Darting About in Mt Aspiring National Park

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Darting About in Mt Aspiring National Park Hazel Roberts It certainly didn't look like a wilderness experience. The minibus dropped us off at a farm track leading through a CoW pasture. It was hot - veryhot - and there were no trees in the valley, only large black COwS. Definitely not what we expected. e inspected 25 Mile Hut, two hours in. We top. In fright, he knocked the MSR onto thet floor. Every- W had wondered about staying there the night. one jumped up. Ray ran for the fire extinguisher. Some- One look convinced us that this old and ill- body nearer reachedi for a billy and smothered the flames. kempt construction was not an attractive option. We Mr Jap went quietly to bed. decided to press on and see what campsite could be Next day was cold but dry. A pleasant walk sidling found for our new tent's initiation. along the ever-narrowing Rees. Scrubby vegetation gave The scenery began to take on that exciting "good little shelter from the biting wind, but at the head of the tramping here" look. Dramatic waterfalls spouted out valley huge boulders offered as sheltered lunch spot. And from beneath snow tongues on the opposite side of the then we were at the saddle at 1,447m the highest valley. The route up thel Rees Valley follows old moraines; point oft thel Rees-Dart track. It's a short climb, not overly some made nice firm banks and some made superb re- steep, still carpeted at the edges with snow and very ceptacles for any rainfall. We clambered over the last of barren on the Rees side. From a sheltered spot just bethe moraines and found the forest just as the drizzle low the saddle the first trickles of the Rees could be began. The weather forecast was for 12 hours of rain So spied, sneaking out from under a snowfield. On the crest we pitched up, brewed up, and went to bed. of the saddle, a brief pause (clad in our windproof gear) In the morning it was still raining. Ray went to add for a photo and an eye-watering peer up the valleys, his little drop to the soggy meadow outside and came in and then it was down Snowy Creek. with a thousand winged companions. We buried our If the Rees Valley was sparsely vegetated, this side heads under our silk liners. About noon we ventured more than made up for it. With the recent rain, Snowy out and began to dry our gear. A Japanese man came Creek was a grovelly mud wallow no place to stay clacking by with his walking poles. We were to meet clean. Lower altitude banished mud; tussock gave way him several more times. Up valley we passed the sign to scrub and abundance of Mt Cook buttercups; and the announcing Mt Aspiring National Park, and the first of sun came out and fried everything in sight. Dart Hut many optimistic timings to huts. We met the Japanese was busier than Shelter Rock Hut. It caters for it, having man again. He was having some difficultywith! his boots. ap purpose-built ablution area with three flush toilets! In He was also having some difficulty understanding his the hut, Ray spotted Mr Jap getting out his MSR and (Park) map. quickly checked the location of the fire extinguisher. We meandered through bush, meadows, and streams Our plan was to spend two days at Dart, making a in low cloud and occasional rain beautiful. In some side trip up to the Dart Glacier and Cascade Saddle. places it was difficult to distinguish path from stream. Accessing the upper Dart Valley is easiest achieved by Bush gave way to rocky open country with lots of kea- walking up the river, although we didn'trealise that until gnawed buttercups. Some streams were crossed by snow we wandered all the way down it on our return (the bridges and rotten bridges they looked too. We chose "track" sidles along the bank at dizzying angles). The to wade the streams instead. Eventually we reached the Dart Valleyis attractive, with numerous campsites. On bushline and Shelter Rock Hut. the other side of the valley, the Hesse Glacier domi- We met the other people with whom we would share nated the view, sending down occasional avalanches. the track. There was an English couple, NZ residents, Dart Glacier terminates in a mound of dirty rubble, who had camped outside the hut the night before and nothing impressive, a bit of a disappointment really were drying out after the rain. They asserted that all not quitel like, say, the Fox. We clambered up the valley Kiwis must be mad, walking through streams in their wall towards Cascade Saddle. This slope is described boots! At every stream, they had diligently exchanged by guidebooks as "the