We completed this little mission in mid-February this year in a rare brief spell of good weather. One advantage of this trip was that we only had to carry packrafts to cross the Dart River and did not need them on the traverse.
On 16th February, I left Invercargill in the early hours of the morning to avoid the traffic gridlock now common in Queenstown, from 7.00 am every day. At 8.00 am I was at Bruce Farmer’s place in Glenorchy where I was to rendezvous with Gavin. I had a pleasant breakfast with Bruce, Rosemarie and then leaving Gavin’s van, we drove my X-Trail to Chinaman’s flat. The day was sunny and warm as we set off to the Dart River. There, we inflated the packrafts and set off down the river to the Rockburn Chasm. We arrived at the same time as a bevvy of tourons in the Dart River Safari jet boats. We waited until they departed before we paddled up into the gorge, which was quite spectacular and only really accessible with small kayaks or packrafts.
Then we stashed our packrafts on the opposite bank and set off up the Rockburn track with lighter packs. I’d forgotten how far it was up there and it took us a few hours to climb the 400m to the Sugarloaf Track junction. Then it’s a steep descent back to the river and a steady climb up to Theatre Flat where we camped near the bivvy rock. Nearby was a pleasant couple from Hastings who we chatted to.
We got away early, tramping up the grassy flats and then up the steep track over a saddle at 860m to drop back to river level. The tussock was chest high and wet with dew, which is not the nicest to push through. Then we entered more bush that led us up a hill to the bush line. On the way, I was studying a spur from the bush line that ran in an easterly direction just south of Amphion Peak. It was very cloudy to the north and west and I was concerned the weather would get worse. However, we reasoned we could always retreat back the way we had come. Gavin was keen to try the spur and it would save several hours by avoiding Park Pass and climbing around Amphion.
The spur was easy going and led uphill to rocky slabs that were a delight to climb. This eventually took us to a spur overlooking what I called “Hidden Valley” between Amphion and Minos. The glaciers on the northern ridge looked to be in full retreat like most glaciers in Aotearoa/New Zealand. We dropped into this idyllic valley, crossed a stream and stopped for lunch in the tussock. Some mountain gentians brightened this Arcadian scene and the odd ray of evanescent sunshine was a delight.
Then we climbed up to a col Between Minos and Chaos. Here we had a glimpse of Lake Unknown far below us. A rocky slope led down to a vertical cliff about 70m below us. Cautiously, I left my pack and climbed down slabs to get a better view of the drop and it was clear this would be a difficult abseil. Climbing back up the col, we surveyed the route to Mt Chaos, our original route. Slabs led up to the skyline ridge on our right which, we deemed the best route around the cliffs below us. Off we climbed up ever steepening slabs until we came to the crux. I stared at it for a while and then decided some dynamic moves were required. There was no possibility of belaying these featureless slabs. Gavin then moved boldly and with precision up some steep slabs to easier ground and I followed on a slightly different route. It was maybe only 3m but very exposed. Above rocky slopes led over a spur to easier ground that took us down to a hanging valley and a stream below us. Here we followed down the stream but it ended in an ugly wet, cavernous drop – no way down here - so we followed up the stream and over another spur sidling southwards. Further on, I followed slabs down into a steep gully and called Gavin down. By shuffling down on the seat of our pants, we managed to avoid falling off and reached tussock slopes that took us easily down to the lakeshore. Near the bivvy rock there, we camped on a clear area. Cloud covered the peaks and clearly, the weather was deteriorating.
Next morning when I looked out of the tent, it was evident rain was not far off so we made a rapid departure. It was windy and cold and the lake looked forlorn and uninviting. We were glad not to have the packrafts with us. Then the drizzle started as we followed along the north side of the lake sidling through tussock. This led over a series of bumps to the outlet where the stream draining the lake disappears through a fissure in the rock. This was easily crossed and on the far side, a rather steep scrubby climb of around 100m led over a spur onto tussock slopes south of the lake. There was a gale blowing down the lake that plucked at my clothes and tousled my hair. In several places, I had to crawl in fear of being blown off the steep slopes. Once clear of the lake outlet, the wind ameliorated considerably. Easy slopes took us to the bush line across a stream and then down into the forest. It was surprisingly scrubby and unpleasant in the bush, which is just a steep face devoid of nice spurs or deer trails. We constantly got caught up in horrible gulleys, filled with tree fall and lawyer. Lower down we reached the Beans Burn and followed this down to the Dart junction.
We still had to pick up our packrafts at the Rockburn so set off down the Dart. After a while, a Dart River Safari jet boat pulled up in a lagoon near us. It looked like a free ride was in the offing but no luck. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he took off. But I did not mind the walk as the weather was now sunny and hot and after leaving our packs, we flew along down to the Rockburn.
Walking back up, we launched our rafts near Chinaman’s flat to ferry glide across to the car. Then it was a pleasant drive back to Glenorchy and Invercargill.
Thanks to Gavin for a great trip.
