Lake Morgan Hut
(Lake Morgan Hut looking up to the Lake Morgan Tops: Photo Andrew Buglass 2007)
Maintenance Status
Lake Morgan Hut and the
Bryan O'Lynn tops access track from the Haupiri valley will be fully maintained.
Location
Crooked catchment.
Grid Reference:
E1494222/ N5275780.
Map BU21.
1090m altitude.
Lake Morgan Hut is located 140 vertical metres below Lake Morgan
on the TR of the Lake's outlet creek.
The Lake Morgan tops are accessable from a number of points from the Haupiri and Crooked catchments, are generally
easy travel, and liberally sprinkled with tarns and good
campsites.
The current Hut is located slightly below
the site of its predecessor, the remnants of which are still visible by a tarn on the crest
of the range. The new location is harder to find in poor visibility, but certainly more sheltered.
Lake Morgan is a half hour wander from the Hut and is a stunning and serene alpine gem, with plenty
of good camping spots.
Access
Access to lake Morgan Hut is most commonly via the Brian O'Lynn tops track, which starts on
the TL of the Haupiri River just before O'Shanessey
Creek.
Access is via Heaphy Road and permission is required from the Glorivale Christian
Community to cross their land.
There is rough 2WD access to a carpark at O’Shanessy Creek, although numerous small fords
could prevent you getting out if it rained too much.
The Brian O'Lynn track goes up the ridge on the TL of O'Shanessey Creek to the bushline at
the 1000m contour. There are three snow poles above where the track leaves the bush, then it is unmarked for
the section over Brian O'Lynn, point
1251m, and down to two scrubby saddles between the
headwaters of
O'Shanessey and Evans creeks. The snow poles begin again here and lead up over Mt. O'Shanessey and down its SW
spur to the Lake Morgan tops and Hut. It pays to carry a bit of water on this route
as there isn't a great deal until the South side of O'Shanessey.
Allow six hours for the journey, although
some fitter folk will be able to manage it in less.
There is reportedly little remaining of an old track on the spur on the
TR of O'Shanessey Creek. An entry in the Lake Morgan hutbook
about it describes a pretty mean scrub-bash.
Lake Morgan Hut is frequently used on a tops circuit from the Crooked valley to the Haupiri.
Access from Crooked valley is via a tops track
that starts on the TR about 200m downriver from
Top Crooked Hut. It was recut in 2009 and is currently in good condition. The
entrance
is on the edge of a
grassy area just over a small stream running against the bush edge (around E1492748/ N5271293).
The track climbs
steeply all the way from the River to the tops, emerging at some
large, jumbled rocks and a tussock bench, around E1492580/ N5271950.
DOC has placed several markers and
waratahs at the bush line with the highest one at about the 1200m contour. Head from here directly
up the tussock
faces onto the crest of the range. Travel is reasonably flat and easy
along to point
1489m above Lake Morgan. Drop from here to a low point between
it and point 1422m, and then down an obvious rocky gut to Lake Morgan.
Follow the Lake edge around to the TR of the
outlet creek and drop down it past a small set of waterfalls. Cross to a flat bench with
tarns on the TL, from where Lake Morgan Hut is visible in clear conditions. Head
back down into the creek,
cross to the TR again, and sidle around the 1120m contour line to the Hut.
Allow 4-6 hours from Top Crooked
Hut to Lake Morgan Hut.
Type
Lake Morgan is a standard 6-bunk NZFS tops design built
in the 1970's. Ther is no fire or wood stove.
It has mattresses and a roof-fed watertank. There is no toilet.
Condition
Lake Morgan is in very good condition. Some painting and resealing
work was done in the summer of 2003/ 4 by DOC, and a roof fed watertank added in 2008.
Routes
There is a route over to Lake Morgan from Cone Creek Hut in the Haupiri.
A short section of track from the top of the rock slide near Cone Creek Hut to the
bushline has recently been trimmed. Tops travel from
here up and over to Lake Morgan is straightforward in good visibility. Some folk have found
it difficult to locate the start of this track down to Cone Creek when crossing from the Lake Morgan Side.
Allow 3-4 hours
for this route.
There is a lesser used route from Lake Morgan along the tops
on the TR of the Morgan River down to the Crooked road
end. This is usually done as part of a circuit of the Crooked valley. The tops
are pleasant, easy travel with plenty of tarns and good campsites. From Lake Morgan Hut
head up towards Mt. O'Shanessey to around the
1280m contour. Drop off the ridge here and sidle across the screes on O'Shanessey's SW face,
reconnecting with the main range at the low point just before point 1375m.
There is a nice sized tarn just beneath this.
It's easy travel along the range from here to point 1231m at the far end.
From here drop down a NW-running spur to a bench with open tussock patches.
A band of alpine
scrub needs to be crossed, but isn't too bad if you stick to the ridge.
The bench runs in a NE direction to the top of a broad spur on the
TL of a large creek feeding the Evans River.
Follow the open patches on the bench down to around the 1040m contour, then
veer North and bush-bash down the not-too-well defined spur. At around the 820m mark
head NW down the spur's faces to the old Rotomanu Kopara Road. A compass or GPS is
recommended this section. Allow 5-6 hours from Lake Morgan Hut to the Road end.
A few parties have accessed the Lake Morgan tops
via a the spur directly opposite Jacko Flat Hut.
It looks OK on the map, but the reports in the Lake Morgan hutbook
mention an extensive alpine scrub band and bluffs from
the 700-1100m mark, rough travel in other words. It would probably be
quicker carry on up the Crooked valley from Jacko flat and use
the Top Crooked tops track for access.
The Morgan Tops can be also accessed from the head basin of the Crooked
River. Just follow the River up and climb out onto the main range from the basin.
Again, the tops track is probably the quicker option.
Repairs needed
A new toilet would be a good idea.
Provisions on site
There is a heap of timber under the Hut. Provisions inside comprise
an aluminium bucket, a hand basin,
an old NZFS first aid kit, a broom and spare handle, a shovel, 4 billies and a small
camp oven.
