A TRAMPERS’ GUIDE TO NORTHWEST OTAGO

Evening Star, Issue 22596, 13 March 1937, Page 11

A TRAMPERS’ GUIDE TO NORTHWEST OTAGO

[Written by J. T. Holloway, for the Evening Star.’] No. 111. In last week’s article I described the tracks in the Beansburn and in Hidden Falls. In each case the way led ultimately to the Olivine Ledge, a broad tussock terrace high above tke Olivine lliver. From the ledge the floor of the valley may be reached some two or three miles upstream from the big flats at the junction of the Olivine with Forgotten River. A long spur runs down into the valley from the top of Sunset Peak, and all the numerous deer trails along the ledge will be found to trend in the direction of this spur. Thus it is almost certain that a clear track can be found leading down to the river. This track will join one following along the bank of the'river to the flats which have attracted the deer into these valleys. At the upper end of the flats a tributary stream, equally as big as the Olivine itself, can be seen flowing out ■through great forest-filled gorges. This is the Forgotten River. Of all the valleys of North-west Otago this is the one that has the longest remained unvisited, and yet it boasts far greater attractions for the tramper and the climber than any of the others. _ Fortunately, the gorges can be circumvented and the head of the nver can be easily reached from its junction with the- Olivine. On the northern side of the gorge a long, hush-covered ridge can be seen running up parallel to the river for some distance before turning into the range. Many tracks run in from the flats towards the foot of the ridge, and, joining there, form a veritable highway. The track climbs up very rapidly in a series of zig-zags, the vegetation all the while becoming more and more open in character until finally it winds through stunted > scrub and mossy glades. As height is gained, the abrupt ascent slackens off, hut there is still much scrambling to be done among the ■ great earth faults that distort the ■mountainside. When almost through the gorge the track drops down to the river, crossing over on a natural bridge. It is worth while to rest for a short !time here and have a look up and down ■the gorge. Steep cliffs hem it in, while for many hundreds of yards at a time the river loses - itself amongst giant boulders, only to. boil out again in great •potholes scoured out in the parent rock. After crossing the river the track mounts straight up the opposite bank for about 200 ft, then, turning level, it comes out in the open in a few minutes at the foot of a small scree slope. The total time taken to s come through the gorge should not be more than three hours at the outside —that is, two and a half hours before crossing the river and half an hour from there to the open. It might be possible to continue along on the northern bank until the flats are reached, but on no account should any attempt be made to force a passage down river on the southern side. This has been tried once, and, after many hours’ climbing, roped together, over narrow, rib-like spurs running down into the valley, the party had to abandon the attempt utterly exhausted. Once on to the Forgotten River flats there is easy ..travelling all the way to the head; of the .river. The massive peak is'-MqnjsttGates, standing at : the ,beifiK'6£ l .thpi,4’oe River. Flanking it are.’Moiints’-David and Betty, of the. Dart. Barrier- Range, on the south, and Mounts , Climax ' and Blockade, of thel Dlivine Range,,Tpiv '.the north. By climbing up over ‘Possibility Col, be-tween-Mounts Grites'-and Betty, both the; Darir and Joe Rivers may be this.is impossible for inexperienced. parties, and Would be a dangerous 'enterprise .even for experienced alpinis-ts unless they have made themselves acquainted with every detail of the route to be traversed. To reach Possibility Col from Forgotten River, climb up ■ the open bed of the creek which flows down from the slopes of Mount Gates.,to the flats. .Continue up ufitil almost under the great cliffs above, and then work to the south along a series of ledges onto the snowflelds. Bv climbing straight up a point close under the summit of Mount Gates will be reached from where the col- is but an easy stroll along the ridge. An extremely interesting climb .would be to climb Mount Ga,tes. by the ! route I have just described and to traverse the peak, dropping down the long snowflelds at the head of Climax Creek. From the middle of the Forgotten River flats a wonderful panorama of mountains opens up—Termination Peak, Irvine and Mallory, David, Betty and Gates, with their terrific rock buttresses rising high above the ■valley floor. Climax and Blockade at the head of Climax Creek, and away up at the head of the river the snowy .-majesty of Mounts Intervention and Ark. On the western side are several Snow-capped peaks, unnamed and on an unnamed range. Away downstream .are the N. Bryniera Peaks, and, in the ■distance the giants of the Darran Range. For all of this the most startling feature is, a small glacier which spills over the rock wall below Possibility Col. It is nowhere wider than 20yds, and yet it spills down unbroken and uncrevassed for more than a thousand feet. It has no neve, and so the source of its ice also remains a mystery* The name Milner Glacier has been suggested for it. There is a good camp site at the foot of the creek up whicli the ascent to Possibility Col is made. A good party should, however, reach the head of the river fairly early in the afternoon of the day they leave the Olivine Flats. Deer trails follow up both sides of the river after the end of the flats proper, the best plan being to start on the western bank and to cross over after having gone about half a mile. It is not much more than an hour’s travelling from the flats to the bead of the river. The river ends in a big ciro, and in the upper end there is an excellent rock camp under a huge boulder which can be seen perched a few hundred feet up on the slopet of Mount Blockade. Most parties that visit the bead of Forgotten River will do_ so for the purpose of gaining the Olivine Ice Plateau. The small hanging glacier that can be seen above the rock wall of the circ drains from one end of the plateau, and thus to reach the great snowflelds one must find some way up out of the valley. This can be done three ways. The first is to climb up the tussock and scree slopes to the wide ledge that leads up to the ice on the Blockade side of the circ. It is advisable i to gain the ledge early, and not to climb straight up above the rock camp, as this way much shabby rock is encountered. The second way lies on the opposite side of the valley up the first of the great couloirs that lead up to the top of the ridge above. The first branch of the couloir to the right must be taken. The main couloir leads to a saddle overlooking the Barrier River, and it is possible that the latter

could be reached this way. Once on to the main ridge it would be easy to gain either the plateau itself, or, by going around the other side of Mount Intervention, to reach the neve at the head of the Barrier Glacier. The third way on to the plateau lies up the series of ledges close up under the circ. For routes on the plateau and on the many peaks around it the ‘ New Zealand Alpine Journal ’ must be consulted. From here it would be possible for an experienced party to reach the Barrier, Cascade, or Williamson Rivers. It remains but to describe the route back from the Olivine flats to the track in the Pyke. .The surest way is to climb high up above bush level up the long scree slopes of the unnamed range ard then to drop straight down to the junction of the Olivine and Pyke. The going is bad, and from the flats to the Barrier hut, two miles upriver, must. by this route occupy a whole day. Further exploration will undoubtedly reveal a shorter route up through the gorge on the northern side. _ The track down the Pyke can be picked up right down on the river bank where it crosses the Olivine. It is now hut two hours’ pleasant walk along a sandy-track which winds beside the still reaches of the river to the head of Lake Alabaster, and a further two hours around the edge of the lake to the Pyke hut, and the wellknown track up the Hollj-ford to the Eglinton road.