Christmas, 1966 - The Landsborough

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CHRISTMAS, 1966-THE LANDSBOROUGH Four o'clock on the afternoon before Fettes Glacier, along with its terminal Christmas Day, 1966, saw Neil Gray, lake just to one side of the main stream Murray Brown, Kelly Yip, Bob Hendry of the Landsborough, marks the end of (Poach), and myself disembarking from the bush and the beginning of the rock Landrovers. We were in the Hopkins and snow-grass wastes of the head- Valley at the head of Lake Ohau admist waters. We camped for a couple of days a mob of 60 odd N.Z.A.C. people going just upstream of here opposite the mouth to their Christmas meet. However, a of the Blanc Stream in full view of Mt. couple of hours' tramp and we were off Hopkins, Mt. McKerrow, and the Black their route and setting up our first camp Tower. in the quietness of the Huxley Valley. New Year's Eve itself was a quiet Being Christmas Eve, tea was served affair-one round of vodka and apricot along with a variety of liqueurs while juice was enough to make everyone flake. plum pudd. provided our last "dessert with a difference" for some time. New Year's Day provided good weather for us to climb Mt. McKerrow The following evening, after many from which a grand view from the Hopmovie stops and a bit of tramping too, kins Valley to Sefton and from Tekapo we arrived in the headwaters of the to the West Coast was gained. North Huxley where we camped alongside the hut directly below Broderick A further half day's tramp took us Pass. up the McKerrow Glacier over Douglas Pass and on to Harper's Rock Biv. Our day for crossing Broderick Pass situated below the towering walls of the dawned fine and we soon gained the pass Douglas Neve with its regularly thundering avalanches and with Mts Sefton and after a short drag up the snow-grass Brunner dominating it from its eastern slopes. The route down proved much border. more tedious than the one up and involved some complicated navigation After much debating and (wrong) which made us thankful that "Hughie" weather predicting, it was decided to was turning on such a great show sO tramp from here via Conical Hill to the that we could see where we were going. Karangarua River instead of crossing the We eventually staggered on to the neve as previously intended. This was Landsborough River flats in semi- achieved in three days despite all our darkness at 9.00 p.m. foolproof calculations that it would only take one. Our views of the Douglas Gorge confirmed that it was impassable. An offer from some meat hunters of a horseback crossing of the river, per- After a quick trip out to Fox to stock suaded us to give up the next day as up with fresh food and duries, and to one of rest. Accordingly, we crossed the have a meal at the pub, we were racing river and moved on to their hut where back up the Karangarua to the Copland we pitched camp and stayed long enough Valley with its glorious springs just 50 to "borrow" some cigarettes and get yards from Welcome Flats hut. We spent found out, to be donated a bottle of some time in this picturesque spot adbeer, and for our H.V.T.C. friend to miring the magnificence of the surbludge some fresh meat. rounding mountains and bush from the steaming hot pools-the only deterrent being the sandflies. On New Year's Eve we arrived in the headwaters of the Landsborough. The An attempt on Sefton was foiled just journey up the river had been marked short of Welcome Pass by bad weather, by fine weather, beautiful scenery and and after another short interlude in the plenty of game. Large boulders in the + hot pools, our packs were shouldered river bed made travelling slow in places, again for our last day's tramp out to while in contrast, tussock and beech the West Coast road. forest flats had pleasantly proved the opposite. -I.R.B.