Newland Pass to Arawata Saddle

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Newland Pass to Arawata Saddle Paul Richardson The start of our Christmas trip could all the way to Sentinel Peak where a hardly have been more depressing. good camp site was found on the Paul Delisle and myself had driven northern slopes. through the night to reach the Bissell's residence in Hokitika in time for Strong winds during the night died by breakfast. We collected Paul Aubrey and dawn and we awoke to a clear sky and Trevor here and they took over the driving crisp frost. With mighty Alba behind to Makarora. However, upon our arrival us and Castor and Pollux ahead we made we discovered that Trevor had left his fast time along the range to the saddle ice-axe behind. With Nicki Lauda before Mercury Peak. The next bit types behind the wheel it didn't take looked rather hard as indeed it proved us too long to get to Queenstown and to be. We probably weren't ready for back but the combination of beer, some real climbing at this stage and stew and chips and a wildly swaying our progress for the first few hours van was just too much for me. Once was clumsy and unco-ordinated. It back at Makarora lots of incriminating was only after a late lunch that we evidence was left behind in the bushes. changed tactics, climbed as two ropes The boys said I looked white as a sheet, of two and made any kind of progress. but the show must go on and we sent Higher up the exposure was considerable Paul A. off to get the jet boat operator. and the snow soft and dangerous. Chris soon turned up with his boat and As the weather was set fair we decided trailer. He drove us down to the beach, to pitch the tent on top of our hard we paid our $8.50 each and piled in for earned peak. What a fantastic spot! the ride to Kerin Forks. There wasn't Castor and Pollux were right at our going to be any twilight tonight - the doorstep, and in all directions was a sky was black as sin. "You should try magnificent panorama of peaks. Dawn and cross the Wilkin tonight, boys" was superb with all its rapidly changsaid the driver. "There's a good cross- ing hues playing on the snowclad peaks ing about twenty minutes up". It was surrounding us. There wasn't much of a all lies. By the time we had called frost though and a thin but persistent at the hut it was almost dark and mist sweeping up from the Drake was a raining steadily, my glasses were warning to get off. Fixed belays for fogging up and slipping off and a few hours got us down to the broad further along I was sick twice. I snowfields of the Drake Range. At the felt bloody rotten. After an hour's edge of the snow it was time for a erratic walking we still hadn't got long leisurely lunch and sunbathe while anywhere and couldn't see a thing, soaking up the beautiful scenery of this and as I was a delirious wreck by now remote valley. It was great to be in we pitched the fly and crashed for the the Drake at last. Our descent to the night. This was about 11 p.m. valley flats was through masses of flowering alpines to a dry creekbed A good sleep does wonders though and which dumped us out onto the top end next morning I felt much better. But of the grassy flats. It was all so unfortunately the weather was as easy. dismal as ever, and the Wilkin River not far from our campsite was now high Mist and drizzle started rolling up the and dirty. Until now I hadn't realised valley fairly early next morning. At just how big a river it is. We crossed the north branch junction we brewed up above the Newland confluence linked up while tossing up about what to do next. and wet to the waist on a bad bottom. We had hoped to have a crack at Rosy and Sombre, two rather striking peaks Moir said there was a track into the on the Drake Range, but we'd lost our Newland Valley but there isn't and it chance now. Open beech forest and just cost us time looking for it. A strong deer trails made for easy going wet and miserable climb eventually to just above the Pickelhaube Stream brought us out of the sodden beech by midday. Morale was rather on the forest into lumpy tussock where a feeble low side and pissy weather didn't help. sun enticed us to have lunch. In the However we pitched the fly here hoping afternoon we made our way to the valley that fine weather next day would enable head lashed by cold southerlies and a us to traverse Castor and Pollux to the passing electrical storm. Donald basins and Stormwater tops. Next morning in better weather we Next day, with the weather worse than plugged up steep snowslopes to Newland ever the tops were obviously out and Pass where we had a quick lunch in after a late start we bush bashed our rapidly deteriorating conditions. way down the Drake reaching the grassy Strangely enough, it didn't get much flats of the Waiatoto Valley by midworse and we had reasonable visibility afternoon. At Drake hut we met the

