Moonbeam Hut
(Moonbeam Hut: Photo Mark Watson - www.highlux.co.nz 2008)
Maintenance Status
Moonbeam Hut is designated as fully
maintain. DOC plans to replace it with
a smaller structure at the end of its life even though the access tracks to it
are no longer officially
maintained. This rather interesting outcome was achieved by outdoor lobbyists in DOC's 2004 High-Country Review.
They believed that having a maintained hut mid-valley would increase the probability of the track being
recut at some point either officially, or by volunteers. The latter in fact happened three years later when
Permolat volunteers recut the tracks in the mid and upper
Waitaha. Some severe winter storms that followed
in 2008 undid a lot of the good work, however another party went back in 2011 and recut the trails.
The access to Moonbeam tracks are currently in reasonably good shape.
Location
Waitaha catchment. Map BW18. Grid Ref: E1421728/ N5221267. Altitude 475m.
Moonbeam Hut is incorrectly
marked on the topo map just next to Moonbeam Torrent. It
is in reality 300m further upvalley atop a bush terrace. Moonbeam
provides a comfy mid-valley stopover for those passing through to the remote and
rugged headwaters of the Waitaha and County rivers.
A swingbridge spanning the River opposite the Hut (still marked on the map) was removed in 2010.
Access
Visits to Moonbeam Hut
fell markedly from the early 90's along with deteriorating tracks, and trampers increasingly opting
for tops access from adjacent
valleys to the Waiataha headwaters.
The Moonbeam track starts at the
Kiwi Flat Hut door and climbs steeply onto the terrace above. It
flattens and follows the terrace
for a 1/2 hour to the Headlong Spur turnoff. This section,
originally on DOC's maintain schedule, was only given a light trim around a few windfalls
by Permolat volunteers in 2011.
It now looks like DOC are going to drop Headlong Spur from their maintenance
schedule, so we may have to go back and do this bit also. It's still OK to follow.
From the Headlong turnoff the main valley trail
begins a long sidles across
the bush faces above the Waitaha Gorge. There are two
large slips a 1/2 hour
up, both of which are still active. Entry and exit points are currently well marked and
a new piece of track has been cut from the original trackline 50m down to the edge of the first slip.
A tangle of debris needs to be negotiated to get onto the slip proper. Cross and
climb up a bare shingle rib to regain the track. The trail passes through an area of small regenerating
hardwoods to the second slip. This has one quite steep exposed section and care needs to be taken crossing it.
This section can be avoided by climbing and taking an easier line across, higher up the face. After the slips
the sidle continues with numerous ups and downs until the track
begins its descent toward the River. It connects with the riverbed
just upstream of Mark Creek and from here it is around an hour, mostly boulderhopping, to Moonbeam Hut.
Moonbeam
Torrent must be forded prior to the Hut and is
a large, swift creek, generally impassable after heavy rain.
The track up to the Hut starts on the bush edge, a 10 minute boulderhop upriver from Moonbeam Torrent.
It climbs steeply up onto the terrace where the
Hut is located. Allow 4.5-5.5 hours to get from Kiwi Flat to Moonbeam Hut currently.
Type
Moonbeam Hut is a standard
six-bunk NZFS design built in 1971. It is lined and has an open fire, a loo, and water tank.
Condition
The Hut is in good condition currently. It was painted and had
some minor repairs done by DOC in 2003. There is a bit of water getting in around the floor plate
on the left side of the fireplace.
Routes
The track above Moonbeam
to Top Waitaha is cut as far as Chainman Creek and the rest is
river travel. Volunteers recut the tracks to Top Waitaha and County Stream Hut
in 2011.
From Moonbeam the main valley
track follows the river terraces on the
TL of the Waitaha for around 20 minutes. It drops down a steep bank to the
riverbed just before Dorothy Creek and re-enters the bush just after Alexander Creek.
From here it sidles along the bush faces to the County turnoff.
There is a reasonable dry
rock just before this. At the turnoff the Top Waitaha drack drops
down to the River, crosses
the swingbridge and continue up the TR of the valley. There a short section of riverbed
to negotiate ending at a small side creek. The track re-enters the bush 20 metres up the TL of the creek
and climb/ sidles up and around into a second creek with some attractive sculpted
rock in its bed. From here it climb the ridge dividing this creek and Chainman Creek to
around the 900m level where the ridge flattens. The track drops down a bushed rib from here into Chainman Creek,
50m above where it meets the Waitaha.
Cross Chainman and countinue a sdhort distance through a flat area of olearia scrub to the River.
The remainder of the upper Waitaha valley
is hard-going, untracked and
and rough, with numerous large
boulders and dense scrub surrounds.
