2012 – Wangapeka – The Plan

Plan A for Moa Hunt 2012 was to attempt the Toaroha – Whitcombe, in the reverse direction we walked in 2010.  However, due to the circuit being Magnus’s brainchild and him being unable to make the trip, an alternate route in the Wangapeka / Mt Arthur region has been roughly drawn out:

The Alternate Plan: Wangapeka / Mt Arthur

The route on Google Maps

Thursday Night 23rd February

Drive to Murchison and stay the night at suitable accommodation

Friday 24th

Option 1

(7 hours)
Start at Rolling River Shelter near Tapawera. Rolling River Shelter to Kings Hut (20 bunks)  (3.75 hours).  Kings Hut to Stone Hut  (2.5 hours)

Option 2

(8 hours v approx)  (good weather only)
Start slightly before Rolling river Shelter and walk up ridge line on Chummies track to John Reid Hut (4 hrs) Then follow along ridge line headed west to Kiwi Saddle Hut (4 hrs)

Saturday 25th

Option 1a

(8 hours)
Stone Hut to Wangapeka Saddle (1 hour)
Wangapeka Saddle to Trevor Carter Hut via Biggs Tops (5 to 7 hours) (good weather only)

Option 1b

(7.5 hours) Stone Hut to Wangapeka Saddle (1 hour)
Wangapeka Saddle to Trevor Carter Hut via Helicopter Flat Hut (5 to 6.5 hours) (low level route)

Option 2

(8 hours v approx) (good weather only)
Kiwi Saddle Hut along ridge line to Mt Luna then to Big Tops. Descend from Bigs Tops to Trevor Carter Hut. Escape route down to Wangapeka track to Stone Hut is a marked track

Sunday 26th

(9 hours)
Trevor Carter Hut to Thor Hut  (3 to 6 hours dependant on route taken high or low water).  Thor Hut to Venus Hut.  (2- to 3 hours). Venus Hut to Crow Hut  (2 to 3 hours).

Monday 27th

(8 hours)
Crow Hut to Karamea Bend Hut  (3 to 4 hours). Karamea Bend Hut to Splugeons Shelter.  This is an open to the elements shelter built into a rock overhang – sounds interesting, altitude = 800m – maybe high enough to see the  sand-fly density dropping appreciably, no guarantees though.   (4 hours)

Tuesday 28th

(Variable hours)
This day really depends on the weather.  If good we may spend quite sometime getting to Mt Arthur and maybe the pyramid.
If poor then it will be straight to the Flora car park and home Splugeons Shelter to Salisbury Lodge via the Tablelands (2 to 3 hours).  Salisbury Lodge to Mt Arthur Hut fork in track (2.5 hours).  Mt Arthur Track Fork to Mt Arthur (1795m) (1 hour). Mt Arthur to Flora car park (4 hours)

Wednesday 29th

Only used if we need it to get through to Flora Car Park
The two ends of this trip are criss-crossed by numerous tracks and serviced with quite a number of shelters and huts and therefore the plans described here are flexible depending on a number of factors.  Fitness, weather, masochism etc

Also the Mt Arthur area is frequented by many day walkers out of Nelson, making the tracks well travelled and well formed.  This helps explain the quite fast track times seen quoted for relatively long distances.  Hopefully 4 days of prior walking won’t have made us too foot sore for this part.