NZ South Island - Otira to Mt Cook Village

[andrewbish]

I'm considering doing this solo next Feb. I have heard that one or two of the river crossings can be hairy. Can anyone add any more insight on this?

Also, are there other 1-2 week tramps in the Sth Island you can recommend?

Andrew

[wayno]

depends on how much rain there has been recently and the route you are taking.

[andrewbish]

Thanks, Wayne.

Do you think the track (and therefore the huts) will be busy in February?

Do you have any suggestions for other tramps in the 1-2 week range (and pref. within a couple of hours drive from ChCh)?

[wayno]

it varies on how busy the huts are as to where they are, as you'd expect the more remote the hut the less if any people you will come across.
the trip you are taking isnt taken by a lot of people, the only familiarity i have with the area is from flying over at high altitude and bits and pieces i've read.
i'ts not a high use area, but a lot of the huts are small so it can just take one party to fill a hut up. on the whole you should get a bunk most if not all nights but its still not guaranteed.
arthurs pass has a lot of tracks , you can walk the river valleys and i have put together a two week trip running around the northern side of the park
as much as anything you string together a bunch of tracks to make one long trip
rmembre doc dont record trip intentions anymore in most of the national parks . best to make a plan and stick to it as best you can and make sure someone you know , knows what you are doing.
you cant rely on walking a lot of the rivers if it rains heavily, and you have to plan to be trapped by heavy rain.
further north and easier terrain is the lewis pass area. not a lot of tracks but you can traverse a lot of the countryside if you know what you're doing.
further south of arthurs pass is more rugged terrain, if you're traversing the mountains you need experience in alpine and glacier travel, spectacular scenery but it bites the inexperienced.
http://www.adventuresmart.org.nz/Outdoo ... efault.asp

http://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap/nz32 ... Canterbury

http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/canterbury/north-canterbury-and-arthurs-pass/
http://www.softrock.co.nz/mg/index.php

[wayno]

the trip i did in arthurs pass, involved camping, there werent always huts available. and we wernt on tracks much of the time, went from mt white bridge. not sure if it still does but the train used to drop you off where you wanted on request.
binser saddle. macarthur gorge. cox river, cox saddle, penny pass, trudge col (tricky one to get down from, hug the left hand side of the scree slopes on the way down to get round the hanging valley bluffs. tarn col, otehake (not for the faint hearted, very rough sidle above the gorge.) deception
at this point i twisted my knee and took a helicopter out. the party went on to lake mavis and over temple col
i think we were supposed to go over wamakariri col instead of the deception but we ran out of time and couldnt cover the miles
we had to do eight hour days pretty much every day to cover that and a fair bit was bush bashing on rough unstable ground. but you could easily design an easier trip avoiding the headwaters of the watercourses, a lot of the rivers themselves arent as rough to walk....
it was an amazing trip, but not one I'd repeat in it's entirety....

[ninjapuppet]

Andrew, if you are keen on fishing then the George sound s my favorite non alpine region. You are in total wilderness with tonnes of fish around and can go exploring the beautiful fiordland. Add a packraft and a fishing rod and this little known region will rival anything Canada or Alaska will have to offer!

Keep in mind it's on the side that gets hammered with rain!

[wayno]

and sandflies and mossies he he he

[andrewbish]

and sandflies and mossies he he he

Ah yes, the sandflies - I remember them well. On a family drive tour down the west coast several years back, a stop to inspect a delightful river was quick aborted when we were swarmed by a black cloud of the little buggers. They chased us back to the car.

[wayno]

sandflies usually only strike low down on the body., they don't like being exposed to strong direct sunlight.
i've sat in a chair totally unscathed while sandflies swarmed over my trousers...

[andrewbish]

Andrew, if you are keen on fishing then the George sound s my favorite non alpine region. You are in total wilderness with tonnes of fish around and can go exploring the beautiful fiordland. Add a packraft and a fishing rod and this little known region will rival anything Canada or Alaska will have to offer!

Keep in mind it's on the side that gets hammered with rain!

Hi NP

I have been to the area, but not to George Sound. That does sound like a pleasant way to spend some time! I haven't yet got a packraft, but it's on the list of things "I SIMPLY MUST HAVE'

For this particular adventure I am keen to spend it traversing as much South Island high country as I can squeeze in. I intend to take rod and a grill (maybe this one) as fishing is def on the cards.

[andrewbish]

it varies on how busy the huts are as to where they are, as you'd expect the more remote the hut the less if any people you will come across.
the trip you are taking isnt taken by a lot of people, the only familiarity i have with the area is from flying over at high altitude and bits and pieces i've read.
i'ts not a high use area, but a lot of the huts are small so it can just take one party to fill a hut up. on the whole you should get a bunk most if not all nights but its still not guaranteed.
arthurs pass has a lot of tracks , you can walk the river valleys and i have put together a two week trip running around the northern side of the park
as much as anything you string together a bunch of tracks to make one long trip
rmembre doc dont record trip intentions anymore in most of the national parks . best to make a plan and stick to it as best you can and make sure someone you know , knows what you are doing.
you cant rely on walking a lot of the rivers if it rains heavily, and you have to plan to be trapped by heavy rain.
further north and easier terrain is the lewis pass area. not a lot of tracks but you can traverse a lot of the countryside if you know what you're doing.
further south of arthurs pass is more rugged terrain, if you're traversing the mountains you need experience in alpine and glacier travel, spectacular scenery but it bites the inexperienced.
http://www.adventuresmart.org.nz/Outdoo ... efault.asp

http://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap/nz32 ... Canterbury

http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/canterbury/north-canterbury-and-arthurs-pass/
http://www.softrock.co.nz/mg/index.php

Thanks, Wayne.. Will work my way through it this evening.

BTW - Is there a particular site you can recommend for planning bus & train access in this area?

[andrewbish]

the trip i did in arthurs pass, involved camping, there werent always huts available. and we wernt on tracks much of the time, went from mt white bridge. not sure if it still does but the train used to drop you off where you wanted on request.
binser saddle. macarthur gorge. cox river, cox saddle, penny pass, trudge col (tricky one to get down from, hug the left hand side of the scree slopes on the way down to get round the hanging valley bluffs. tarn col, otehake (not for the faint hearted, very rough sidle above the gorge.) deception
at this point i twisted my knee and took a helicopter out. the party went on to lake mavis and over temple col
i think we were supposed to go over wamakariri col instead of the deception but we ran out of time and couldnt cover the miles
we had to do eight hour days pretty much every day to cover that and a fair bit was bush bashing on rough unstable ground. but you could easily design an easier trip avoiding the headwaters of the watercourses, a lot of the rivers themselves arent as rough to walk....
it was an amazing trip, but not one I'd repeat in it's entirety....

Hmmm you don't happen to have a trip report on this somewhere do you?

[wayno]

afraid not. its basically valley's passes and bush, not a massive amount above the bushline.