but there looks to be a bypass option. 

In between now and my last visit, the logbook shows a work colleague has been through with family - they came down the first section late in the day after a horrendous amount of treefall on the long spur from pt 1495.  This gives me more confidence about that part of the river at least.

Day six - Roebuck Hut to Mt Richmond Saddle Hut




In the morning I have a last-minute thought about checking the waterproofness of my pack liner -  potentially important if I end up chest deep in the river.  Initially this starts as an inch-by-inch inspection and application of squares of duct tape to questionable spots.  One 'doh' moment later, I chuck some water in and role it across all surfaces to discover no leaks - much easier.  

It's a late 8.30am before I get away. The scramble to the riverbed by the swingbridge is easy and there is space on the true right to make my way upriver.   


Just upstream from the swingbridge
With a bit of rock hoping there's no difficulties getting around the first slight bend to discover that there is continuing viable travel on the true right up to the next sharper bend.  Just one wade required around a rock.  


Looking up to the next bend


And around it
As it turns out, there's just a bit of a wade in a few spots but I can keep to the true right all the way to the first junction - under half an hour.  

Junction Hoiere and Mates - ahead is the spur to the main range near Slaty 

The Hoiere flows out of a deep pool to join Mates Creek.  The sides are not climable and after swimming the pool there would be a bit of a scramble up a cascade to who knows what upstream.  I don't fancy it. 





Plan B is to cross the river, climb the spur and sidle to drop down to the next junction.  The crossing is easy today as is the route onto the spur.  I possibly drop a little early to sidle - it gets a bit bluffy and steep above the river but I find a way through.  I think a smarter move is to stay on the spur top until it is about to veer southwest and drop to the junction there.   

At 9.20am I'm toping up water and looking down the gorge - definitely not worth trying to navigate.  The Hoiere comes in from my right and is much smaller now.  A few metres up stream I can cross and scramble onto the toe of the spur.     





The spur starts straight in with a steepish climb - there's no obvious trail but it is open enough.  At pt 548 it flattens into a delightful section through tall beech then climbs again more sedately. 






I start getting into areas of tree fall, these give lawns of flowering hebe a chance to thrive and views across to the the bluff with the chain ladder on the ridge north of  Mt Fell, but also slows things down considerably.   










Flowering bushlawyer



I think it is on the climb from pt 793 that I get bogged into a nasty climb through a steep graveyard of rotting logs twined with bushlawyer.  I suspect I drifted a bit too far east and that the trick to try to keep west on the spur.  I fight my way out of the stuff and get a bit of clearer travel towards pt 1197 - arriving about 1.10pm.  
    



There's sign of previous visitors here with an old cairn and rusted wire - perhaps a trig at some point.   I'm hoping the worst is over with an undulating ridge ahead with a final climb to Grass Knob.  Wrong.  Within minutes I've dropped into more tree fall and there is plenty more along the ridge. 






You can try to bypass on the west but at times the only option is to clamber through.  Eventually I get into more stunted forest and leave the tree fall behind.  After pt 1272 I try a sidle east to see if I can bypass Grass knob to gain the ridge.  Not a goer, and not worth trying.  I end up in gullies and bluffs and have to clamber back west to rejoin the spur as it climbs to the crest.   


North East to Mt Fell from shoulder of Grass Knob

East to Mt Richmond

Spur to pt 1197

After a last climb up soft carpet grass I'm at the top at 3.30pm.  It's been a long, slow 6 hours from the river.  There are good views of course, but I'm most interested in the ridge that runs south and then west to Ada flat.  I can't see much of it from here, but fully intent to be back through this way again someday.  

Ridge to Ada Flat

After a rest and sit down I turn east to follow the ridge to Richmond Saddle.  The other face of Grass Knob is anything but - it's rocky with a few bluffs but nothing tricky.


Back towards Grass Knob

Grass Knob

There's more apparent foot trails through here and I'm able to bypass below the knob by pt 1323 to descend in forest to the saddle, arriving at 4.35pm.



It's a tidy hut in a clearing basking in the full force of the afternoon sun.  I give away the idea of continuing to Mt Fell Hut - there's daylight left but I'm knackered after the efforts getting up that spur.  Instead, I divest myself of smelly and damp kit and spread it across the landscape to air and dry.  

There's a sign board in the hut with a bit of history - including a lot about the plane crash on Mt Fell in 1942.  The first airline fatality in NZ; Mts Johnstone and Fell are named from two of those killed.    

I while away the rest of the afternoon doing crosswords and tending the airing kit.  

Day seven - Mt Richmond Saddle Hut to Fishtail Hut




Its windy in the night and in the morning a bit of clag is coming and going around the tops - towards Nelson though it's a sunny morning.  I rug up as it's a bit cooler today and head off a little before 7am.  Some one has left a walking pole at the hut so purloin this and a stick to help with the climb.