most cairned and the most motheir boots for Tevas, paddled over, then dried their feet bile slope in New Zealand. " I can't disagree with that: I and replaced their boots. "It only takes five minutes.' If was very glad not to be coming down it with a full pack. There were a couple of Americans, Thomas and Linda. And then the glacier did become impressive, looking at Thomas was a seasoned traveller while Linda was a nov- the névé, the feeder glaciers, thei icefall... that was worth ice. And there was Mr Jap. He'd intended to go over the effort. Further up towards Cascade Saddle, and the Cascade Saddleinto thel Matukituki. He said he was fully hot sunshine of the morning gave way to cloud and then equipped and experienced (with a Park map?). He was to a brief snow flurry! (Well, it was 25 December after equipped with an MSR, but certainly wasn't experienced all; "White Christmas" and all that.) Alas, no hoped-for in how to use it. His MSR shot flames along the bench view up tol Mt Aspiring from the saddle - the Matukituki Tramping and Mountaineering 1998

REES SADDLE 1447 m On the saddle at 1,447m Hazel Roberts Valley was in dense cloud, sharply delineated by the The final day: fairly cruisy along the river and sudcrest of the ridge. denly there was a sign announcing Funyaks - 10 mins. Back at Dart Hut, we found the English couple. They Funyaks? Then we were at a fence. It was thel Park boundtoo had taken a side trip and the man was most upset. ary. There was a bit of a beach, Dredge Flat, site of a He had slipped and got a bootful of water. This new short-lived gold-dredging operation. People jetboat up experience was clearly not greeted with joy. to here and then kayak back - the funyaks, obviously Dart Hut is at the bushline and immediately on set- (tired trampers can hitch a lift, too). ting out down-river, we realised the Dart Valley is com- Suddenly, a nasty surprise after the cruisy stroll: Sandy pletely different from thel Rees. The steep valleyi is lushly Bluff, the ascent of which involves a climb up a cliff by forested and there are lots of birds. Glimpses oft the river means of a ladder (okay) and steel ropes (not So okay) far below sparkle bluely. The path is well made and the to haul one's nervous body up through the bushes (obwalking very easy. We met the warden, digging ditches. viously DOC ran out of money before they got round to He told us that the path was being upgraded but that upgrading this bit). Once up this near-vertical cliff there's DOC had run out of money. In places it cost nearly a nice gentle pack track cut into the rock. $1,000 per metre. Obviously it wasn't all like the cur- More easywalking alonga an ever-widening valleyl leadrent motorway-style track. ing to Chinamans Bluff. The end of the pack track must It wasn't. Strong winds had felled a few trees and have fallen away and there was evidence of recent blastthese remained across the path, a barrier to compla- ing here so that's where the money went. (I would cency. Water had carved deep ruts and steps along the have settled for a narrower track and a few more ladpath. Ray's new walking pole became very useful as ders!) We emerged into something like, incongruously, knees started complaining. On through Cattle Flat, no a neglected orchard. To our pleasure and surprise, the cattle to be seen, nor any "flat" either: it's 4 km of up pick-up vehicle was making an extra long "special" trip and down gullies, through a meadow liberally sprinkled to the Bluff, way beyond the normal roadend, SO we with bright flowers. A lingering sun bask in the sweet avoided a boring road bash. smelling grass was a treat. We thoroughly enjoyed the tramp. It was quiet and Then on to Daleys Flat, again a nice camping area; we only saw people at or close to the huts. We'd choeven a barbecue! We opened the hut door andi immedi- sen well on the time we started our trip. We set out ately were yelled at. "Close that door, quick!" Thomas about 22 December, and had arranged a special midand thel English couple were in residence; they were all afternoon drop-off. The driver had dropped off only a hiding from the sandflies. Ray went outside for a quick few other people on that day, all mountaineers. Now, wash - very quick returning seconds later announc- only five or six days later, he told us that he had dropped ing very firmly that we were not going to be camping off three van loads 30 people - at the Rees roadend here; we too would be hut dwellers the local hosts that day. Now, wouldn't that give the sandflies somehad wasted no time in meeting him. thing to munch on! Tramping and Mountaineering 1998