County Stream Hut
(County Hut looking up to Smyth Saddle: Photo Warren Chinn 2005)
Maintenance Status
County Hut has been designated as minimal maintenance and the track
up the County valley non-maintain.
Location
Map BW18. Waitaha catchment: Grid Ref:
E1425190/ N5219383. Altitude
995m. County Hut is located in the headwaters
of the County Stream in the Waitaha valley. It is a superb, rugged, remote
high-country setting backing on to the
pristine alpine snowfields and glaciers
of the Mt. Evans massif. County Hut is on a terrace on the TR of the
river just below the Bloomfield Creek confluence.
The surrounding vegetation is a mix of alpine scrub and areas of open tussock. There are
views of the Smyth, Bloomfield
and Hitchen Ranges.
The Waiataha and County are rough valleys and access to County Hut
has always been reasonably challenging. NZFS created a good network of tracks along with the
upper valley huts
in the 1960's and 70's. DOC maintained some of them minimally for a while, although the County track
went to the dogs
quite early in the piece. DOC officially ceased maintaining the upper valley tracks in 2004. Vists to
County had declined
to around two per year by 2007 as result.
Permolat volunteers recut and marked the track up from Moonbeam Hut in
August 2007 and the trail was restored to reasonable, albeit rudimentary condition, a big improvement
given that sections had dissolved back into the sub-alpine/
hardwood forest. A lot of this work may have been
undone by the winter storms of 2008 which brough down a significant amount of windthrow
between Alexander Creek to the Top Waitaha
turnoff. There is likely to be more, as yet unreported damage
further up in the County.
Access
From Moonbeam Hut the main valley
track follows the river terraces on the
TL of the Waitaha for around 20 minutes (there are only a few
windfalls on this bit). The track drops to the riverbed, crosses Dorothy
and Alexander creeks, then re-enters the bush, and sidles up towards the Top
Waitaha turnoff.
This section is a tangle of windthrow in which progress
is extremely slow and difficult. There is a reasonable dry
rock just before the turnoff. After the turnoff the track to County continues up-valley
and is marked
with a mix of permolat
and cruise tape. It climb-sidles up and around into the County at a lower altitude than is marked
on the Topo map.
The permolat becomes less frequent and is replaced by cruise tape as you get further up.
There are numerous small climbs and drops with exit and entry points on
slips and side creeks marked with permolat. The track drops briefly into
the County riverbed in a steep
bouldery section just above O'Reilly Creek, re-enters the scrub almost immediatey, and climbs
steeply for 15 minutes before sidling back into the County at a blown-out side creek.
There is an easy and relatively flat section of riverbed follows by a couple of longish sections
of track, then a series of shorter sections
negotiating large bouders. The cut bits of track are cruise-taped.
The County needs to be forded with care to get to the Hut. River levels are
influenced by snow and ice melt, as well as rain, and tend to rise over
the day, particularly in warm spring weather. The
track up to the Hut is marked with white
permolat crosses on a mountain holly high on a washed out bank
directly opposite a large, old cairn on the TL.
Someone has also cut a track to the Hut from 100m up
Bloomfield Creek, and may on occasions be easier to ford above the Bloomfield
confluence. Allow a full day to from Moonbeam to County currently via the valley tracks.
A good fine weather alternative route to the County from Moonbeam
is via the Clearview Spur tops track. This
was recut
and re-marked in
2007 and is possibly quicker now than the main valley route.
The track heads up the terrace behind Moonbeam Hut on
the TR of Moonbeam Torrent, before climbing a narrow ridge
beween the Torrent and Dorothy Creek. At the alpine scrub zone
it drops into the head of Dorothy Creek, which is a dry rocky gut by this stage.
The gut gives access through scattered scrub to the open tussock faces
below Clearview Spur. From here it is an easy climb eastward
to a flat area on the Spur just above point 1690m. There are great views of
Mt. Evans and the Red Lion from here
Drop into the County down the faces
between Canary Creek and the next side creek down. There is a small
band of scrub near the bottom. Allow 4-5 hours from Moonbeam to County Hut.
County Hut has an ostentatious wooden helicopter
platform which was built during the NZFS dynasty.
Type
County is a standard six-bunk NZFS
tops hut design. There is no fire or woodburner. It is lined, has a roof-fed
water tank and a toilet.