There is a dry rock 20 metres up
and 20 metres East of the second side creek above Chainmain Creek.
Allow at least three hours to do the river section in good conditions.
After this the Waitaha basin opens out, a large and benign tussock
expanse with a gently flowing River, and an idyllic stroll in comparison
to what preceded it. Allow 7-10 hours currently to get from Moonbeam Hut
to Top Waitaha Hut.
The
County Stream Hut track continues up TL of the Waitaha from the Top Waitaha Turnoff 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 marked
on the Topo map, dropping into
the riverbed at a steep bouldery section opposite O'Reilly Creek. It re-enters the scrub 100m or so and climbs
steeply for 15 minutes before sidling back into the County at an old blown-out side creek around E1424379/ N5220880.
From here it is mostly river travel with steep cascades and large boulders to negotiate. There are two short tracked detours
around on this section. The upper County can be crossed and recrossed pretty much at leisure in winter when flows are low,
speeding progress
considerably. In spring and summer however, snow and glacier melt increases river levels considerably, confining travel the TL.
Fording the County to get to the Hut is not always straightforward either. Snow and ice melt
can influence levels over the day, particularly in warm spring weather. The
track entrance to the Hut is marked with white
permolat crosses on a mountain holly up on the TR bank
directly opposite an old cairn on the TL, 200m downstream from the Bloomfield Creek Confluence.
It may on occasions be easier to ford above the Bloomfield
confluence and someone apparently has cut a track up to the Hut 100m up its TR.
Allow 4-6 hours from Moonbeam Hut to County Hut currently.
There is a great tops route from Moonbeam to County via Clearview Spur that wouldn't
take much longer than the main valley track in good conditions.
The track up the Clearview tops was recut and marked in 2007 and is reportedly still
in good condition. It ascends the terrace behind Moonbeam Hut on
the TR of Moonbeam Torrent and continues up a narrow ridge
beween Moonbeam Torrent and Dorothy Creek. In the alpine scrub zone
the track drops into the head of Dorothy Creek, which is a dry rocky gut by this stage.
The gut provides access through scattered srub to the open tussock faces
below Clearview Spur and it is an easy sidle eastward to
the flat area on the Spur just above point 1690m. There are great views of
Mt Evans and the Red Lion from here.
Access into the County is down the faces
between Canary Creek and the next side creek down. Allow five+ hours from Moonbeam to County Hut using this route.
You can
It is possible to continue up Clearview Spur and drop from
point 1830m into the upper Smyth catchment. This avoids a gnarly bit further along the Range at the head of Bradshaw Creek.
The upper Smyth it is good travel down to a point just beyond the Bradshaw confluence, after which
becomes bouldery and rough. This route would allow more experienced alpinists to get from Moonbeam Hut
to Smyth Hut in a longish day
in good conditions.
There is a reasonably challenging
route to Scamper Torrent
over the Smyth Range via the first side creek on the TL of Moonbeam Torrent (an old
NZFS route guide recommends using the ridge on the TR of the side creek,
but I don't know anyone who tried this).
The top section of the side-creek route involves a bit of a scrub grovel, but eventually
provides access onto the broad North-facing slopes of Mt. Neville,
which are easy travel. There is one steep South-facing section
of of permanent snow on the Smyth Range just above the Kea
Glacier and an ice axe is recommended in case this is icy.
The rest of the Range is good, reasonably fast travel,
with lots of good campsites.
To get down
to Scamper Torrent Hut from Mt. Durward drop/ sidle in a WNW direction
down the flat sloping benches above the two
deeply slotted TR forks of Scamper Torrent. Cross the second fork just above
a small waterfall and from here drop in a NE direction down
a fairly obvious flattish spur on the TR
of the main branch of the Torrent to the Hut.
Repairs needed
Some minor sealing work may be needed to stop moisture getting in around the floorplate and stud on
the left of the fireplace. The Moonbeam, Top Waitaha and County tracks could both do with a some more permolatting
at a few key points which are currently cruise-taped. There is plenty of permolat and nails at Moonbeam to do this.
Please help us out with this task if you are passing through. Please also make use of the loppers provided and help us keep
these trails open.
Provisions on Site
Ample nails
of many sizes, a large supply of permolat, a small hammer, loppers,
an axe, a broom, a shovel, a tommahawk, rasps, flat-files, a
ruler, a bow saw, sandpaper, two camp ovens, six billies, two old F.S. food bins (one contains
leftover food from the trackwork - help yourself), an old F.S. first aid kit, a sleeping mat, an aluminium washbasin, and a
small tube of sealant. There is a wooden ladder under the hut.
