Dragons Teeth

[srforum112]

Planning a trip to NZ next year to walk the Dragons Teeth in Kahurangi NP.
Hoping to complete the high route, if weather is good. Doesn't appear many people complete this route.
Has anyone recently walked the Dragons Teeth, either high or low route?
I'd be interested in hearing about your experiences.
I'm also looking for a GPS track of the high route if someone has one and is willing to share. Very difficult to find.
Sonja

[PedroArvy]

John Chapman made a presentation about the high route at the Melbourne YHA bushwalking club last year. I asked him about notes for the walk and he said to email him to get them. So try contacting him via http://www.john.chapman.name/

[DaveNoble]

I have been to that area twice, most recently in 2004. On both trips - we went the low level route which was quite easy I thought. On the second trip, we went south to north, and after arriving at Adelaide Tarn, the next day we did a side trip to climb the highest of the Dragons Teeth. This was a great day, as to get there we had to do the hardest bit of the high route - up the section that used to have a wire aid. This section, although short - 10 m or so, is extremely exposed and quite steep and dangerous. Perhaps a bit like climbing Federation Peak? I certainly would be reluctant to do it with a full pack. We found a very faint rough pad that we followed most of the way to that steep section. But we had to do a fair bit of scouting looking for the way. A gps trace would be useless for most of the way - as it is too steep. But it would allow you to locate the top of the steep bit if going from the south.

I think the North West Nelson Tramping Guide Book has some basic notes on the route, but better are to be found in the hut logbook at Adelaide Tarn (which I imagine would still be there).

I have a video youtube showing the way to the Dragons Teeth summit, see -

https://youtu.be/1LhU8RM4kBY

and photos from 2004 -

http://www.david-noble.net/NZ/Jan04/Douglas_Range.html

and the earlier trip in 1998 -

http://www.david-noble.net/NZ/Jan98/DragonsTeeth.html

[srforum112]

Thanks Pedro for suggesting I contact John Chapman, great idea.
And thanks Dave for your reply. I have watched your you-tube footage, my friend emailed it to me.
Thank you for all the links.
Great footage, that steep section looks very exposed and it never looks as bad on the footage as in real life.
Ascending the dragons teeth as a day walk might be the best option.
Sonja

[wayno]

the guide i have gives an option in good weather of doing the high route as far as anatoki peak then switching to teh low route around the dragons teeth. a lot of people use that route according to the hut log books, gets the defacto name "middle route"

[srforum112]

Thanks Wayno, sounds like a very good option.
Whats the guide you are refering to, Is it Moirs?
Have you completd the route?
Sonja

[wayno]

no I haven done it myself

theres a chapter on the route in this book
http://www.pottonandburton.co.nz/store/ ... ew-zealand

[DaveNoble]

Whats the guide you are refering to, Is it Moirs?

Sonja

This is the guidebook for the area - Derek Shaw's "North West Nelson Tramping Guide"(Nikau Press, 1991), see -

http://www.librarything.com/work/3704113

Out of print now and probably hard to get. Look out for it in second hand bookshops in NZ.

Moirs guides only cover the south part of the South Island.

"Classic Tramping in New Zealand" is an excellent and inspiring book and has a good description of the Dragons Teeth walk. But not really a detailed route description.

DOC had a good description on their website for Kahurangi NP. Go to -

http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/nelson-tasman/places/kahurangi-national-park/

and click on the link for the Douglas Range. This should be adequate for most walkers. It does not cover the high level routes though.

Dave

[Walk_fat boy_walk]

Seem to remember a pretty good Wild Magazine article on this, within the last few years (might've even been one of Dave's??)??

I could be dreaming it up, or maybe it was a different mag (AG Outdoor or something?).

[bernieq]

Don't know about Wild, but Wilderness (NZ mag) had an article in April 2011 (by Shaun Barnett) on the Douglas Range with a 2-page 3D GEmap - but fairly light on detail.

Re Dragons Teeth, it says " ... occasionally cairned route leads along the crest and flanks of the Douglas Range north of Drunken Sailors, as far as Anatoki Peak, where the fun really begins. Difficult scrub bashing, steep terrain and challenging navigation are required to tackle the so called 'high route' east of the Dragon's Teeth and along to Mt Douglas."

Sonja, I've also done quite a bit of research on that area (a tramp from the Cobb dam along the Lockett and Douglas Ranges and out through Boulder Lake, Anatoki Forks and to Takaka. Good luck with the high route! I agree with Dave Noble - a gpx of the high route wouldn't help - you'll need to work it out as you go (in perfect weather).

You'll find (you possibly have already) some info on the low route and other bits of the Douglas (and Lockett) range at http://www.tramper.nz and at http://www.routeguides.co.nz. Have you seen this info ? http://tramper.nz/5275/lonely-lake-to-a ... low-route/

[Walk_fat boy_walk]

Went through my magazine pile and found it

It was Issue 138 of Wild (the article is by Chapman)... can buy it here: https://au.zinio.com/www/browse/issue.jsp?skuId=416283795#/

[sef]

I have done the Anatoki peak (mid) route. Straightforward if scrubby. From memory follow the obvious tussock fan as far down as as you can. It's not far and the cliff lines are small.

[bernieq]

FWIW, found a link to the Wilderness mag item mentioned above - more of a general article about the Douglas Range rather than focusing on the Dragon's Teeth. Still, worth a look.

http://www.wildernessmag.co.nz/view/pag ... ectacular/

[tom_brennan]

John Chapman has published a set of notes on the High Route on his website: http://www.john.chapman.name/nz-dragon.html
We largely followed his notes when we did the Douglas Range Traverse a week ago, though we also borrowed from other sources. His notes are reasonably accurate, though there are a few places where I'd suggest changes! There is also a recent slip that makes one of the tricky sections more dangerous.

People have made comments that a GPS file would not be much use. I would disagree. And I'm not normally one to navigate much by GPS! The route (or at least one of the variants!) is mapped(?!) on OpenStreetMap and for those who are familiar with AndrewP's OSM maps for Garmin, you can find a similar NZ version here:
https://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/862/
The main usefulness of the GPS data is that when you do lose the track - which will probably happen - you'll have a fair idea of how long ago and which direction you lost it. It certainly saved us some time on a few occasions.

It is also worth noting that the "High Route" is more a series of routes than a single route! There are at least two different ways through each of the three main clifflines to get to Anatoki Peak from Adelaide Tarn. This article touches on that:
https://www.wildernessmag.co.nz/bitten-dragons-teeth/

[bernieq]

Well done, Tom - looking forward to the photos. It's a great area to tramp.

Did you come out via Fenalla & Trilobite or continue along the Lockett Range ?

Anatoki Peak from below Waingaro - Feb 2017

I tend to agree with you re gpx file. In this environment, useful as an indicator but not a replacement for good navigation and 'eyes wide open'.

[wayno]

never ceases to amaze me how many young hikers i see how relying on gpx routes on their phones, phones almost constantly being referred to to see where they are on their phone map in relation to the gpx route, instead of orientating themselves visually with their actual surroundings... then they find theres a mistake in the gpx route and they' get stuck because they werent paying attention to the actual best physical route to take... .