Walk 23 - Rees-Dart Track |
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Day 1: Muddy Creek to Shelter Rock Hut It had been a few weeks since our last long tramp, so we were up bright and early with the sunrise, eager to get to the start of the track north of Glenorchy. The morning sky was a firey red (how does that old saying go - red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning) and large lenticular clouds were stacked high over Mt Earnslaw and upper Lake Wakatipu in an impressive start to the day (but did I read somewhere that these clouds signal a change in weather pattern). No point worrying about omens, we were off and running, our packs heavy with gear and 6 days worth of food for our 5-day trek (just in case). |
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The shuttle dropped our small group of 7 trampers at Muddy Creek. Leaving the carpark, we followed the 4-wheel drive track over a small rise to see the wide grassy expanse of the Rees Valley spread out before us, cattle grazing contentedly in the golden pastures as the Rees River flowed peacefully by, the steep walls of 2830m Pikirakatahi / Mt Earnslaw rising steeply on the left, the lower slopes of the Richardson Mountains on the right and the snow-capped peaks of the Forbes Mountains forming a brilliant backdrop to this scene of bucolic bliss. This was to be our environment for the next few hours as we headed up the valley. |
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Leaving the 4-wheel drive track, we followed a line of poles across the paddocks. After a while, it became distinctly spongy underfoot, then boggy, then downright wet as we found ourselves in the middle of a large swampy area. We also found ourselves dancing the swamp samba as we tried to keep our feet dry, but to no avail. Abandoning all hope, we stopped and settled slowly into the quagmire and, in true kiwi tramping tradition, waded on regardless. The track left this area to climb over a couple of low bluffs that sat flush against the river bank, the last one overlooking a broad river terrace just in front of the Forbes Range. We dropped back on to the flat, passing behind the terrace to follow the valley as it turned eastward; the view in front changing from snow-capped peaks to the rocky silhouette of the head of the Rees Valley. The valley narrowed and the vegetation changed to beech forest, announcing the start of Mt Aspiring National Park. The river seemed much more attractive in the aesthetic setting of the trees, as we crossed a small swingbridge and started a gentle climb alongside its left bank through a moss-covered rocky forest landscape. |
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Avalanche chute |
Day 2: Shelter Rock Hut to Dart Hut - crossing the Rees Saddle
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We pressed on with our climb, turning eastward into the morning sun, across the low shrubby slopes and past the tall flowering spikes of Spaniard grass. Tussock grasses gradually replaced shrubs as we climbed steadily toward the head of the valley and the final climb up to the saddle. |
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We followed the deep gorge of the Creek down past a cluster of limpid tarns, before descending steeply to a bridge across it. To the north we saw for the first time the glacier capped peaks at the head of the Dart Valley. The track then undulated for a while through a section that resemble a Salvador Dali rock garden, covered with an effusion of daisy bushes and other low alpine shrubs. |
The setting of Dart Hut |
Finally one last steep knee-jarring descent down a narrow ridge, a short rocky path alongside a dry stream bed, one last crossing of the Snowy Creek on a long wood and wire swingbridge, and we were in the Dart Valley, where ultramodern large and comfortable Dart Hut awaited us, tucked into its idyllic setting between the river and the steep forested mountain slopes. |
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Day 3: Cascade Saddle - in the heart of the alps
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Back across the swingbridge, up through a small grove of beech, and across a terrace of tussock, shrubs and cutty grass, we reached the elbow of the Dart with its glorious views of Mt Edward. Not stopping to daydream this time, we climbed down the terrace to the right bank of the Dart, its grey-green waters rushing down from the glaciers at the head of the valley. The track followed the river up its gravelly flood-plain, crossing a couple of side-streams before climbing over a small bluff and eventually reaching a bend in the valley. At this point we were facing the Hesse Glacier, which descended halfway down the slope of Mt Edward, waterfalls tumbling from its face to disappear in a pile of mud-covered ice at the base if the mountain before re-emerging from an ice cave and rushing out into the Dart. Even higher up the slope to the east, the clean blue-tinted walls of the Marshall Glacier seemed ready to tumble down to the valley below at any moment. |
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Flood gully in the lateral morain |
Climbing the scree and boulders of the morain |
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Soon we reached a strange monochrome landscape of black glistening ice slabs, grey gravel and grey water; we were at the present-day terminus of the Dart Glacier. Above lay the Cascade Saddle and we commenced the climb up the steep rock / gravel morain towards it. As we climbed, the Dart Glacier was slowly revealed in all its splendour; the whiteness of the clean higher ice gradually appearing, while the pale blue tortured face of the ice fall glistened in the morning sun. |
Terminus of the Dart Glacier in front of Plunkett Dome |
The Dart Glacier |
Soon, half a dozen of its relatives had joined it and for the next 15 minutes we had a curious and amusing interaction with these incredible parrots - I am still not sure who was amusing themselves the most, the keas or us. |
Heading on, we soon reached the top of the steep morain section where the track flattened out to follow a channel between the morain edge boulders and the upper slope, lining up on the rounded snow cap of Plunkett Dome. Below us lay the deep crevasses of the glacier and the jumble of the ice fall while the snowy neve nestled beneath the peaks high above the ice. The final 100m ascent involved a steep climb up through snow grass covered slopes, splashed with the white flowers of mountain hebe. |
