tramping new zealand

When I walked up the last of the road to the car park, I was surprised. A DOC signed stated Shamrock Hut 1.5 hours, Hagan Hut 3 hours.

That’s not far.

I had left the hut after 8 am, and it took a while to wander up to the car park. Those huts all seemed excessively close.

That meant I made it to Hagen Hut by 12 30 pm, then left my pack for a return trip to Top Hut.

It was only two hours on, and I found a couple with two horses stationed there, so I chatted for an hour or so.

My day included talking to two hunters just past Hagan Hut and later, two mountain bike riders who weren’t so friendly.

So I really got the timing wrong in my mind for this trip upriver.

I could have done the whole tramp as a day walk.

The top of the valley is spectacular with steep glaciated mountains, and at the end of the valley, Mount Huxley, 2505 m, which I’d seen from the other side on my tramp up to South Huxley Bivvy last year.

V Notch Pass wasn’t visible, but there was clearly some snow still around in various gullies.

Wet feet again, as I just ran through the streams, etc.

Back at Hagan Hut, I camped outside due to a different set of mountain bikers staying.

Unfortunately, the horse riders had tied their horses up immediately outside the hut the night before, and the horses had spent most of the night fertilising the area exceptionally well. Man, it stank.

I thought I might try to get to Dingle Burn Hut as a day trip the next day.

Still feeling frisky.