The Northern Coromandel was not really my cup of tea so after licking the many and varied wounds for a few days I packed again and hoped on a late night Sounds Air flight to Blenheim. My ever-loving sister has said I could get drop offs in in the Richmond Ranges and I am fully intending to take advantage of this kind offer.
There's a fair bit of unfinished business for me in the Ranges. I'm at that delightful point in our acquaintance where I have dabbled in a few corners and am starting to get a feel for the country - enough so that I can start making up trips that aren't just following the main tracks.
I have a few vague ideas but the main thing on mind is to explore the ridge between Mt Fell and Mt Fishtail and see how much further north I can get north along the range. This is not what the trip turns out to be in the end however ...
What: Exploration trip
Where: Richmond Range - Mt Fell and Pelorus River
When: 15-17 September 2022
Who: Solo
Where: Richmond Range - Mt Fell and Pelorus River
When: 15-17 September 2022
Who: Solo
When the dust settles I have a slightly complicated plan involving borrowing our friends' car (thanks Alistair and Vicki!), have my nephew drop me off at the road end for Mt Fell (Timms Creek Track) and radio in a pick-up from a yet to be specified road end.
I check the usual websites for closures, warnings and weather events. The top of the South has been smashed by recent weather with many road closures and no doubt tracks effected also.
We stop at the DOC sign near the start of North Bank Road which cheerfully informs us that all road ends are closed. This doesn't tally with the website so I decide to chance it - at the worst I will be walking a couple of Ks before getting to the start of the track.
There's plenty of signs of storm damage on the road and surrounding hills - nothing to do with the way they cut all the pines down and leave erosion prone slopes exposed until the next crop grows in of course.
I'm peering up at the peaks as we drive a bit worried about the amount of snow. I don't really want to find I can't cross the open slopes to the hut after I've traversed what is by all accounts a tricky ridge route from Mt Fell. I decide to get up to Mt Fell first and re-evaluate.
Te Rou Road is not closed despite the DOC sign. It looks like a farm track as it heads across paddocks towards trees in the narrowing valley. There's a bit of a soft patch just short of the edge of the pines but our wee shopping trolley gets through ok. We continue a bit under a K to Burnt Creek which looks like it has deposited a good amount of clay - I take one look and figure the car has gone far enough.
Dumping my pack I drive the car back and through the soft patch before waving good bye - it would be a bit rough to leave him stuck in mud in someone else's car out of cell phone reception after all. About 700m after Burnt Creek I reach the road end.
It's about 11.40 - judging from the map I figured that it would be about 4-5 hours up to the hut so I'm a little surprised that the sign suggests 7 hours. I'd better get a wiggle on.
It's a sunny day - hard to think there is snow on the surrounding tops. The track is good quality often on a good bench following Timms Stream (more like a river really) into the hills. There's pines at the start as it is private land but eventually I get into beech forest. The stream has delightful deep green pools with handily located rocks for jumping off and lazing on.
As I get further up valley though there are quite a few slips. These are large and active - the track sidles up and around the small ones or picks across the larger ones. It slows things down a little - particularly where recent movements mean that there hasn't been time to mark where to go.
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| The last stream |
The map shows a steep initial climb followed by a long grind up. The overall height gain will be close to 1100m for the day. I take a deep breath and clamber up the steep bank.
I'm taking a very measured pace with a lot of pauses so it is about two hours twenty from the bottom when I reach a rough sign on a tree. It seems to say something about Miles Hut but I take it to mark the point where the track stops climbing and starts a long sidle below Johnston Peak. There's been patches of snow on the ground for the last short while but nothing significant.
The track swings along and there are periodic wee streams - some of which look like they might flow in summer. About 45 minutes from the sign I come on some tree with metal collars - just above the collar on one tree is the object off the exercise - a mistletoe is growing from the trunk.
Just after 4.30 I pop out into the Mt Fell Hut clearing. It's looking too cute with drifts of snow on the steps and has a fantastic view - Mt Fishtail just peeping over the opposite ridge and to the right, Blenheim and Cloudy Bay in the hazy distance.
