Matiri River to Mt Owen Tops

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Matiri River to Mt Owen Tops Pam Whitla In previous years while tramping Matiri was made after much discussion - around the Wangapeka area, Robert and the one at the south end of the saddle. I had looked south to Mt Owen and After the first bushbashing of the thought "That looks an interesting trip and some careful map reading, we area to visit". So we finally got came out onto a nice grassy terrace on together with Leo Homes and Janet a side branch of the Matiri. Feeling Dobbie, and planned a seven day like we'd had enough for the day, we Christmas trip, starting from the decided to camp there. Two braver, Matiri River which flows into the or should I say dirtier members of the Buller at Murchison. party, had a bath in an icy wee pool in the river before tea. We all met in Murchison, and my parents drove us up the Matiri River The sun was shining the next morning till we reached a sign that said cars as we did some more careful navigating could go no further. Following a and eventually got back on the Matiri last salad lunch, we set off across a River track which led us to Lake farmland river terrace. After an Jeanette. No sooner had we coated up hour we forded the West Branch of the with sunburn lotion and spread the Matiri, which was quite high due to lunch out, than the black clouds that the recent Christmas rain. We soon were gathering started to rain on us entered the beech forest and just when again. A short day was voted on, we were starting to wonder where Lake with a stop at Hurricane Hut up the Matiri was, we rounded a bend to find valley from the top of the lake. a nice, clean, six bunk Forest Service Afternoon sleeps on comfortable hut with a superb view of the lake mattresses proved popular. from the window. We discovered, that night, that camp ovens cook steaks very nicely. New Year's Day, and again The track around the lake to Bay Creek Leo failed to provide fresh next morning continued in the four trout for breakfast I lane style of the previous day. We had seen advertising in Murchison for guided horse treks to Lake Matiri and presumed this to be the reason for the luxury track. Next morning we found a new track from the hut up to the tops at Trig W. The Across Bay Creek we took the track up going was steep but open, and we were the hill and immediately started to on top in good time. However, it was gain altitude at a rate of a couple of a slow day going down Boyd Stream. We feet per step. About 2300ft (or 1150 camped on a grassy river bank, at the junction of Stream and the steps later), we came out of the bush Boyd South onto the edge of the Thousand Acre Branch of the Wangapeka. This idyllic Plateau. By now the lurking clouds campsite proved to be very noisy as it had started to drop rain on us, so our was so close to the river, and little views of the plateau were through murk. sleep was had on New Year's Eve. The We arrived at the dilapidated Poor attempt to make pancakes as a New Pete's Hut in perfect time for lunch. Year's treat also proved disastrous. The afternoon was spent in continuous New Year's Day, and again Leo failed rain, walking along the well poled to provide fresh trout for breakfast. route to Larrikins Creek Hut where we We set off up the South Branch of the spent the night. Waterfalls along Wangapeka to the next side stream the way turned on a good display for coming in on the true right, and us. headed up the spur on the south side of it. The bush was more open than The morning dawned overcast, but all the previous day and we made good the waterfalls had been turned off. time. We sidled the first top and There was no wind. We climbed up saved ourselves a several hundred from the hut onto the rather sharp and foot climb. We were almost on top of rocky ridge, and slowly and carefully the second knob when we discovered it proceeded along it, until about midwas necessary to sidle this one too, afternoon when we got almost to the due to a very steep drop-off on the saddle above the hut. A decision on other side, delaying our lunch for which spur to take back down into the almost an hour.

After lunch we continued out on an hour or so we arrived at Granity Pass open spur then dropped into a saddle Hut where we continued breakfast. above Branch Creek Hut where we were Jars of carbide in the hut indicated greeted by track markers. We quickly that cavers must visit the area - not found that the track wasn't really surprising, considering the seemingly heading where we wanted to go, so we bottomless sink holes we had passed. left it and climbed up several hundred A little way down the track, Leo feet onto a long flat spur leading up investigated a stream that didn't to Replica Hill. The evening was continue, and discovered a substantial fine, so we pitched our tent on a cave requiring torches to light the slightly flattish spot below a couple way. of tarns. There was talk of breakfast on top of Mt Owen next morning. After this the track climbed up onto a ridge and then descended down to an After a lumpy night's rest, we old gold battery in Blue Creek. Rain awakened to the sound of drizzle on was falling more heavily as we lunched the tent. The murk had set in and under a tree, and we saw the first the breakfast plans were abandoned. people for several days. We spent Navigating in the eerie, mist-covered the last night in the comfort of a kaarst topography of the Mt Owen tops small hut at the start of the required careful attention, especially Wangapeka Track. And once again we at the edge of the map. After an did not have trout for breakfast. - Robert and Leo, Lake Matiri Pam Whitla