tristan riley

Mount Owen! Limestone massif, massive. A short tramp from out back of Tapawera. One of my favorite places!

As well as Mt Owen itself, there are other peaks to climb, for fantastic 360 degree views across Kahurangi and Tasman Bay. Mt Bell, Billie’s Knob, Replica Hill, and Culliford Hill all have quirky appeal. Mt Owen is the place to come in fine weather, to relax and spend days climbing and clambering through a sharp limestone maze. Don’t come up in the rain and mist!

From Courthouse Flat it is a sharp climb to the bush line, with super views north over the Arthur Range, and toward Mt Patriarch. The head of Blue Creek is alive with birds, making for a pleasant camp at the old Prospector’s hut site.

…

There are heaps of camp sites on the tops, and away from the crowded hut. We set up the fly below Mt Bell, and climbed the steep scree. I had fun rolling rocks down the other side!

The Mt Owen track winds through a neat limestone maze of crevasses and holes, arches and fluted columns. Weird and wonderful shapes make this a great place to explore.

…

We set off to return to Courthouse flat via Culliford Hill. The traverse was straightforward until just north of the summit, with a tricky sidle below a jagged knife edge ridge. Huge cliffs fall away to the west.

Descent from Culliford Hill is difficult, through steep slopes covered in sharp Spaniard, and treacherous jagged rock. From the top it is a 1500m drop back to Courthouse flat, made harder by my getting us lost!

…

At last we made the bushline, Jaime’s pants torn to shreds from sliding down the sharp rock. My map showed a track leading straight down the ridge. We followed the old markers, now suffering through lack of water.

Losing and finding the track, it turned into a pink tape trail, and veered off the ridge to the east, and steeply down.

…

Rope and ladder helped us through the steepest sections, but the terrible trail seemed endless until we at last popped onto the track at the Blue Creek resurgence. Bad route!

Staggering back to the carpark at dusk, a quick look at the signboard showed the track marked on my map no longer exists. The correct way to Culliford Hill lies via Nuggety Creek. Don’t take the pink tape trail!

…

A night spent in Teal Bay hut on Lake Hauroko reminded me why I hate huts. After we arrive alone, one boat lands. Then another. Then another, who fish for trout at night with pink plastic mice. Then at 2am, a boat load of drunken fools cooks a midnight feast with nonstop cursing. How I hate that Swazi-clad, mess-leaving, part-time “hunter” part of our kiwi culture! At 2.30am I left the hut to sleep by the lake edge, hearing the far sweeter sound of kiwi calling.

…

Next day a sharp hump up to the Hump blows away my grumpiness. Unusually for Southland, a strong Northeast breeze howls, making it cold in the full sun. The tussock tops wave and my jacket thrums. What a view!

Lake Hauroko glistens below, dominated by Caroline Peak. Te Waewae bay stretches for miles east, with Bluff hill a distant mound. Rakiura and Solander Island loom large on the horizon. The Wairaurahiri river and its forested flats stretch south. All of southern Fiordland lies exposed. the Hump is a prime lookout and well worth a visit.

…

Its easy travel heading down the ridge toward the epic boardwalk of the “Tuatapere Hump Ridge track”. Not a soul to be seen pounding the boards. I wonder if they will ask us for money to walk on this very expensive track? It is a long descent into the impressive lowland rimu forest around the logging viaducts, but Percy Burn hut is a lovely spot.

…