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| Mt Fishtail peeping over the ridge |
It's taken a bit under five hours from the road end at what I would not describe as a cracking pace. The track is good apart from the slips but that climb certainly clears the wind pipes. The sun is just starting to dip behind the ridge above so I had a bit of margin in my timing.
I gather a bit of wood until my fingers go numb but in the end decide I don't actually need a fire and settle in for a quiet evening. Hopes that there might be cell phone reception are disappointed despite Mr vodafone saying I have a few bars. I haven't seen enough of Fishtail to judge snow conditions so rather than risk the trip I study the maps and decide to head over Mt Fell in the morning towards the Pelorus River and re-evaluate from there. Apparently there is a 'chain ladder' off the tops which sounds interesting.
In the morning I note my changed intentions in the log and get away a bit after 8 - there's an old plane crash site near here but it would mean backtracking so I follow the track past the hut to the old hut site and then up the hill, out off the trees and into the tussock. It's a beautiful day.
There's a little bit of snow which gets thicker further up. At the sign for Mt Richmond (left) I turn right and follow the ridge upwards through springy herb field.
A family of goats drift ahead and disappear over an impossible bluff. By the time I get to the top there is more snow than not but it is ok for walking without crampons. It's about 9.20 and the vistas are superb in all directions.
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| Mt Fishtail and the ridge that takes you there |
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| Back along the ridge to (I think) Johnston Peak and Mt Richmond |
From Mt Fell the ridge dips back into forest and it takes a wee while to get along to the next knob. there's a few bits where the markers aren't immediately apparent but it's pretty straight forward.
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| Towards pt 1496 |
Over the top of pt 1496 there's a black shape on the ridge - it turns out to be a rain barrel, it's full but has a bit of a plastic taste.
As I've got further north along the ridge Mt Fishtail has dropped behind and I've been studying the back (northwest) face of it - I'm interested to see if there is a route onto the ridge below. I have to say it doesn't look promising from this angle - but we'll have to look some day ...
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| Backend of Fishtail |
Another family of goats amble off to a cautious distance as I head to where the chain ladder is marked on the map. It's easy to find - the trail takes me to a steep drop off with the ridge I want far below. Down to my left is a notch and a chain is bolted into the rock running down a bit of a chute. It's a little before 11 so under 3 hours from the hut at an easy pace.
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| Looking WNW - Chain drops down the notch to the left - probably Echo Stream in the background |
The chain is solid and well attached to the rock with no sign of corrosion or looseness. It's also very cold on my hands. You could probably work your way down ok with out it but it is steep and loose underfoot so it is a comfort to latch on and inch down.
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| Looking up the Chain |
At the bottom of the chute the chain heads off right (north) around the face of the bluff. It takes me on to a good ledge that edges around to the front of the bluff where there is a short scramble across into scrub then trees where the track starts steeply down with another section of chain.
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| But wait, there's more |
Eventually, the slope lessens and I'm soon ambling through beech on a gently sloping ridge. There's not much gaps for views but I do get a glimpse back at the bluff and am glad the chains were installed.
A little way along the ridge there's a tin box wired to a tree with a sign 'Be Sparing - NTC' and a picture of a cup.
It's a wee reservoir that collects water that lands on the top - the lid hinges up and you can dip your cup in. An old school rain barrel.
It's about 12 when I roll onto the top of Conical Knob. There's a bit of a window so I sit in the sun for lunch. An old map in the hut indicated there used to be a route running down a spur WNW from here direct to Roebuck Hut. I'm minded to take it to save a long walk to Middy hut and then up river to Roebuck.
I see an old marker so decide to have a go. It starts steep but there are still markers in evidence and the foot trail indicates that people sometimes come this way. On the way down I send a couple of messages from my GPS so home command can see that I am off track and the direction of travel.
After the initial steep bit it drops steadily and although I frequently loose the markers they quickly appear again or the foot trail is sufficiently obvious. After about 1hr 15 I'm in the saddle which has thicker and greener bush before an amble through open forest to pt 702.
