S&C tramping pt 2

Susan and Carrie's summer tramping adventures -- part 2: February 2023

After a lovely family visit to Lyttelton, we spent 3+ weeks in the far south, and were able to get in three tramping trips.

Irthing Stream/Ridge, Southern Eyre Mountains, February 2-4

While we waited for the mountain weather to clear, we ventured into northern Southland (well away from the Main Divide) and did a 3-day tramp in the Irthing Stream area, at the southern end of the Eyre Mountains.
The middle (long) day of ridge travel turned out to be considerably more of a challenge than we expected, and we (again!) didn’t quite make it to the hut we'd intended to reach. Another unplanned campsite, this one much less comfortable than the one on our January trip from Lewis Pass to Nelson Lakes! All was remedied though, when we got a 4WD ride from a hunter the next day, which saved us 4 hours of hot walking down a gravel track.

Day 1: Mansion Hut -- reached after several hours battling windfall up Irthing Stream

Day 2: An idyllic view of rural northern Southland (before the going got tough!)

Day 2: Just above treeline on the Irthing Ridge -- still a loooong way to go

Day 2: Looking north along the Irthing Ridge from lunch spot

Day 2: Late afternoon -- still travelling along Irthing Ridge with views north

Day 3: Headwaters of Irthing Valley -- very near the hut we didn't quite reach the night before!

The Five Passes, Mt Aspiring National Park, February 9-14

The Irthing ridge adventure took us a few days to recover from, which we spent at a campground in Glenorchy, again waiting on the weather for our second Big Trip of the summer. Finally the weather came right, and (with the aid of a jet boat drop-off to the start point) we headed out to do the Five Passes route in Mt Aspiring National Park. This is an amazing journey through some of the park's most spectacular terrain, with no huts, and mostly with no marked tracks. We had done the route previously in 2009, and I swear the hills have got higher and the valleys longer since then!
We made some strategic decisions along the way about how to portion out the distance over the days we had, and were really pleased that despite our much-slower-than-2009 pace, we were still able to savour the experience. We ended late in the afternoon of Day 6 footsore but very satisfied — especially when we managed to hitch a ride back to Glenorchy in less than 10 minutes!

Day 1: Ready to board the jet boat up the Dart River (unknowingly having swapped wind jackets, haha!)

Day 1: The one footbridge over the Beans Burn -- wet feet from here on up

Day 1: River flat in the lower Beans Burn valley

Day 2: Looking back down the upper Beans Burn valley

Day 2: Starting the steep 550m climb from the Beans Burn to Fohn Saddle

Day 2: On the Fohn Saddle climb

Day 2: View down the Beans Burn from about half-way up to Fohn Saddle

Day 2: View down the Beans Burn from just below Fohn Saddle

Day 2: Approaching Fohn Saddle (1506m) -- the first of the Five Passes

Day 2: Campsite at Fohn Lakes (1440m)

Day 2: Twilight at Fohn Lakes

Day 3: Early morning cloud at Fohn Lakes

Day 3: Descending from Fohn Lakes to the Olivine Ledge as morning cloud burns off

Day 3: Fohn Lakes outlet stream carving its way down to the Olivine Ledge

Day 3: Looking along the Olivine Ledge towards Fiery Peak

Day 3: Looking up at Fiery Col from mid-way along the Olivine Ledge

Day 3: Looking back at the Olivine Ledge from the base of the climb to Fiery Col

Day 3: Snowberries were a regular morale booster on the big climbs!

Day 3: Approaching the top of Fiery Col

Day 3: View from the top of Fiery Col (1546m) -- the second of the Five Passes

Day 3: Descending from Fiery Col, looking south towards the mountains of Fiordland

Day 3: About half-way down, looking back at Fiery Col -- note the dramatic contrast between the red ultramafic rock of Fiery Peak and the grey schist of the neighbouring mountains

Day 3: View of Cow Saddle on the way down from Fiery Col

Day 3: Late afternoon at Cow Saddle (1025m) -- the third of the Five Passes

Day 4: Brewing morning coffee at campsite in upper Hidden Falls Creek

Day 4: Looking back up Hidden Falls Creek towards Cow Saddle

Day 4: Scree sidle on the way down Hidden Falls Creek, with a view of Park Pass (top left of photo)

Day 4: Climbing 600m from Hidden Falls Creek to Park Pass -- already above the steep bush section

Day 4: The last section of the climb to Park Pass -- view of the Darran Mountains to the south

Day 4: Park Pass (1176m) -- the fourth of the Five Passes

Day 4: Campsite at Park Pass, looking towards the Park Pass Glacier

Day 5: View from Park Pass to the south, and down the upper Rock Burn

Day 5: A morning of exploring from Park Pass along the ridge toward Lake Nerine

Day 5: Edelweiss on the ridge above Park Pass

Day 5: View of Park Pass Glacier from ridge above the pass

Day 5: Heading down the upper Rock Burn

Day 6: Leaving Theatre Flat early to walk out down the Rock Burn

Day 6: On the Rock Burn footbridge (first bridge in 5 days!)

Day 6: Morning cloud lifting in the upper Rock Burn valley

Day 6: Late afternoon view of Lake Wakatipu from Sugarloaf Pass (1154m) -- the fifth of the Five Passes

Mataketake Range, South Westland, February 17-19

Our third southern trip (on our way home) was deliberately gentler. We walked part of the historic “Haast to Paringa Cattle Track” (the original road into South Westland), and then went up to and along the Mataketake Range to visit a very special new hut that was built with a bequest from long-time conservationist Andy Dennis. Our plans to explore the area further the following day were foiled by clouds and rain, so instead we enjoyed a comfortable rest day in an incredible location.