Condition
County Hut is in reasonably good condition currently. Repainting
and maintenance work was carried out in 2003 and and a new watertank was
installed. The downpipe has since broken and was repaired in 2008
with a marmite jar and duct tape (be interesting to see how long it lasts). The piles are
in good shape. There appears to be some moisture getting into the ply
lining through the lower end of the skylight and there is water being blown under the door.
The floorboards are starting to rot in places here and a small hole has developed.
Routes
Most of the routes in this area are
alpine and suitable gear needs to be
carried.
The Smyth Saddle route to the Wanganui River is
reasonably popular with more experienced trampers and alpinists. The County Stream is reasonable
travel above the Bloomfield
Confluence when river levels are low. There is a small gorge not far up
and a ford to TL is needed to avoid a fairly nasty scrub bash. Access to Smyth
Saddle is via a prominent, diagonally running creek that enters the County at E1426840/ N5217273.
Head up the creek to around the 1450m mark, then climb out up a gut on the TL onto the flat area on
the crest of the Range.
From here follow the 1600m contour SW around to a prominent Spur that drops in a NW
direction down to the
Smyth/ Bradshaw confluence. Follow this down to a
flat bench at the 1230m mark, then drop southward into the Smyth.
It is very rough, scrubby and bouldery travel down to the Smyth Hut. The TR is easier
lower down if you are able to ford. Allow a full day from County
Hut to Smyth Hut.
It is possible to get to the
County along the Smyth Range from Kiwi Flat Hut via Headlong Spur. The track
up the Spur has been redesignated as fully maintain but is currently overgrown, particularly
in the alpine scrub zone.
It branches off from the main vally track at the
end of a terraced section 1/2 an hour
upriver from Kiwi Flat Hut. Mts. Neville and Barry have
patches of permanent snow and some small glacial remnants, and ice axes (and crampons in winter)
are recommended for most of the year.
There is a steep exposed section on Clearview Spur between points 1945m and 1690m
that requires downclimbing.
A rope would be helpful on this bit if you are not confident on exposed
terrain. Drop into the County from the flat area just above point 1690m
down the faces between Canary Creek and the next side creek down. There is a small
band of scrub near the bottom.
It would be possible to get to the County from Scamper
Torrent along the Smyth Range in a long day. The Range
West of Mts. Neville and Barry is flat and very easy going (see Routes on
the Scamper Torrent hut-page).
There are a number of routes from the County over the Bloomfield Range to
Top Waitaha Hut.
Access to Mt. Bloomfield can be gained via a steep rib between the two
main branches of Bloomfield Creek. You can descend a prominent ridge NW of the summit
of Mt. Bloomfield into the Top Waiataha basin. This drops in a NE direction to the
mid-section of Reid Creek. There is one steep, fairly nasty
exposed section on this descent on which a rope might be a good backup.
From here make your
way down the tussock terraces on the TL of Reid Creek to
Top Waitaha Hut.
An easier, albeit longer route
than the above, is to traverse Mt. Bloomfield and drop down the large open side
creek opposite Drain Off Creek at the lower end of the Top Waitaha basin.
There are a number
of alpine crossings to the Whitcombe and Evans
valleys from the County that require mountaineering
gear and skills. McKenzie
Col at the head of the County provides a route into
the upper Wilkinson River and Whitcombe valley, but has become less safe
over time due to seasonal crevasse and permanent rockfall danger.
Parties climbing Mt. Evans and the Red Lion often
use County Hut as a base. Artist Dome is a relatively easy
scramble via a steep rib between the two main branches of
Bloomfield Creek, or the ridge on the TL of the
Bloomfield.
Repairs needed
A new downpipe for the water tank , sealing work around
the skylight, floor repairs around the door, and a flashing to
stop the water blowing is required. Some old rotting mattresses under the chopper
pad need disposing of.
Provisions on Site
5 billies, 2 wash basins, 2 aluminium buckets,
1 kero heater (no fuel), a hand brush and shovel, a broom, a kero cooker and 2 feeder bottles,
10 pots of paint, 1 large box of galvanised nails, 1 shovel and spare handle,
1 slasher (blunt) and spare handle, 1 axe and spare handle, a wall-mounted first aid cabinet,
a crow bar, 1 bag of cement, 1 box of pre-cut
white permolat, 1 food bin (empty), 1 tilley lamp minus generator pipe and glass, and
an egg beater.