Mt Humbolt

Nelson NZAC club trip organised by Ben Winnubst with Roger, Pat, Norman Carrington and I to climb Mt Humbolt in the Spenser Mountains.

Saturday 25/10/2003
We headed off early Saturday morning and drove to Springs Junction where we stopped for coffee and then carried onto Hanmer for another brief stop. Drove over Jollies pass to Lake Tennyson where we parked the cars. Headed off over Maling Pass and then up the Waiau River heading for Caroline Creek.
Went past Caroline Biv just after five in the evening. Walked up Caroline Creek for about another hour to a nice bivvy site where we set up camp. In bed by eight and it was sleeting.

Sunday 26/10/2003
We left our bivvy site at quarter past five and headed up into the snow, quite cold with cloud around the tops so not such great views. A great fun time was had by all.
Once back at the biv site we packed up and headed back down to Caroline Biv for the night.
Monday 27/10/2003
Walked back out to Lake Tennyson and drove home to Nelson.
Trip Times

Saturday 25/10/2003
1300 Left Lake Tennyson and heading off over Malling pass
1715 At Caroline bivvy1830 
At a bivvy site up Caroline creek
Sunday 26/10/2003
0515 Left camp.
1100 On top of Humbolt
1500 Back at camp
1600 Off to biv
1645 At Caroline biv

Map of Walk

Arrowsmiths

This is my first explore of the Arrowsmith Range and it went bad as somehow on the walk into the hut Paul dropped his crampons  so we never did get a climb in. We had planned to at least climb Marquee, as it is a straight forward climb by the South ridge with a false summit 20 minutes before the top.

Thursday 2/10/2003
After work left Nelson for Blenhiem as had arranged to meet Paul at the railyway station. Both of us with a car. After nine we headed off to Christchurch. So early hours of Saturday we drove to Lake Heron and slept in our cars.

Friday 3/10/2003
Woke late and it was raining. When the rain stopped we put up our tents and then it really thundered down, decided to wait and see what tomorrows weather would be.

 Saturday 4/10/2003
Snowed in the night lovely morning.
1040 Left car heading up the Cameron river to the Cameron hut, beutifull day so far.
1535 At hut, just three other people here. Took about 5 hours including a lunch stop.
Sunday 5/10/2003
The others left. We went out and explored.
Monday 6/10/2003
1050 Off down to the cars.
1630 At cars and off back to Nelson

Map showing location of Cameron Hut

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Mt Angelus Mid Winter NZAC

NZAC Nelson section mid winter party at Angelus hut.

Friday 20/06/2003
1330 Left Nelson with Anthony and drove to the Robert Ridge low car park on Coldwater side. Left packs and Anthony at the car park and then drove car to upper car park. Ran down. Headed off to Coldwater hut. I wore suit and tie all the way.
1600 At Coldwater hut. Food etc.
1710 Ben arrived.

Saturday 21/06/2003
0700 Out of bed.
0810 Off to Angelus hut via Hukure stream, up Cascade Track, kept suit on all the way.
I and my suit
Anthony and Ben
We arrived to an empty hut, so time to get water and think about the fire?
2031 Well feed and had a couple of wines. Thinking of going up to the top of Angelus for midnight.
Lots of people lots of fun. Maybe head off at 2140?

Not everyone one as not everyone had crampons and some had drunk to much alcohol.

2153 Off for the climb....
 An accident  occurred. We headed off (Andrew, Tony, Nick, Mark, Amanda, and Ian) and I lead the way. It was awesome conditions for crampons. Baby sastrugi type stuff up higher.
We where near the top at 0010 and Nick slid off down a steep slope and went over a bluff. It is shit scarey to see a fellow climber accelerating to their death on a mountain. The noise of the slide and the headlight receding in the distance did not look good.
Andrew and I went down a gulley looking for him, we did find him, but it was initially decided that it was a rock. So me Mark and Amanda headed down. We got to the hut and raised the alarm. No hut radio so some headed off up to Robert Ridge direction where cell phones work to call for assistance. Mark, Grant and I, and a member of another party took up clothing food and hot drink. A cold night grouped around Nick. He was not really ever concious.
In the morning a chopper arrived and after a bit of a struggle with a stretcher he was airlifted to Nelson hospital.  Nick had bad head injuries and a broken Pelvis.

Sunday 22/06/2003
Headed off out eventually with others along Angelus Ridge. Was excellent weather.
Ben and Anthony

Mt Uwerau and Fyffe

NZAC Nelson section, Ben Winubst trip for Queens Birthday weekend with a bunch of us wanting to climb Uwerau.

We on this trip:
  • Ben Winubst
  • Mark Holmes
  • Andy Southwick
  • Megan Southwick
  • Paul Hanson
  • Ian Hunt
Saturday 07/06/2003
Got Paul and headed for coffee at Kaikora. Nice relaxing drive. We meet up with the others and then wandered in to Hapuku Hut up the Hapuku river. Nice hut and nice river valley.

