Mid Styx Hut
(Mid Styx Hut: Photo Andrew Buglass 2009)
Maintenance Status
Mid Styx Hut
is one of the Permolat Group's maintain-by-community projects. The Hut was designated
as minimal maintenance in DOC's 2004 Review, although there probably hadn't been any maintenance
done since NZFS tenure in the early 1980's. By 2004 Mid Styx's piles
and floor had largely rotted out, and it
was hemmed in by
regenerating bush. Phil Evans cleared a large area of regrowth on the northern side
and started tidying the Hut in 2006. Permolat had its maintenance proposal accepted in 2008
and repiled, refloored the Hut and reconcreted the hearth during a working bee
in 2009. DOC assisted by dropping the materials in free while they were doing some other work
in the valley.
The access tracks to the Hut
were recut and marked around the same time and ongoing maintenance is being done by the Group.
Location
Styx valley. Map BV19. Grid Ref: E1456688/ N5249300.
460m altitude. Mid Styx is located up on the bush terraces
midway up the TL of the Styx valley.
Mature podocarp, rata, and hardwood forest surrounds the Hut, giving it a great deep-bush
ambience. Although a reasonably short tramp from the roadend, Mid Styx has
is usually bypassed by trampers, being on the
opposite side of the River to the main
valley track. A swingbridge across the Styx
just above Tyndall Creek was washed out in the 1980, and so
a ford of the Styx, although not usually difficult at normal flows, is also required.
Unmaintained and overgrowing tracks on the TL of the valley compounded the isolation and visits
dropped to a couple a year, or less.
Traffic increased significantly (to 1-3 visits per month) after Mid Styx
was profiled on this site and the Hut and track maintenance done. It's dropped of since then with four
overnighters in the last year, mostly
hunters, and a few drop-ins from folk passing through the Styx valley.
Access
There is both upper and lower valley access to Mid Styx.
The Styx River is running deep and fast next to the cliff face at the roadend, which for the time being,
makes the Styx track only a fine weather option for most people.
The lower Mid Styx route is via
Tyndall Creek and a track
along the terraces on the TL of the Styx.
There is is no safe crossing of the Styx directly opposite Tyndal Creek currently, but dry-weather
crossings
can be found with a bit of care up and downstream of it. Boulderhop up Tyndall Creek
for about half an hour to
the around the 400m countour line (E1455808/ N5249053) where cairns and cruise tape mark
track entrance on the TR. A steep 15 minutes climb up onto the terrace follows. The track then
flattens and continues upriver along the terrace for around a half hour to the Hut. The last lot of maintenance
done by Permolat volunteers was in 2010, and
the track is currently in good condition.
The upper valley route is another hour towards Grassy Flat from the Tyndall turnoff, and has
the best ford currently. A routered wooden sign indicates the turnoff and ford. Cross and head
back down the Styx, 50m past the large side creek to where a large orange triangle
marks the start of the track up to the Hut. There is a reasonable ford
at stoat trap 67 on the Grassy Flat track, pretty much opposite
the triangle, but is it a bit swifter than the top one.
The track up to the Hut was last cut in 2009 by Permolat volunteers. It climbs steeply
up onto the terrace bounding the TL of the side creek and follows the terrace edge in a southerly
direction. After 10-15 minutes the track veers West and downriver for a 1/2 kilometre to the Hut.
Allow 2.5-3 hours from the Styx road end to the
Hut for both routes. If the Styx is running high it would be possible to get
down the TL of the valley along a roughly cut and marked DOC stoatline, although Tyndall Creek is
also difficult or unfordable after heavy rain.
Type
Mid Styx is a standard NZFS four-bunk design with open fire built in the 1960's. The
cupboard and woodbox vestible were removed in 2009 during the reflooring. The
floor, piles, joists and bearers were completely replaced, and the
hearth re-concreted.
There is no toilet currently and water is from a small creek next to the Hut.
The bunks are wire netting and DOC has supplied new mattresses. The Hut still has its original orange NZFS
paint job, which is getting very flakey. A rat problem seems to have been solved by the laying of poison and there is
a supply in a labelled jar for future outbreaks.
Condition
The Hut floor and piles are new and in excellent shape. The original framing and cladding above floor level
is surprisingly well preserved despite the years of zero maintenance.
There is a roof leak just above the
door and the odd small hole here and there in the
tin cladding on the walls. The chimney, an NZFS original, has a few large
rust patches. The roof badly needs repainting and the sheet of
clearlite in the roof is well past its best-by date.
Routes
An old tops track up onto the Browning Range turns off the access track,
about 10 minutes upriver from the Hut. It was recut and marked with red cruise tape and light blue paint
by Permolat volunteers in 2010. Much of the original
Permolat is covered in grey-black mould and is difficult to see.
The track climbs SSW from the turnoff, following the terrace above
the side creek onto a spur on the TL of the same. It follows this spur to the tussock. The
top 100m section of track through the alpine scrub
is marked with orange electric fence gate flags. To gain the main ridge leading to Cairn Peak
either stay on the spur, which gets steep and awkward, or sidle West into a small
gut with short sparse scrub and scattered tussock, and head up that.
There is a good tarn further up and a
potential camp site.
Allow two hours from Mid Styx Hut to the tussock and another two to Cairn Peak.
A tops traverse is possible from the top of the track to
Browning Biv. Drop into
the tussock basin at the head of the
side creek, then climb up onto the
ridge on its TR. Sidle arounf the 1700m contour
around and down to Lathrop Saddle,
from where a poled route leads down to Browning Biv.
Allow five hours from Mid Styx to Browning Biv.
The newly relocated
Top Crawford Hut
can be accessed from Mid Styx in a day by a fit experienced party.
Cross the low point in the Browning Range (E1458390/ N5246493)
from the head basin of the big side creek. Drop from
here down through a band of
shattered rock into the high cirque above the large unamed side creek that drops into
the lower end of Top Crawford basin. The cirque has some large tarns, which are snow covered
for a good portion of the year. Sidle around to a flat bench withb tarns above the TL of the
side creek and drop from here
down an open dry gut into the creek itself. It is easy travel down the creek
into the Crawford basin. Allow 6-7 hours for the crossing in good conditions.
A traverse of the Browning Range and down Whitehorn
Ridge to Crawford Junction Hut is also possible from Mid Styx.
The Range is relatively easy travel from Cairn Peak along to Tyndalls Knob
and Whitehorn Spur. Whitehorn Spur Biv was
removed in 2006 and the
old tops track down the Spur to Crawford Junction is very overgrown, petering out
completely on the
lower faces. Allow
a long day in good conditions for this route.
Repairs Needed
Mid Styx still needs painting and sealing. A woodshed will be built at some point
and a toilet hopefully at some point. It has been suggested that a cowling be made for the
top of the chimney. The clearlite in the roof needs replacing.
Provisions on site
A stool, a broom, two axes, a hand saw, a hearth shovel and brush, some sheets in a sealed barrel,
a gas stove, some billies, pans, cutlery, plates, a cup, a hammer, some tin snips, tools, and a first aid kit.
