Rocky-Griffin for trampers

This tramp started with my 100th night spent in the Christchurch tramping club house at Arthurs Pass. I didn't need to celebrate the occasion. It was good enough as it was--a new mix of people heading away for another weekend in the hills - everyone chattering - newcomers and companions of many tramps alike--passing round the bikkies with a hot drink.

We were away in a hard frost with first light - drove over the pass and down past Jacksons to the Taipo River. We filed out of the carpark and immediately plunged through the cold footbath at the bottom of the terrace.

The route travels up the Taipo for a few hundred metres, to a small side-stream with a pretty waterfall streaming over a boulder.

A symmetrical cairn and a red permolat marker show the start of the track. They're ones that Honora and I added.

I'd always thought of the Rocky-Griffin Creek circuit as the ideal West Coast moderate weekend tramp. When I heard the tracks had become overgrown I didn't take it seriously. But then serious people complained too. We checked it out and found the tracks were virtually gone--the only way through was serious bush-bashing.

Honora and I decided to take it on as our next project. We spent the next few weekends relocating and marking the original track - then set to work recutting it. Rob Nicholl, of Kumara, put in some great work with his slasher on the first section too.

So here we now were, walking it bush tourist fashion. We just seemed to glide through and reached the banks of Rocky Creek in less than an hour and a half. The creek splashed down quickly over large boulders. The crossings were cool at first. But the sun soon reached down and warmed us.

Rocky Creek hut was our lunch stop, and a perfect one for sitting outside in the sunshine. The tiny hut is newly repainted and has a cute doll's house look about it.

At 1.30pm we carried on. The creek narrows above here, of course, but becomes easier travel - the bouldery clambering not quite so strenuous. The team got a bit spread out as we travelled at our own pace. Near the head of the valley Richard came back and said he, Stu, Flo and Theresa were going to go ahead to the hut. Richard had doubts that we would get there in daylight. Off he went.

Honora, Helen and I plodded on. There were snow patches reaching the side of the stream. Sometimes the going looked better in the snow but usually it turned out to be better just walking in the water.

The grey slip has a cairn at its far side. Just past this I tied a plastic tag on a tree so people won't be falsely lured up the slip. The real track to the saddle begins only another twenty metres upstream, and is clearly marked.

At the top we surprised Richard by catching up with him.

There was more snow in the gully down the Griffin Creek side, but route-finding wasn't a problem. Half way down a well marked track bypasses a waterfall section.

Back in the stream we caught up with Stu, Flo and Theresa too.

Then right at the point where we needed to leave the creek for the track to the hut we stumbled upon a pair of blue ducks. They waddled around a boulder and glided to a pool further below.

We reached the hut at 4.50 pm. It didn't surprise me that it was still light, but it did surprise me that we were virtually all together.

Within minutes of arriving Honora had the fire blazing. Cooking and changing was a little bit cramped inside but we made do. The hut has five bunks. Richard seemed to relish the idea of sleeping outside in the frost in his bivvy bag, and Theresa settled for the princess stack of therm-a-rest mattresses on the floor.

Stu entertained in the evening by reading entries from the hut's pooh bear diary.

The frost in the morning was even harder. That made splashing through the many crossings of Griffin Creek an experience to remember.

We all warmed up climbing the steep track to the spur. Flo lead us to an excellent viewpoint a short distance from the junction at the top.

Then it was down the very long descent of the Harrington's track to the road and three km walk back to the cars. The trip was all over by early afternoon.

All that was left was the mandatory refreshments and settling-up at the Bealey Hotel.

Thanks, team, for helping test walk the new track, and at a tough time of year.