MOUNT ARTHUR AND TABLELAND

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 3 January 1927, Page 8

MOUNT ARTHUR AND TABLELAND

I VALUABLE INFORMATION FOR ! INTENDING VISITORS

To The Editor.)

fir,—'As. so many people arc making enquiries about the routes to Ml. Asj thur and the Tableland, perhaps you I will kindly find room for a. condensed summary of directions for intending : visiters." About-20 signboards and many ! hundreds of white' discs nailed to trees i have recently been provided to assist I the strfuiger'to find his way about the district.

j The distance from Nelson to the Poko- ' voro Bridge via Upper Moutere and ! Rosodale is 37 miles: Cross the bridge, I turn to the left and follow the rood "P I the Graham Valley. Mr J. Heath, who I does most of the packing for visitors and who can be communicated with by telephone, lives 1; miles up the valley, j Another 1| miles brings one to (he end of the read and tho beginning of the ! pack track. I The track winds at a fairly easy gradient for five miles along the face of tho ! hills on the southern side of the Graham | Valley. It then . crosses over * ridge I and runs for about half a mile round a j branch of Hie Pearso Valley until it, reaches (he Flora Saddle (3250 ft.) on the I main divide, of the Mt. Arthur,.Range, j At the Flora Saddle the (rack forks, the left hand branch leading south- ! westward up a spur to the northern • peaks of Mt. Arthur, which are about . five miles distant, while the right hand ' (Tableland) track gently ; descends tho valley of (he Flora Stream for about fivo miles to its confluence with the Takaka ; River (2330ft. j. But when only a little 1 more than a mile from the Flora Saddlo ■ has been traversed one comes to a well-

grassod clearing (Flora Clearing) some 4 I or 5 acres in extent, at tho junction of | Quartz Creek and the Flora. This clearj ing provides several good camping

grounds, and. we hope to erect a small hut here' in a few weeks' time. From this camp as a base, it is easy ,to ascend Ml, Loadstone (4752 ft.") to the North and Ml. Arthur lo the South. To climb the former, proceed up Quartz Creek for about a mile; 'then after passing a tributary stream, strike up to the main ridge on tho right; (east). To climb the northern peaks .of Mt. Arthur (5868 ft.) follow, up a well defined track (marked with white discs) from the Flora Saddle until if emerges from the bush. ' Rather more than- a hundred yards further on, water may be found a kliort distance down the hillside on-the right. Suc-ii the spur one'is on curves to the Jeft (south-east) and joins what may be termed the main spur coming up out of the Peavse Valley. On reaching this point on the main spur, it is well to build a small cairn of stones to mark the turning off point on the return journey should mist come on. Nearly a mile further up at a point where the main spur suddenly ceases lo be grass clad and becomes a rocky ridge, the climber must decide which of the two northern peaks he wishes lo scale. If the higher, he must work round into the rugged valley on his right, and after threading his way among the uuiu«rous limestone rocks and sink holes, must, clamber up a pretty steep face of about 200 feet to the flat-topped summit. But especially in winter timo a finer view is obtained by keeping on up the mam spur' to the more easily climb<ed eastern peak, which is only a few feet lower'than the other. At one point on this climb some rather trying rockwork on the main ridge may be avoided by striking down to the left and climbing a long shinglo slip. To return now to the Tableland track. Near tho junction of the Flora and Takaka Rivers it again forks. The right hand bianch leads down the Takaka Valley and gives access by one side track to the Cobb Valley, by another to tho asbestos deposits and Mr Chaffey's house, while the main track only recently completed leads finally to Upper Takaka, over. 20 miles, a way. The left hand track, to tho Tableland follows for 2 miles up tho valley 'of Oio Takaka (passing a rather fine cascade, the Growler) and emerges on open tussock country at Salisbury's Open, which is another favourite camping place, although much of the level ground is swampy. A signboard- directs the. way to the Bock Shelter ori the left where, an overhanging limestone cliff affords good protection from the .weather. There are many- dry mounds in the, edge of .the bush which provide delightful sites for camps. ■■ After ■ emerging from tho;- bush at Salisbury's Open, the, track crosses a smail stream and then for g bout /a-, hundred yards becomes difficult, to fojlow. But a recently erected signboard directe the traveller to climb up to a terrafe immediately. on his. right, and he will then easily follow the track for about, a

