Bluff Hut
(Bluff Hut looking upriver: Photo Andrew Buglass 2010)
Maintenance Status
Bluff Hut and the access tracks to it are
designated as fully maintain.
Bluff was shifted a short distance upvalley in 2009 from a more unstable site closer to the bush edge.
This coincided
with the replacement of a swingbridge over the Hokitika that had been washed out in the early '90s,
which isolated Bluff from the Frews Saddle - Toaroha Saddle circuit.
The relevant sections of track between Bluff Hut and Poet Hut in the
Mungo were reopened in conjunction with the upgrades.
The circuit may get an extra use boost in numbers after being included Shaun
Barnett's revised edition
of Classic Tramps.
Location
Hokitika catchment. Map BV19.
Grid Ref: E1447410/ N5232433. Altitude 925m.
Bluff Hut is located in open tussock and scattered scrub
above the TL of the
upper Hokitika River. Above the Hut Conway Ridge
climbs in a series of
bluffy steps to the Meta Range. There are great views
from Bluff up
the Mungo valley and over to Toaroha Saddle. The track up
from the Hokitika valley is very steep, passing through
shattered rock bluffs and large
cracks and fissures cloaked in montane forest.
There were several alumunium ladders on this section originally, some of which
were replaced with chains when the track was recut in 2009.
The Hokitika River drops over a series
of spectacular cataracts here, 400 vertical metres in less than a kilometer to its confluence with the Mungo River.
Upriver from Bluff Hut the Hokitika passes through a small canyon,
before opening out into a tussock basin. This rises at a gentle
gradient for several kilometers to the foot of Mathias Pass.
Attempts to graze sheep here in the late 1800's in the benign looking
tussock expanses ended during the first winter when deep snow buried the unfortunate animals.
Access
Bluff can be approached from either the Whitcombe valley
via Frew Saddle, or from the Mungo valley via Toaraoha Saddle and the Toaroha River. It takes a couple of
days from either end with the Frew Saddle route being the slightly shorter one. The tracks are in good shape currently,
having been recut in 2009.
From Frew Saddle Biv there is a poled route down down
steep tussock faces into into the upper Hokitka basin.
When snow-free the the basin provides open and easy travel, whereas in winter it can be a slow
plod through deep snow. From the 1040m contour onward a marked track leads through scattered scrub on the TL bank.
Opposite Steadman Creek snow poles
lead up over a tussock
knoll to section of track through the alpine scrub above a small canyon.
The track hits the riverbed again for a short stretch opposite Tub Creek, then climb/ sidles
above a second canyon through open tussock and patchy scrub to the Hut. Allow 2.5 - 3 hours from
Frew Biv to Bluff Hut in good conditions.
The route from Poet Hut in the Mungo is down the TR of the River
to the new swingbridge, a mix of track
and boulderhopping.
On the TL of the Hokitika a very steep section of track leads up a bluffy spur to
the bushline and the old hutsite. The new Hut is a couple of hundred
metres upvalley from here. Allow it is 2.5 - 3 hours to reach Bluff from Poet Hut.
Type
The original Bluff Hut was a
standard 4-bunk NZFS design with open fire built in the mid 1960's.
The fire was removed early on, followed by the cupboard and vestibule area in the early 1980's. A
roof-fed watertank was installed around this time.
Bluff became isolated from the Frews - Toaroha circuit
when the bridge over the Hokitika was washed out in the early 90's and the Hut
fell into disrepair over time. After it was decided to replace the bridge,
it was discovered that the original hutsite was unstable. In 2009 the Hut
was
shifted upvalley 100m and completely rebuilt in the process. Apart from a bit of reused iron cladding it
is very difficult to spot any of the other original bits. Bluff had two extra bunks and a wood burner added
in the rebuild.
Condition
Bluff Hut is in excellent condition currently. The toilet is another story.
It was shifted from the old to the new site and had a rather pathetic pit dug under it. I'm not sure
whether hit solid rock or just ran out of energy, but the result is an 0.5 meter hollow, now filled with water,
which is already
spilling its contents onto the surrounds. The base has a few rocks around it with large gaps. Weka have been
quick to get into the pit and spread the toilet paper around the area.
Routes
The standard route to Sir Robert Hut
has always been up the TR of Steadman Creek. While the bridge was out and Homeward Ridge was
operating as a detour to Poet Hut, the route up was poled. DOC removed the poles when the bridge was reinstated.
Instead of walking all the way up to
Steadman Creek it is quicker to cross the Hokitika where the track hits the River just below Tub Creek
and head up Tub Creek. Take the larger and easier looking TR fork in the Creek and follow this up onto Homeward Ridge.
Don't drop directly from Steadman Saddle into Sir Robert as the top section of the
creek that drains the Saddle is steep and unstable. Continue down Homeward Ridge to the 1440m
contour line (around 1449130E/ 5231595N) and drop East down a steep side spur that drops int Sir Robert Creek.
Around the 1250m mark the
side spur flattens briefly and from here drop down a steep gut running SE into the
big side creek below. At the bottom
end of this gut a small ceek tumbles through a band of ribbonwood over some rock steps into the main side creek,
200 or so metres upstream from Sir Robert Creek.
Continue down to Sir Robert Creek and head up its TL for around 300m to
the Hut. A short section of track goes behind a large boulder
20m before the entrance of the track up to the Hut. The journey from Bluff to Sir Robert takes 3-4 hours. Ice axes
and possibly crampons may be needed on the steeper sections of this route in winter and spring.
The old FS track up the ridge from Darby Creek to Frisco Hut was recut by volunteers in 2011.
This can be accessed from Bluff swingbridge by boulderhopping
down the TR of the Hokitika. The boulders are large and some of them slippery, and this
bit takes 15-20 minutes. Darby Creek is easy to cross at normal flows, but would be tricky after heavy rain.
The ridge track entrance is 100m up the Creek on the TR and is marked with white permolat. The track goes
straight up the ridge to around the 800m contour where it leaves the ridge and sidles West across the montane
faces to the Hut. The sidle crosses some fairly unstable dissected country, old regenerating slips and some
actively eroding guts. The slips are regenerating alpine scrub. The route uses two of the guts to gain a bit of
height and the entry and exit points to these are marked with a mix of permolat, cruise-tape and cairns.
The track sidles in and out of the upper branches of Detour Creek,before climing a small regenerating slip
up to the bench where the Hut is located. Allow three hours travel time from Bluff to Frisco.
It is relatively easy to get to Frew Biv straight up and over
Conway Ridge. This doesn't take much longer than the valley
route and has lovely views on a fine day.
Repairs Needed
A proper toilet pit needs to be dug and sealed around the base of the toilet. The toilet may need relocating to do this.
Provisions on Site
Two bench seats, a hand saw, an axe, a first aid kit,
three billies, an aluminium wash basin, a hearth shovel and brush, a coal bucket, a roll of red permolat, a small frypan,
and a camp oven. There are odds and sods of timber and a wooden ladder under the Hut. The old Hut site is a bit of a garbage heap.
There is a pile of old wood framing, a door, and some sheets of corrugated iron amongst the rubble.