Sunday 08/06/2003
A not so early start as the team negotiated with Ben and we didnt leave the hut until 0545. Here we are heading off for our early morning bush bash, made easier by the previous nights reckie.
My back, Megan, Mark, Paul, and Ben.
Sunrise at whatever time it was.
Ian, Ben, and Megan
Ben and Paul happy on the windy chill of a summit.
Ben and Paul
Map

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Lookout Range

Ben and I did an brief explore of Lookout and Hope Range  as a  day trip.

Sunday 13/04/2003
0710 Ben devised an interesting trip across an interesting rang, so I went with him. He picked me up early morning and we headed out of Nelson.
0900'ish walking.
Enjoyed the rock formations on this range
1200 Having lunch on the Hope range.
1355 On Lookont Range, headed along the range and down a gulley sidling back to the Hope range.
1833 Off back to Nelson, heard a Kea on the way out.

The following map shows the area.

Richmond Range Trip

Ian Hunt, Brian Sheridan,  Richard Beumont, and Ian Hunt off to the Richmond ranges to check out the Union Airways Electra that crashed in 1942.

Monday 31/03/2003
Meet up with Brian at Katmandu in Nelson, got a few bits and off to Picton to get Richard.
We then headed off to Lake Chalice. Went for a bit of a wander to the lake and then back to the hut for food.

Tuesday 1/04/2003
Woke and got fed and its raining. We wandered around the lake in the rain, did the full track, in about two hours.
1350 Back at the hut, still raining.
1617 Went up to the car and got the weather report from Brian's Dad Tom:
Clearing tonite.
Clear tomorrow with Cold southerly
Clear and nice thursday
Clagging in again friday, probably in the West and not these ranges
That seems promising.

Wednesday 2/04/2003
Headed off up to car and drove off to Road end up Timms creek for our Richmond caper.
1143 Left car.
1621 At Fell hut.
1641 Brian and Richard arrived.
At Fell hut on the Richmond range. Took us under 5 hours to get here.
Eating food etc.
No views, cold.

Thursday 3/04/2003
Headed off to plane crash area.
Went all over the place and found big chunks and the engine. There is a plaque on the hill to the people, three men and two woman.
In the afternoon, about 1600 headed off to Fell peak.

Friday 04/04/2003
Wandered off to Mt Richmond in the morning and then back to the hut for a bit of food etc.

The walk to Mt Richmond was awesome a bit of a cold wind but lots of clear sky and no rain. Only was Brian and I as Richard has a bit of a back issue. Awesome views.
Back to find Richard and then back to the hut.
Headed off out down to the car.
Got there first and had a brief swim in the river - cold as.
Drove off to Picton and got hot chips, dropped Richard off at the ferry.
Drove off to Nelson and dropped off Brian in Richmond, saw his Dad breifly.


 

Lodestone

Sunday 22/03/2003
Drove to Mt Arthur carpark and did a day walk up to top of Lodestone with Brian. Had lunch and watched some Kea's.
Walked down to Flora hut and then back out to car.

Mt Travers

Paul and I doing the Gunsight Pass trip and climbing Travers by the NW Ridge. We aimed to bivvy out.

Friday 24/01/2003
Paul arrived in Nelson, I picked him up at the airport. Went and did a brief shopping and then off to Lake Rotoiti
1330 Water Taxi up to Coldwater hut.
Walked to Johnnie Tait and stopped for tea at five'ish. Off to Cupola hut, got there and it started to rain. We stayed here and didn't head off for Gunsight bivvy rock. 

Saturday 25/01/2003
1015 Left Cupola with all our gear and walked to Gunsight pass.
Down the other side and headed along the scree towards a saddle that gives access to Travers via the broad West gully. Get a good view looking back at Cupola.
The rock is quite broken and sharp below the saddle NW of Travers.
Almost had to turn back at 2100 m due to a small rock step in our gulley. There are some quartz crystals here, none longer than 10 mm. Hassled Paul into coming, wont detail the persuasion technique used.
1700 Me and Paul got onto the final ridge that heads to the top of Travers. Looking at Cupola on the left and Hopeless on the right, just touching the clouds.
 
 This view is looking down to Upper Travers hut, approx 1000 meters down.
And Paul on what we call the top having a snack. Looks like some sort of trig or survey mark was once here.
Meet three others from Wellington, they came up the East ridge. We headed down to Summit creek, got to the bivvy rock and decided to head down to Johnnie.

Sunday 26/01/2003
Left John Tait and headed down river, weather clearing on our last day. Much better views, can see Travers cloud free.
Got out to Coldwater hut in time to catch Bill's water taxi. Then back to Nelson.

Map showing Gunsite Pass and route up Travers.

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