The Tramping Report

Route Guide to Ranger Biv

This map shows the most straightforward tramping route to Ranger Biv.

Head north from the Casey and cross the Poulter to Fenwick Stream. Travel up the broad open gravel bed of Fenwick until it gorges at the side of the hill. A cairn marks the point where you take to the bush. The spur high on the true right of Fenwick Stream has excellent sections of deer trail. Honora and I have clarified the route linking these sections of deer trail so it's fairly straightforward to follow them all the way up to the biv.

Higher up the route goes through a stand of young beech pole forest. The line marked on the map is easy enough to get through and almost entirely avoids the windfalls.

Any place where it's not obvious the line of the route is indicated with plastic ties.

Get up there.

Ranger Biv visitor

When I was last at Ranger Biv I saw that it had been visited by a young Japanese, Yoshiaki Itagaki. I was quite impressed with his style.

Of course, having visited Ranger Biv, Yoshi is now one of a very select group of explorer/trampers.

I managed to find his website. It's written in Japanese and I'm sure the Google translation doesn't do him justice, but it allows Yoshi's feeling for our wild places to shine through and I'm glad to share them with him.

Yoshi's website

Yoshi's huts

Don't leave it too long Yoshi.

Ranger Biv

Ranger Biv is sited next to a pretty moss fringed tarn at the bush edge high on the eastern side of the Poulter valley in Arthurs Pass National Park.

The only thing to spoil this scene is that the Department of Conservation say the biv is in a derelict condition. Because of this they plan to take it out and destroy it.

DoC are not right of course. The only thing wrong with the biv is a single rusty hinge. The hinge has been measured up by Barry Lee for replacement.

Everyone who's been there knows the biv's not derelict. The problem is there are not many of us.

My belief is that someone on DoC's field staff got Ranger mixed up with Waterfall Biv just over the ridge. Waterfall Biv really is in a sad state, and I could understand them rating that one as derelict. But I don't think it's going to be easy get DoC to put this right. It's not in the nature of bureaucrats to admit they've got something wrong.