tristan riley

Adelaide Tarn is my favorite spot in Kahurangi. Tiny tarn, nestled in snowgrass basin, surrounded by five tall peaks. The Needle, the Eye of the Needle, the Haystack, Mount Douglas and Trident have great views over the main attraction – the Dragon’s Teeth.

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Jagged raw slabs poke at strange angles skyward. Around the base and along the steep faces of the teeth lies the “High Route” , also known as the “Wireless” after the wire rope was removed in the 1990′s, or the “Staircase” after the steep steps on the final section.

The track is now well marked with cairns, tin lids and orange canvas. Tricky branches are sawn clear. The path is easy to follow, and much faster than the alternative “Low Route” or scrub bashing up the “Middle Route”, which climbs from Anatoki River to Anatoki Peak.

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Even with my 10 day pack, there was plenty of stunted manuka and dracophyllum to hold onto. The sheer drop and sometimes scary climbs of 2-3 meters provide excitement! The track is designed to be followed from north to south, as the climbing up is much easier. The track marking is also easier to find from this side. However to climb down the route is possible.

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From the saddle overtop of Adelaide Tarn cairns lead to forest. A short sidle goes to the first, small tooth. A longer climb through cliffs eventually finishes on the snowgrass ramp leading to the largest, middle teeth. More sidling, back in bush, across the “creek” in the centre, to a dry rockfall. Then its time to climb! 100m of near vertical, conveniently stepped into rock and scrub sections. Excellent!

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Thanks to Warwick Briggs for track work. Warwick has been climbing the teeth since the 1970′s, and often guides people through. The hut books in Adelaide and Lonely Lake are full of sagas of hardship and woe, struggling through the teeth. The track now is better than ever.

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The track emerges onto Anatoki Peak spur, for the final rocky sidle to Lonely Lake. High Route time – 3 hours from Adelaide Tarn to Anatoki peak, then 2 more hours to Lonely Lake.