quarter'of a mile to the. foot of Starvation' Ridge. Here again the track divides, : trie.}eft hand'branch leading totwo caves (insignificant and not easilyfound) and also to the well-disced path through ■ the "Enchanted Land" -forest ■to l Gordon's Pyramid..(4B42ft.), and so by a somewhat circuitous route to a-;razor back spur leading to the higher of the two northern peaks of Mt .Arthur. The right hand track to Balloon Hut follows up Starvation Ridge fhroueh stunted bush, and after about a mil» emerges on another large area of open tussock country. The path here again becomes, rather obscure, but soon a signboard indicates where the track to the Leslie Valley leads aWay to the left, while that to the Balloon Hut passes over a white quartzite ridge and down into a pretty dell, called "Cundy's Creek.'.' Here are .Bishop's Cave.,and over tho roof of it a good camping ground, where we hope we may be able ere lonpr to erect, a hut. The track from this noint to Balloon Hut (about three nuarters of a mile) is now pretty clearly indicated by means of discs and signboards. The hut, now placed under the care of our, scenic bonrd. is built of corrugated iron and is 15ft. by 12. Tn a few weeks' time a lean-to will be added (o give increased accommodation Both here and at Flora Clearing paddocks are being fenced in for horses — a. much needed provision.

From Balloon Hut as centre, a large number of delightful trips may be made which consideration for your valuable soacc forbids me to describe. They include Gordon's Pvramid and Mt. Artbur, the Leslie Valley.. Mt. Peel and (he limestone range bevond Lake Peel the Cobb Valley, Mt. Lockett and the Diamond Lakes. The unper part of the Cobb Valley is narticularly beautiful and eives access to Mt. Cobb, Aorere Peak, Waingaro Peak, Cobb Lake. Rubv Lake and others, the Roaring Lion, the Burgoo. ■ Much of this country shows unmistakable siims of recent glnciat-ion. while the mountain flora is perhaps the most beautiful »nd varied to be found anywhere in New Zealand. Tho h.ichest peaks of Mt. Arthur (about 6.0C0 ft.) which rise from the •oufhern end of the ' massif and-a-re known ns the Twins, are most- oasilv climbed bv- proeeedine im the Baton ValW (tributary of the Motueka) to the end of the cart road,'then scrambling about five mile? urt the rousrb bed of the stream until a lar"-°. tributary comes in from the right. Follow no the snur immediately bevond this tributary. "The rest- of the --route is fairlv obvious to anvone used to-mount-iinous eonntrv. The rrrpater part of the track to the Tableland jr. in fairlv- roo-i order, lint jt i« imirli ( n i-, P regretted that a considerable, number of short sections are-ex-♦■remplv Kid nnrl indeed natively rtancrrron-. frrr pnekhnrses. After the disastrous floods r<r Jannarv- 1926 a small amount of merelv temporary renair was "»rrW] out si as to render the traek liassn'ile. but sjn r <j then th e T.ik'ka Council seems t-vbav done nothing further.- Tn some nlaces the path has tinned »wav, in others it is blocked with ■minele. tree trunks and fallen rocks. Seeing what a snlendid asset- this region might be to Nelson were it only made more accessible, it is n thousand pities that an experienced roadman is not. given the (ask of nutting into reanonablv rrood order the section from FWa Saddle lo Salisbury's Open. 1 have purposely refrained from dilating on the marvellous scenery and maiiv other attractions- of the -Mt. Arthur disfriel which ought tn be much h»H«i- known than if is to {ho residents of Nelson. To make the district a more, popular resort, we, need more huts and signposts, a better I rack and a goad map. The Tourist, and Forestry Departments have this vcar made grants of £SO and £ls respectively while the Prc-srcs* League and a few private individuals (would there were more of them; have also made -contributions. Next year we hopo that larger sums will he. made available for providing increased hut accommodation. I am etc., F. G. GIBBS. Chairman, Mount Balloon Hut Scenic Beard. 30/12/26.