The hut info board promises an hour to the top of Mt Richmond and three more to Mt Fell Hut.  It's a steep climb with a fair amount of loose rock but not complicated.  Before long I'm in clag and getting colder as the the wind gets stronger.  




The track reaches the ridge and becomes less steep for the final approach to the top.  There's a rock wall to shelter from the wind and check the map to take a bearing for the way down.  It's almost 8.10am so it has taken a bit longer than the hut estimate.




The wind is a bit annoying on the way down - pushing me around and making footing amongst the rocks and boulders a bit tricky.  I keep an eye on the compass although it is reasonably obvious where to go.  I'm a short way across the saddle when the clag suddenly clears around me (8.40am) - looking back, Mt Richmond is popping in and out of view every few seconds.  I would quite liked to have had a bit of that clearance when I was up there.


Now you don't see it

Now you do

The track climbs gently to the ridge then turns north to sidle below pt 1613 and onto the ridge towards Mt Fell.  Ahead is the familiar tussock tonsure of Mt Fell with beach forest lapping the east face. Somewhere down there is Mt Fell Hut - the peak itself is obscured.  
 



I follow the trail along the ridge but rather than heading to the junction above the hut I cut across the face in the hope that I might see some sign of the plane crash site.  There are apparently some remains and a plaque but I find out later I'm in the wrong spot.  



Cutting across and down the face I drop into the trees about 20m from the hut clearing to arrive at the hut at 9.30am.  The times posted at Mt Richmond Saddle Hut are most random - I exceeded the estimated hour to the top and did the posted three hours to the hut in an hour twenty.  I had been a bit worried at the top that four hours to here would put me shy of time to get through to Mt Fishtail Hut in daylight.  I'm still a little apprehensive about the next ridge section and relieved to have an hour more than I had anticipated up my sleeve.




Mt Fell is a tidy wee hut, the last visitor was 10 days ok and I'm interested to see that a Tararua Tramping Club group had set off to do the bit I'm about to do but had to turn back.  I don't note the time I leave but it was probably about 9.40am.
  
The ridge to Fishtail is a known route although some of the descriptions are a little daunting.  It looks lumpy on the map with some steep, possibly bluffy climbs.  

I follow the track to the old hut site then up onto the open east face of Mt Fell.  The aim is to sidle north along the face above the bushline for about a K then drop east into the saddle between Mt Fell and pt 1327.  Easy.

Rather than going for a high sidle I negotiate a few gullies then sidle 100m or so from the bushline.  There are random goat trails and I disturb a herd of 20 or so of the culprits sunning themselves in the tussocks.  It goes ok but close to the spur to the saddle I get into patches of scrub which are irritating.  It might pay to go further up slope and drop down the slope when closer.  



A little under an hour after leaving the hut I drop into bush to work my way down to the saddle.  It's flat for a start with long grass underfoot. There's some foot trail but not as strong as I expected.  It takes about half an hour to get to the saddle, it's mostly not too back travel with a high canopy and a reasonable amount of undergrowth.  I keep an eye on my compass as there is a bit of a kink around 1150m and you don't want to drift southeast off the spur.  Apart from the very occasional gap in the canopy there's no views.    
   

View to the ridge past pt 1327
The climb is steep but not complicated.  There's some rocky outcrops and as I get higher, views back to Mt Fell.  There's even the odd cairn.


Mt Fell and spur into the saddle

I take my time so it's an hour to climb to pt 1327 where I find an open patch for lunch looking north and a little west across the Hoiere valley towards Nelson.  If I stand up, I can see Mt Fishtail off to the east.  Although it's hot in the sun the air is quite cool.  



I get quite a good view of the northwest face of Fishtail - it's too far off to see details but this is the best angle I'm going to get.  It looks gnarly but I'm still hopeful there's a route down it - let's see if I can get there in daylight and have a look over the edge.  




The beech on the ridge is stunted and I'm expecting the next bit to be a bit tight but it turns out to be not too bad.  I drop away from the crest and find I can traverse easily but I work my back to the crest again as the rocky outcrops give views and a bit of variety.    

Back towards pt 1327
A bit over 2 K away I can see the Mt Fell Hut in its clearing with Mt Richmond behind. As I progress the angle changes and some of the scree slopes in the southern basin come into view.  My ridge looks very bumpy. 




It's good travel along the ridge and I even note the odd cut branch.  There's quite a few clearings which help with navigation and I use the compass a bit to work my way down to the saddle before pt 1260.  

At 1.50pm I'm in the saddle in tall forest.  This is over halfway in terms of distance and at less than 4 hr 30 from Mt Fell Hut I'm pleased with progress - but - the next bit is steep and rocky so I have no delusions about the amount of work left to do.