Creek on top of the saddle |
The track crossed a couple of steep gullies lined with yellow and white daisies and eventually reached the crest of Cascade Saddle (1517m). This place definitely has a very high Wow factor - the deeply fluted walls of Plunkett Dome on the north of the saddle plunged away towards Aspiring Hut, 1000m below, while to the east, 3130m Mt Aspiring played hide and seek with the drifting bands of cloud. |
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We lingered as long as we could, but the mountains were starting to generate a bit of their own cloud and it seemed time to go. The trip up had been full of anticipation, the trip down full of satisfaction and reflection - the past two days in this alpine wonderland had been magical. Eight hours and 19 km later, we were back in the comfort of Dart Hut again - the clouds were gradually winning the battle with the sun, but it didn't seem to matter anymore. Even if it rained all the next day it would be a fair price for what we had seen and experenced up to date. |
Day 4: Dart Hut to Daley's Flat Hut (wet, wet, wet)
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As time passed the rain became heavier, the patter of our boots became a squish, then a squelch, then a splash as the depressions on the track turned into pools. The forest canopy, which at first protected us, now started to drip heavy drops. Only a solitary robin and fantail remained on duty to greet passing trampers! We crossed several sidestreams and gullies; those that were once dry now flowed, those that normally carried a little water carried a lot - we hoped that we weren't going to meet one that normally carried lots! |
Eventually the track descended to a large gravel washout. Crossing this, we climbed back up on to the grassy terraces of Cattle Flat, where the Dart Valley widened out. Behind us the mists and rain shrouded the upper Dart Valley in a ghostly mantle while above the pale shape of the glacier-topped Barrier Range appeared and disappeared in the clouds - even in the rain this landscape is beautiful. We meandered across the 4km grassy flats, crossing several deep gullies with water tumbling down. It was easy to see how these gullies had been carved into the gravel terraces of Cattle Flat. |
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The long wet grass completed the job started by pools on the track and soon our boots were saturated. The tunnel vision imposed by our rain hoods was matched by a tunnel vision of a warm dry hut ahead, driving us on. We stopped only long enough for a muesli bar or handful of scroggin under the partial shelter of a rock overhang before pushing on. The stream crossings were now starting to get a bit tricky as water levels increased. Reaching the end of the grassy terraces, we re-entered the beech forest, where a rocky track led us slowly down to the edge of the Dart River. At the river's edge, the track transformed into a well-formed path that followed the river down across the short open grassland of Quinn's Flat, through some more beech forest and on to Daley's Flat. The last two streams were running fast and the fords were now shin deep and rising fast; it was easy to see why - several hundred metres above the flat a pair of waterfalls were exploding off the back of the Pikarakatahi massif. Nonetheless, we were through and the welcome sight of Daley's Flat Hut greeted us at the end of the grassy flat. We had pushed through from Dart Hut in just under 5 hours - our fastest walk ever, but in heavy rain there is little desire to lie in the grass and smell the daisies. |
How pleasant it was to find a group of DOC officers installed in front of a warm fire; they were based at the hut while undertaking feral goat control. How nice it was to change into dry clothes (even Goretex cannot keep out the insistent New Zealand rain) and join them, drinking hot soup and coffee and watching the level of the Dart River slowly rising near the hut. The fun was not over; tomorrow would be an interesting last day of our Rees-Dart adventure. |
Day 5: Daley's Flat to Daley's Flat (wet, wetter, wettest)
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We hurried on, needing to follow kiwi tramping best practice and link arms to cross the next stream a bit further inland, as the fast-flowing muddy waters pulled at our legs. |
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The Dart about to overflow at Sandy Flat - this was all under water when we returned |
One of the streams that blocked us churning down to meet the Dart |
Last photo before the inside of the lens fogged up |
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Day 6: Daley's Flat to Chinaman's Bluff (finally)
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It was amazing how much the side-streams had dropped in 12 hours; wide raging torrents were now ankle-deep three-step streams that we crossed quickly. All around though was the evidence of the big flood; broad expanses of slick grey mud indicating the watercourses of the previous 24 hours, large logs stranded on gravel banks in the Dart by receding waters and collapsed edges of the river, eaten away by the rush of water. |
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For most of the day we walked with Pete, making quick progress over Sandy Bluff and across the two streams that had caused us so much grief yesterday. In one way we were lucky, as we had the opportunity to see two very different moods of the Dart River. Through the beech trees lining the river we could see (or hear) the jet boats, as they once again plied their trade, taking loads of tourists up to see the wonders of the Dart Valley followed by a quick thrill of speed and spins on the way back. A few people seeking quieter pleasures were floating down with the current in their inflatable funyaks - life on the river had returned to normal. |
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The stream that stopped us - easy now but the gouged out banks show where the water was and why we didn't cross |
The falls from Lake Unknown plunging several hundred metres down the mountain side |
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View towards Mt Alfred from Chinaman's Bluff |
At the trackhead under the ramparts of Pirarakatahi |
Trampers drying out after a wild and woolly walk |
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