Mt.
Richmond Forest Park 2005 - 2006
Trip report by Dianna Parris (sribe)
Trip dated: Dec 2005- Jan 2006
We left Auckland on Boxing Day morning at 6am picking up Alex on the way south as we watched the city waking. we had a smooth crossing on the Arahura to Picton and finally found a camp site on the banks of Wairau River. By 8am we were heading up Timms stream in the heat. Our thirst encounter with other trampers was at the road end were a lady was Horrified to find 9 of us going in her direction. We explained we had enough tentage for our party. After half an hours walk we came to Timms Creek Flats and a great swimming hole which we made good use of. Onwards and upwards to lunch at a lovely waterfall before joining the leading ridge for Johnson Peak. Here we found some Hall's totara among the beech. At Mt. Fell Hut we found our road end trampers and two others installed so five of us slept out.
Wednesday we had an easy day climbing Mt. Fell (1,606m) and looking to where we had been two years earlier. Searching for a 1942 crashed plane helped fill in the afternoon after finding native orchids and edelweiss at lunch time. As we came off Mt. Fell we were intrigued by a helicopter which landed near the track entrance to the hut.
Next day our plan was to reach Mt. Richmond Saddle Hut, so off we toddled up up and up to Armchair Saddle then Mt. Richmond (1760m) where we had billy tea with our lunch and superb views. Then it was down, down and down over rock and scree before the bushline, to find the welcome hut in a beautiful setting . Collin turned up and he had come over the tops from Fish Tail - Oh, to be a mountain runner, not my kettle of fish. That night Bill had decided to try out Bryan's light weight tent with pleasing results.
Friday we made our way to the road end. Claire was to meet us and shuttle a driver to retrieve the bus. We hadn't been long there when three young bucks came down the track. On seeing us announced "You must be the Catholic Youth group" to which I told them we were all over 60. They were kind enough to take Ken & Kjell in their ute to the bus. As a result of this we didn't have to walk down the long logging road to Jubilee Flats in the hot afternoon sun. What a great camp site with a river and swimming hole supplied. We washed ourselves and our clothes, sorted out the next seven days food and had a good sleep in the bus.
Claire got lost but that didn't matter as she eventually turned up and off we went up the Lake Chalice road. Lunch at the carpark then down to Lake Chalice Hut for a swim and New Year's Eve. Out came all the goodies after Fr. Bill had said Mass, and cards got in the act too.
New Year's day it was off down the Goulter River but goodbye
to Claire who continued on around the lake and back to Nelson. Many trout were
seen so we had high expectations of Brian catching one. Lunch at Mid Goulter
Hut and on to Lower Goulter Hut for the night.
We left Brian and Sue and Brian Dudley in the Valley as we started our climb
to Tarn Hut in the misty rain. This soon cleared due to the wind, and lunch
was eaten in the dry on Bushy Top. Tarn Hut, like Rintoul and Old Man huts,
is situated down off the ridge so a climb thirst thing in the morning is inevitable.
Once again a beautiful setting but a lot cooler here so we lit the fire and
cooked dinner. The card sharks were at it again until light stopped play.
Tuesday Purple Tops (1,532m) and Rintoul Hut beckoned us and we were keen to get going as it was very cold. The proverbial photo of Bill, with Bishops Cap behind had to be taken after we had passed the Lee River junction. From Purple Top visibility was good so we had wonderful views and it was a daunting sight to see where we were going from the hut to climb Mt. Rintoul (1731m) the next day. We lit the fire on arriving at the hut as the temperature had dropped considerably and the rain had started. These are wonderful huts, well appointed with nobody in them. We put off our 8.15 start for an hour this morning, Waiting for the heavy rain squalls to pass. We picked our way up the rocks rather than attacking the scree to get to the flat-cropped ridge which eventually leads to Mt. Rintoul. While regrouping on Mt. Rintoul it actually snowed and we saw more evidence of the snow fall next day. Lunch was taken down by the bush line in a sheltered place before our ascent on Little Rintoul. It was unbelievable to look back and see where we had come from. Thought we were pretty clever for a bunch of oldies. Old Man Hut never seemed to come but eventually made it and yet another well situated hut. Three ecologist had arrived before us from Slaty Hut and it was nice to have some company and listen to other peoples point of view.
Thursday 5th January and we were looking forward to catching up with the others at Lake Chalice again. We had to go to Old Man (1,512m) to get to the turn off and find the water barrel situated here. Still we continued to climb after this before dropping down into the bush line. A lovely sunny lunch spot with robins and fantails to entertain us was found and then we started on the zigzag track down to the Goulter River. On finding a good stream Bill decided it was time for a cup of tea so a fire was lit. When I got my billy out found I had left the lid at Old Man Hut. Two ladies and a dog came up the track, (the only people we had actually met on the tracks), just as we were packing up, I said to them if they found the lid would they please put it in the post, and yes, you guessed it, it had turned up. As the lake is well down we took a short cut across the flats to the hut. The others had already arrived but Brian F had had a discussion with a tree branch and had a sore eye, and Bryan D hadn't caught any fish. Our dreams of fresh fish vanished and it was back to dehy. Another couple arrived from the carpark. They had been washed out in the Cob Valley and Nelson Lakes, so we considered how lucky we had been with the weather.
Friday morning dawned hot and fine for our final hill climb
to the car park. Sort out our food and clothes and then off to Blenheim Hospital
to get Brian's eye checked out. Lunch in the garden amongst the redwood trees
and then a look for a shower. No camping grounds would give us casual showers
so we used the Wairau River, near a quarry, which is what the locals use too,
for a good swim. Fish & chips and beer on the Picton Waterfront was a fitting
ending to another great trip. Catching the ferry at 11.30pm meant we were back
in Auckland by 1pm Saturday.
Thank you to Brian & Sue FitzPatrick , Bryan & Anne Dudley, Bill Fletcher,
Kjell Bruu, Alex Clark and Ken Paris for all your help and great company.