It's steep with rocky outcrops demanding some care, but there is always a way up.  The day gets cooler and dimmer with a bit of clag starting to toy with the tops.  On the descent from pt 1269 I find myself above some impressive cliffs on the north west face - I recall Mad Pom's note online about this and work my way east below the crest for a route with out the dramatic fall out zone.  

Another steep climb through rocky outcrops to pt 1345 and I finally allow myself to think that I'm getting close.  There's a break in the bush and I can see across to that ridge I'm obsessed with.   


Across to the ridge NW of Fishtail 

It's easier going now with the worst of the ridge behind.  I take a break in the bush edge to pull on some more layers - it's still intermittently sunny but there's a bit of wind now.  It's odd to be out in the open again after so long in the bush.  It might be tempting to look at the map and attempt to sidle to the hut from here but it's not recommended. I continue north east up the ridge.    


Ridge to Mt Fell - Pt 1345 with 1269 behind. Pt 1359 to right

It's steep in places but fairly straight forward travel. If it gets too scrambly you just drift east onto easier slopes.  I'm wanting to keep to the edge so I can see over that face - but each glimpse is thoroughly discouraging showing cliffs with no way down.
 

Top of Mt Fishtail on right 

That's the ridge but no way across from here

Meanwhile, I've come a ways above the basin and can see the track to the hut across the distant scree slope.  The top of Fishtail is coming and going in the cloud.  I'm not so interested in it as I figure I'll be through again another day. 
 



At 4.30pm I reach a wee notch on the ridge to the southwest of the second knob from the big north face slip. I peer over the edge and decide it's worth a look. Dropping my pack I clamber down and find a bench descending north across the face towards the ridge. There's some unpleasant looking chutes off down to the left, but nothing feels too precarious and I get down to a point where I'm satisfied that I could get to the ridge.  


The notch
I'm stoked  with this outcome.  It's an elegant wee route and it's pleasing to have found it.  I have no doubt that others have followed it but having studied the face from all angles and speculated about the possibility for some time, I have quite a proprietal feeling about it.  There's still the small matter of a couple of rocky knobs on the ridge that look a bit tricky but I'm looking forward to getting back and seeing if I can get through to pt 1173. 
 
Back at the ridge it's getting towards 4.50pm.  I decide not to divert to the top but sidle below the next knob and start a diagonal sidle down the boulder fields towards the hut.     




The hut is  tiny dot below.  I pick a way down trying not to step on the areas of vegetation.  There's a wee stream that flows down the wee wrinkle in the contours you can see on the map - it would be a useful feature to catch you in clag - i.e. wander across and down the basin 'til you hit the stream then follow down the bank above it until you see a yellow topped stake and a pool in the stream - cross and you are metres from the hut.  Without clag it's a long walk down but pretty straight forward.




About 5pm I'm at the empty hut.  It's a tidy wee four bunker - not much space inside but clean, dry and neat.  There's a wee foyer for gear and a bench inside. 


I was a little concerned about timing today but it has worked out well.  About 2hr 30 from Richmond Saddle to Mt Fell Hut and 7hr 20 from there to Mt Fishtail Hut.  10 hours on the ago including breaks and a wee side excursion.

No-one else turns up so I spread out and settle in.  In the morning it is clagged in.  I'm in no rush to get away and have a lie in, finally getting underway at 11am.    



Once underway I make good time, getting to the stream crossing 1000m below in an hour 15, and to the carpark 40 minutes later.  It's a beautiful walk out on a benched track above a pretty river (Pine Valley Stream).  
   

It looks like a very popular summer spot with space for camping and swimming holes.  At the car park the trip isn't over.  A twenty minute walk through forestry churned up roads gets me to a gate covered in fierce signs and after a further half hour walk along the gravel road it's 1.45 before I reach Northbank Road and any prospect of a lift.  A fair amount of teeth grinding goes on as, but for the forestry, I would have been in the car and back in Blenheim by now. 



It's a couple of K walk before a driver responds to my thumb and slows to pick me up.  The woman jumps out of the 4WD, apologises for the dog and removes her rifle from the front seat.  She's Irish and has just been hunting up near Mt Patriach.  We have a great yarn during which I find out that her young dog is developing an interest in pigs but she's wanting it to be a deer dog.  She's telling me how she comes out this way at night to run over and pluck possums when a black pig and a couple of piglets appear by the road.  She screeches to a halt and leaps out to grab the rifle before pausing then regretfully climbing back into the car.  She explains that if she sticks a dead pig in the back she'll never get the dog to be interested in deer.  

She drops me on the other side of Renwick as the best place to hitch to Blenheim.  I head off down the road and have another lift within 400m.  Dave runs a home handy man business and has just been tidying a woman's property in Renwick - he's happy to drop me right outside my sister's house.