Hokitika Hop

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Hokitika Hop by Hugh Middleton Where to this year? After six annual one-week We escaped early in the morning, still on trips in the South Island, plus numerous good terms with the locals, but in Christmas trips, the four of us were pretty deteriorating weather. An excellent track familiar with most of the prime tramping soon had us to the bush edge in Frews Creek, areas within a day's drive of Picton. Except once the site of an old slab hut known to the Paparoas. But the combination of almost Pascoel2) as the "Royal Hotel". We could permanent cloud and rain, with the lack find only vestiges of it. Nearby the track of huts and tracks, offers slim prospects crossed a chasm that had taken me more for a good trip in the Paparoas in a single than an hour to cross in 1969 using climbing week. Then, thumbing through Mark ropes. On this occasion it was spanned by Pickering's newly published guidebook@l), two steel cables and presented little bother. I stumbled across his memory-evoking piece called "Old West Coast". Lindsay, Warren Snow poles marked our route up through and I had all been in the same general area the tussocks to Frews Bivouac and Saddle. on at least one previous occasion, but not I believe there's a terrific view from the for almost 20 years. Though the rainfall top - down the Hokitika and out to sea thereabouts is second to none, sO are the on a good day - but I've yet to experience huts and tracks, and the scenery is terrific. it. A steep descent took us to the broad, And I for one was eager to see what things open headwaters of the Hokitika. Then were like after such a long time. it was down the riverbed for a time before picking up an excellent track on the true left. This crossed a prominent knob before sidling above a gorge to Bluff Hut - very clean and comfortable, set on the bush edge overlooking the Mungo with a water tap in the porch and a working kerosene stove inside. A welcome sight after several hours in the rain. Arriving at the Hokitika River road end on a beautifully fine afternoon, we parked our shiny new Landcruiser beside a rusty well-used version of the same thing. The track upstream soon deviated from its former route and we crossed the Hokitika River Continuing rain next inorning led to a lingering via a cableway to Rapid Creek Hut, before departure after lunch. A very steep descent continuing up the true left bank and into involving two fixed ladders took us to the the Whitcombe River's Collier Gorge. Despite river in an hour or so and saw us the excellent track, we had to pick our way heading virtual forest upstream to Poet Hut. But we never made through a of gin traps. Before it. Poet Creek was in such a spate that long, frustrated at stepping over the things we spent more than an hour to find and worried at the prospect of putting fingers trying on them while ascending steep pitches, we a way to cross. No wires here. Finally intentionally sprang most of them. Large discretion prevailed and we camped rather than struggle all the way back to Bluff Hut. slips descending from the subalpine scrub appear to have destroyed much of the old track and forced the rerouting with its double An uncomfortable night was spent cramped river crossing. The second crossing, a bridge in our little tent, listening to the roar of at the upstream end of the gorge, soon had the Mungo and the even louder crashing of boulders bounding down the slip on the us at Frews for the night. opposite bank. Come the morning So much debris had into the river that it was Frews actually consists of two huts. The piled old Canterbury Mountaineering Club Hut partially blocked despite its furious spate. was built in the 40's according to an old Even more discretion now prevailed and we retreated to Bluff Hut in rain. chap we later met at Thomas Bros Garage steady in Hokitika. In residence in the newer Forest Around midnight a solitary flash of lightning Service hut were several possum trappers. and crash of thunder ushered in April Fools Day, and the Department of Conservation. Their dogs and their skins occupied the old hut. The one who admitted we'd set off their traps nearly spoilt our stay. But No rain next morning. What a relief! We somehow peace was restored and we yarned could actually see Toaroha Saddle despite until late. the heavy overcast. No trouble with Poet

Warren, Clive, Lindsay Camp in old bed of Poet Creek Hugh Middleton Creek this time, and Poet Hut was reached on it. Mullins Falls made an for lunch without incident. The route from sight plummeting down through impressive the bush. Poet Creek to the hut lies largely in the Fortunately the bridge just above Cedar riverbed, and some stretches would have Flat was still intact. been underwater during the previous two days. Our route lay up a spur on the true right and a steady plod, picking our way Cedar Flat, like Frews, has two huts: an gingerly over a slippery carpet of old hut, usable two-bunker, and a relatively dracophyllum leaves, soon had us on Toaroha new and very comfortable six-bunker with Saddle and sheltering from the chill wind a large closed-in porch. Dispirited, perhaps in an excellent near new and unusually roomy by the seemingly relentless rain and the two-bunk bivouac complete with kerosene cold, we sat around the fire and drank soup stove. Despite the continuing low overcast rather than search out the famous hot springs conditions we were rewarded with views in Wren Creek. back to Bluff Hut and into the Sir Robert valley. Next morning the rain had stopped. But, being two days behind schedule, we flagged The route down Bannatyne Creek was straightaway Zit Saddle and the Kokatahi, and headed forward until it climbed out onto a high out. Warren was keen to return to our vehicle shelf on the true right. An excellent view by climbing Squall Peak and making our from here of the Top Toaroha flats with way over Jumble Top (ominous name) to the hut and the sizeable lake that has formed Gerhardt Spur. The long distance, descending there subsequent to the field check of the cloud base, and lack of any defined route latest map (1969). The L&S/NZFS route over the tops discouraged the rest of us guide reckoned there was a track down the though and we plodded off down the main true right of a sidestream from here. After river track. As we did so heavy cloud 20 minutes of crashing through increasingly descended and blotted the tops from view. execrable scrub, we returned to the stream It would have been miserable up there, and picked up the track, on the true left wouldn't it! bank! Beware of route guides that specify which bank a track is on, but omit to mention We arrived at farmland without further crossings! incident and made our way via paddocks, back roads and finally a local farmer's car Following that little diversion we soon arrived to the Landcruiser. The farmer revealed at Top Toaroha Hut - a very clean six-bunker, that his old house, just over the road, was painted yellow perhaps to distinguish it where Eric Stanley Graham was shot in from Frews (orange), Bluff (blue with a 1941. At least our sojourn in the bush ended red roof) and Poet (grey). much more pleasantly, but we reckoned we'd had enough rain for a while. So much for our "fine" day. Another longish plod in the rain next morning took us to Those on the March/April 1987 trip were: Cedar Flat. A few awkward bits around Lindsay Cuthbertson, Warren Thorburn, washouts were the only problems on an other- Clive Hellyar and Hugh Middleton. wise reasonable track that steadily improved as we went along. Lack of bridges or wires References: 1. Mark Pickering and Rodney across the river and side creeks would have Smith, 75 Great Tramps for New Zealanders, stopped us had the river risen appreciably. Reed Methven, 1986. 2. John Pascoe, There was once a bridge at Mullins Creek, Unclimbed New Zealand, Allen and Unwin, but all that remains is a rock with writing 1939.

Years on Bernie