A Tramper in the Red Hills

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A TRAMPER IN THE RED HILLS Christmas 1975 saw 10 club members meet near Jackson Bay and head up the Arawhata River fired up with Christmas cake and propelled by all the little beasties that the area abounds with. Following a crossing of Northern Olivine Range via McArthur Creek, Bald-Mt., Raddle and an unnamed scungy little side creek we emerged onto the Cascade Valley. The views to be had in every direction from our high points on the range amply justified our route. The excellent weather did the rest 1 one day of rain in eighteen! Our first encounter with the ultramatic rocks was on Raddle and this geological oddity was a far cry from the mud of the Tararuas. I won't go into any detail regarding the origin and composition of this band of rock as this has been better covered elsewhere. The reddish-brown hills and mountains stretch from the Martyr Peaks of the Northern Olivine Range to the Red Hill Range and Little Red Hill Range with an appendage that continues south following the line of Beresford Pass, Four Brothers Pass and Cow Saddle. This area is noted for being bare of vegetation which is a sharp contract to the rich and beautiful forests that surround it. To a tramper it comes across as being quite odd and as not the easiest of terrain to traverse. After a peaceful rest day by the Cascade River we headed direct for the norther tip of the Gorge Plateau. There is no definite bush edge as one would expect but instead an area which gradually changes from the rolling tussock covered tops to the bush proper. The intermediate area has been described as something like park land and is an apt description. Little tams, clumps of trees amidst the tussock and freedom from the low level insects make this an idyllic place. Any thoughts of tramping that afternoon were quickly forgotten as we spied an especially attractive spot. Next morning crossing the Gorge Plateau we all remarked on this ideal tramping country which contracts with the forests which stretch towards the coast on one side, and the Olivine Range which was our backdrop on the other.

Our route did not entail climbing Red Mt. or traversing its slopes and we dropped through rough scrub and giant boulders and scree slides into the Red Pyke River just to the southof Perodite Stream / Continuing to the Pyke Camp was relatively straight. forward. a and here we enjoyed the extras that our food dump provided. There is incidentally no airstrip here. and all mining camp equipment is brought in by helicopter. :

: - aE - The nearest airstrips - and they can only be called that > are in the upper Barrier and inthe Pyke Valley below the Gorge. There was a proposal afoot for a,while to extend and enlarge the strip on the Upper Barrier Flats, to take Bristol Freighters! The sunsets in this area were à real incentive to - our photographers and red sunsèts setting on the red rocks were a great reward for our hard day. The Pyke Camp had two standing structures = one used by shooters (not in residence) - and the other contained geological cove samples plus some miscellaneous bits and pieces. The remains of a much larger camp were quite evident. The concrete helicopter pad even had a "Welcome, Pyke International Airport" sign. An articlein the Press dated February 15, 1977 gives the other view of tramping, visitors: k AL "The drilling party encountèred a different P a S kind of pollution (than from mining) - - The camp 6 - a E buildings were erected.six years ago by Kennecott at Barrier, a few' kilometeres a away. When the party arrived'to move them to Red Hills, they found damage by vandals. in t The huts were daubed with slogans on - the theme 'Kéep out multi-national exploiters' 11 DA a The article continues "What weirdo - would carry paint spray cans, into that vi wilderness. à à n5

After seeing this area, I wonder who the vandals and'weirdos really are. Is it symptomatic that the reporter and prospecting personnel-flew in and but by helicopter? One wonders what the early visitors like the famed partyof- Barrington, Farrell and Simorin would think of all this. Part of our interestin the Red Hills stems from the current threat from both mining and roading interests. The roading would not direetly affect the Red Hills unless mining was undertaken as a commercial venture. As far as tourist roads are concerned, the arguments in the Nature Conservation Councils booklet on roading should easily refute any further: suggestions, but our history has not always followed logical ideas even in times of curbed expenditure. The mining interests have transferred their earlier ideas of silver and nickle to asbestos and the Little Red Hill area between the Pyke and Barrier Rivers has been extensively prospected. Time will tell whether they intend to mine, but if they go ahead the whole area will be irrepairably changed. The unstable nature of the area together with roads and mining operations will turn this unique and peaceful wilderness into an eyesore. Not only will both the Barrier and Pyke Rivers be clogged and silted up, but distant lakes like Alabaster and McKerrow will discolour and silt up to some extent and their National Park standard will cease. Trout will also suffer. this whole > The.scenery.of region is outstanding and as far as I'm concemed a is definitely of National Park standard. Will it last? k Ourstrip-out to so-called civilisation was via Simonin Pass and the Cascade and Jackson Valleys. In the gentle and pretty Jackson there is now a road to the head of the valley, destroying for all time the tranquility it must have had years ago: The ostensible reason for the road? runholders A Two occasionally run cattle in and out of the Lower Cascade Flats. Obviously the roading funds are not as lean as certain politicians would have us believe. : This region has been described as remote and in-accessible - long may it remain SG. Suggested further reading: 1. Various Massif Annuals especially the 1970 volume 2. NZAJ 1971 3. N.Z. Government's 'South Westland Land Use Study' due for publication May/June 1977. A.R. PARISH