The top of the ridge is wide, flat and easy travel. It starts dropping and I'm expecting that there will be markers indicating the trail dropping right (NW) to pick up the wee spur that runs down to the hut. It takes a little longer than expected but I think it pretty much cuts right where you would expect from the map. It did seem however to cut sharply back along the slope a bit before dropping.
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| One of two markers pointing across the ridge to pick up the spur |
There are markers of various ages but they are not always easy to find as there is also a lot of tree fall. I quickly figure it's worth making sure you hunt out the markers as it is steep, easy to drift off line, and lower down it gets a bit tricky with regrowth that is a bit difficult to negotiate if you get away from the trail.
At 2.45 I pop out right beside the Roebuck hut which is basking in the sun. I don't see it at the time, but next trip through I notice a sign on a tree at the point I emerged - apparently maintenance of the route ceased in 1994.
Roebuck Hut is on a wee terrace by the Hoiere/Pelorus River. I'm very tempted to have a swim and call it quits for the day. I figure though that I should have enough daylight to get to Browning Hut and it just feels too early to quit.
The last visitor was 9 days ago and then a month before that so a very good chance of having it to myself too.
I rest for 15 minutes before heading off (3pm). The sign after the swing bridge informs me that it is 4hr 30 to Browning Hut - I need to shave a little bit off that if I want to arrive in daylight.
I'm pretty slow up the toe of the ridge until the track starts sidling. It's a good sidle track (nothing like the Tararuas) and the hill side is reasonably flat so there is not too much ducking into gullies. A bit of tree fall from the recent storms but not too bad. There is surprisingly little water in the water courses given that there has been rain in recent days.
Around 5.30 I get to the marked stream before Totara Saddle. It's done an impressive number on the landscape, smashed tree trunks are scattered down the water course and there is an avalanche of mud and clay which has set like concrete. It takes a bit of scrambling to get through the jumble and find where it sheared through the track.
Half an hour later I arrive at Totara saddle - I'm not expecting much more daylight so I head on down. The track is a bit scoured out in places and when I get to the bottom the stream here has also been rearranging things. It has cut deep channels and spread debris through the bush.
I clump onto the hut porch just after 6.20. About 10 hours from Mt Fell Hut so a respectable day's tramping although I am feeling a lot more tired than I should.
I don't warm to Browning Hut. There isn't a stick of firewood in the woodshed and it shows all the signs of being a bit too close to a road end. It would be a nice spot on a sunny day with the large clearing which seems to be a feature of huts hereabouts. The clearing is completely churned up with pig rooting.
Away by 8.30am on another cracker morning. It will be an all track day today - I'll pop up to Totara Saddle and then to the Bryant Range to follow it North East to Rocks Hut. It looks like interesting country - tucked in between Nelson and the Pelorus River. I've been over the Mangatapu Track and Dun Mt Trail but not into this ridge.
There's a bit of moisture on the trees but not enough to get me wet. Half an hour up to the Saddle and then another 200m climb onto the range. All on a solid track showing the signs off all the feet that follow Te Araroa trail.
The track winds along with a bit of up and down and then through areas of sparser scrub before abruptly spitting me out onto open tussock. It looks a bit like the Redhills landscape - the Dun Mountain near here has a similar look and is of the same rock type.
There's a lot of old tree fall on one of the knobs, fortunately DOC has done good chainsaw work over the years and the track although winding through the jumbled trunks is navigable. I take it easy, stopping at the odd view spot to look across at the Richmond Range and spot the peaks.
At 12.30 the track pops out at Rocks Hut - about 4 hours from Browning. It's a large facility and looks like it gets a lot of Te Araroa traffic as well as people popping over from Nelson. It's on the edge of 'The Rocks,' an area that looks like it is contiguous with the Dun Mountain geology.
