Prospectos Creek

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Prospectos Creek This year we had planned our Christ- Its closeness did nothing to ease our mas Trip in what, to us, was new minds. country. We had heard so much about In front of us was 100 feet of vertical the mighty Canterbury rivers, the drop, below which was another Rakaia and the Rangitata, that we de- cascade. On our right were cided to see for ourselves. steep Mabs up to the ridge and reaching back almost Our first encounter was when we to the pass. On our left was an amphiwere dropped off at the Clyde, a branch theatre of bluffs reaching to the of the Rangitata. It was certainly far ridge on that side, and continuing up down bigger than anything we had seen further river as far as we could see. south, but to us, eager to get into the It certainly didn't seem like hills, it looked easy enough, in spite of but we were the occasional twig floating down. Three going any further, with the Perth hours later, colder and wiser, we de- so close, just four or five hundred feet cided to follow the guide book instruc- below us, we had to do something and tions and cross just above the so we recce'd through the bush on Clyde-Havelock Junction-some 30 the true left. Each time we hit the minutes downstream. Once we got bluff we sidled higher until in the end got low enough it only took us 10 we could see the bluffs stretching away minutes to cross the complete river, down river in an unbroken line. the only casualty being Chris's ice-axe Once we had decided to turn back, which was left behind in the very last all thoughts turned to the easiest way channel. Our first Havelock camp soon to reach our airdrop in the Rakaia. restored our peace of mind and the Another sweltering day saw us back weather looked settled. in the Havelock, and from there it To beat the heat and sandflies the was a long slog back to the Havelockalarm rang at 4 a.m. and we were Clyde junction where Chris was lucky on our way by 6.30 a.m. This was enough to find his axe-clearly visible the routine on all our moving days in the ford, now the river was lower. (few as they were). The easiest route into the Rakaia As expected the valley was big and appeared to be over Butlers Saddle from barren and by the time we reached the head of the Lawrence River, so Eric Stream we were so burnt and away we went, and another couple of dehydrated that the best we could do days saw us at our airdrop at Lyell was rig up a fly and swelter in the Hut. The weather which had been slowshade. Our route from here was up ly packing in for the last of Eric Stream, over Gunn Pass and days, gave us a chance to couple our food then into the Perth via Prospectos Creek. up to the Hut and then get it was six Another perfect day and three hours days of snow and rain before we of boulder hopping and an easy snow- emerged and got as far as Louper Bivvy slope saw us on the Pass. What greeted where we spent another wet was day. us something of a surprise. Craggy ridges, steep creeks, and twisting valleys Fully prepared for a wet slog down lay before us. Prospectos Creek in the Rakaia the next day, we were surticular seemed to drop steeply into Pihe prised to wake to clear skies. This meant bush. The route into the creek was we could use route two and so three down steep, snow grass with some snow glorious days were spent going down and rock, but once in the valley the the Whitcombe where the bush made travel was boulder hopping and a grass a pleasant change from our scenery of flat provided an ideal place for lunch. the past two weeks. Abundant chamois on the bluffs Epilogue:- A brief history of the around us demonstrated the lack of route obtained since we returned. The shooters in the area. The travel now Pass was first discovered from the Perth was more West-coast style, with big in 1875 approximately, by Alex. Gunn boulders and sidles through bush to and "Harry the Whale". A Gunn desby-pass waterfalls. Then suddenly here cendent, William Gunn, also reached it was-the mighty drop seen from above. the Pass in 1905. The only contemporary account that could be found, was that Us five maintain nature has since of a crossing made in 1934. Pascoe closed the route to all but birds-how writes "By the waterfall they tried to about proving us wrong this Christmas. sidle to a bush ridge, failed, and returned to the cascade bed, and let down packs on ropes; they then descended them- Noel Thomas, Pete Goodwin, Chris selves by finding cracks in boulders. Kinzett, Kev Moynihan and Dennis They used trees as belays where pos- Gazley. sible."