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Mt Alba from slopes of Sentinel/ Paul Richardson local inhabitants and scourge of the post looked okay on a full frontal Waiatoto - millions of sandflies. view but it became deceptively steep With that "didn't know what to do" higher up and progress finally ground feeling we crossed the river and to a halt. Aubrey and Delisle, being camped amongst all the cattle dung. the youngsters took off for a recce while Trevor and I snoozed. After a We spent a horrible night here, there few hours they arrived back saying that being no relief from the mossies and things got a bit rugged higher up, and sandies. We got away reasonably early questioning my sanity. It seemed like next morning and reached Bonar Flats we'd have to go around this baby. for lunch after four crossings of the Easy snowslopes took us down about 1500 Waiatoto. Luckily the river was fairly feet on the Waiatoto side before we low and all crossings were done indivfound a break in Buttress Spur leading idually. Don't try to go up the true to more snowslopes below the peak. left bank like we did - it's all scunge. More recces ate up the afternoon so we decided to give it away for the At Bonar Flats we lunched in the hot day and pitch the tent on an airy gravel sun down on the beach where there's ledge we had spotted. It was an impressa grand view of Mt Aspiring. We picked ively exposed site and of course the up our airdrop from the log cabin and views were really fantastic. An evil after the ceremonial weigh-in (70 to looking black streaky sky was slowly 85 lbs) we headed up onto the Haast building up around the massive bulk of Range immediately behind the hut. It Aspiring and Main Divide peaks soared was bit of a stagger with such heavy above the gloomy depths of the Waiatoto loads but three hours of steady going Valley. It was a rugged looking scene. saw us out of the bush and pitching the fly for the night. Bad weather rolled in really fast next morning and by the time we had climbed Next day in fine weather we had slow up to Cornerpost it was misty and windy. going through scratchy scrub for a The rocky ridge beyond was ably led by short time before gaining a dry creek- Paul Aubrey until we reached the snow bed which led through to the snowgrass again and he said "It's your turn now". basins of the Haast Range. We took an The snow was wet and soft with visibility early lunch before Cornerpost because about zero but we made good time towards this looked like it might take us a Moonraker. A quick scramble to the top while I little did we know! Cornerthen we took a compass course down a

Aspiring climbers/ Paul Aubrey broad snow ledge to above Cloudmaker Lake. Not a very inviting spot in this weather and we turned our backs on it by crossing an easy saddle into The Third Mate. In the lower basin we finally left the snow behind and found ourselves a beaut bivy rock. After lunch we spent a most productive afternoon improving our bivy. Good visibility was needed for our next move to Colin Todd but there wasn't much chance of that next morning with all the mist and rain about. By evening the clouds were breaking and cold temperatures were a hopeful sign of approaching fine weather. Next morning from the edge of Third Mate Creek we did a long climbing sidle to the ridge off Stargazer. From here the hard snow of the Suet Glacier soon brought us to the rocks beneath Mainroyal. Time for a climb, and 45 minutes later we were whooping A barefoot crossing of the Waipara it up on Mainroyal's summit. Aspiring soon woke us up next morning as we was just to the east and dominated headed for Waipara Saddle. Just head everything. After a superfast descent straight up the guts of the creek we then plodded along to some warm rocks directly below the saddle and it's for lunch, spoiled somewhat by all plain sailing. An easy ledge increasing mist. near the top brought us out onto the lowest point where good snowslopes By 2.30 we were brewing up again at lead down to the remnants of the Colin Todd and talking to all the bods Arawata Glacier. Further down we milling around the hut. It was a brewed up behind a large rock while dirty, smelly place with rubbish it tried hard to rain. From the edge scattered everywhere, most of which of the moraine flat we started our Trevor burned. As the hut was full climbing sidle towards Arawata Saddle. we pitched our tent on a flat site Visibility improved as we gained below the hut and got ready for our height but it was still cold and windy attempt on Aspiring. The eleven on the saddle where we had intended climbers on the mountain this day camping. took 16 hours - we hoped to do better than that. Camping didn't seem to be such a wise idea now and Liverpool Stream was We left at 6 a.m. for Aspiring on a much more attractive. However it was beautiful cold and frosty morning with just as cold and windy down in the not a cloud in the sky. Conditions basin so we continued on to Liverpool were absolutely perfect and we reached Bivy. We had no intention of staying the top by 8.45 which included about here either and spoiling our camping 45 minutes waiting for Paul Delisle record, but while having a brew that to catch up and replace a broken sound of heavy rain on the roof was crampon bar. The views were marvelljust too much. We got our pits out ous and it was a happy occasion for and had another brew. us all. I've often wondered why climbers never spend much time on There was blue sky again next morning summits, but I knew the reason now, for our fourteenth and final day in it was mighty cool! the hills. We had a late start - one of the few - as it was just so hard A leisurely descent still enabled us to leave behind the mountains we'd to reach our campsite before the sun come to know so well. Once down at had softened the snow. Time for cele- Aspiring Hut though it was all over bration and a sunbathe. After a few bar the walking to Raspberry Hut hours we eventually packed our belongwhich wasn't too bad with a pleasant ings and moved off across the Bonar breeze behind us. It was a great trip Glacier to Shipowner Ridge and and one that I'm sure we'll all Waipara Lake. There's an easy route remember for a long time to come. down slabs beside the icefall and I wish they were all like this. further along a big slip takes you Happy trampers were:- Paul Aubrey, down to the lake shore. We pitched Trevor Bissell, Paul Delisle and Paul our fly on a terrace above the lake Richardson. outlet, a lovely spot. 28 December 1977 - 12 January 1978