I grab a bit of lunch sitting on the helipad then pop up to the lookout. The hut is on the south side of the ridge and there's a track that pops up to the top so you can look across to Tasman Bay, Dun Mountain and across to Coppermine Saddle where the Dun Mt trail crosses before dropping into the Maitai catchment.
I toy with a few route options - drop to Roding River via Mt Claude (looks interesting but probably ends with a long road walk), follow the track to Mt Dun then one of the many options out to Nelson ... a cold beer in a pub could be a matter of hours away. I'm keen though to get down to follow the Pelorus River out.
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| Towards Wells Ridge and Windy point Coppermine Saddle to the right |
Around 1.40 I leave the hut and head down the track to the Pelorus River and Middy Hut. Not a lot to say - a good track through beautiful forest. It takes about an hour ten to get to the intersection with the Pelorus Track where a sign advises it's about 30 min to Middy Hut.
The track bottoms out on a sharp wee spur with Middy Creek somewhere below to the left. I'm looking forward to seeing the river. The Pelorus has been striking whenever I have seen it - deep green pools, clean rockfaces, hemmed by beech forest. The first glance shows it is not quite its usual self. The deep green is there but every pool is lined with a layer of yellow silt. There has been so much material coming down the river that it has settled to line everything. The river's edge has deep drifts of the stuff.
The swing bridge ends on a rock face which you scramble along before popping out at the edge of the hut clearing. Yet another family of goats wanders off as I approach.
It's 3.10 - I could keep going to Captains Creek Hut but ... yeah. nah.
The good thing about having a bit of afternoon is I can have a wander down to the river, gather firewood, do a bit of a tidy up of the hut and lay more stones around the porch.
I light the fire for the evening and put water to heat. Another quiet night only disturbed by a mouse falling into the wood box and scrabbling around to get out. A bleary eyed check to see that food is all secure and back to sleep.
I send a message on the GPS for a pick-up at the Mangatapu Road end in the early afternoon - that should give me enough time but I make sure I am off by 7.15.
A short way up the track is the turn off to Mt Fell - the track I would have come down yesterday had I not taken the spur to Roebuck Hut.
There's a little bit of mist in the valley but it is burning off quickly and the sun is starting to come through.
35 minutes from the hut there is a bridge across Fishtail Stream. It's a good size which is not surprising when you look at the area it drains from the west face of Mt Fishtail. Down here it looks like you could wander up the broad river bed but I suspect it gets a bit more rugged further up ... one day.
Another 35 minutes and I'm at the bridge across the river. The sun is streaming up the valley and I take some time to lean on the wire and take in the view.
Around 8.40 I'm at Captain's Creek Hut for a short stop to send a check in message and fill in the log.
The track from here is a mix of lovely sections through beech forest, a couple of climbs some nice sidles on benched tracks and the odd steepish downhill. Pretty much exactly what you would expect from the map. Where the track drops to meet the river for the final time there's a sign indicating 'Emerald Pool' and a wide solid track beside the river. I see movement through the trees and someone in the type of shorts a hunter might wear so give a 'I'm not a deer' type whistle and keep going down river.
The river here looks very deep and slow moving. It's a long section and would be a great for a swimmer. I'm not sure if it is the Emerald pool on the sign but it is quite impressive.
I pass a family coming up valley and notice quite a few foot prints - this place looks busy. I've stopped to take a photo of some leaves with interesting insect or disease damage when a tramper arrives from up river. He takes quite an interest in what I'm looking at and we get chatting.
Oliver lives and works in the outer Sounds and has come in here for a night out. He's a competent tramper and we have a good yack as we follow the track out. He also has a ute and offers me a lift up the road seeing as I'm a bit early for my pick-up.
We arrive at the carpark about 11.20 - just over 4 hours from the hut. Heading down the road there is a bit of damage from the recent storms but it's all been repaired. We get to one slightly lumpy bit and just on the other side there's Col in the Mazda. She has only just arrived, figured this bit is not best for a 2WD, turned the car around and parked. Perfect timing - and toasted cheese and drinks no less.
And that's it. A venison pie from the Pelorus cafe and we're on our way back to Blenheim.
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