Huts

 

Lake Morgan Hut

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 track providing access 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 a spur on the TR of the outlet creek. The Lake Morgan tops feed the Morgan, Crooked and Haupiri river catchments are generally easy travel, liberally sprinkled with tarns and good campsites, and accessable from a number of points. The Hut has been placed slightly below the original hut site (the remains still visible), which was on the crest of the range next to a tarn. The new Hut would be more difficult to locate in poor visibility, but is certainly more sheltered. Lake Morgan, a stunning and serene alpine gem with plenty of good camping spots, is a half-hour climb up from the Hut.

Access

The Brian O'Lynn tops track starts on the TL of the Haupiri River just before O'Shanessey Creek. Access from the North bank requires a ford of the Haupiri River. For those approaching from Heaphy Road on the South bank, permission is required from the Glorivale Christian Community to cross their land. The tops track climbs around 1000m in altitude through beech forest onto Brian O'Lynn. From here continue along the main ridge to spot height 1251m, then in a SE direction down to a couple of scrubby saddles between the headwaters of O'Shanessey and Evans creeks. Traverse Mt. O'Shanessey, dropping 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 up there. Allow 6+ hours for the journey, although some folk clearly manage manage it in less.

There is reportedly very little remaining of an old track on the spur on the TR of O'Shanessey Creek. The route is described in the Lake Morgan hutbook as a pretty mean scrub-bash.

Access from Crooked valley is via a tops track on the TR starting about 200m downstream from Top Crooked Hut. It was recut in 2009 and its entrance can be found around E1492748/ N5271293 on the edge of a grassy area just over a small stream running against the bush edge. The track climbs steeply all the way to the tops, emerging in a patch of large, jumbled rocks bordering a tussock bench. The top entrance is cairned and the cairns continue along the bench in a NE direction, gradually petering out. From here climb the tussock faces directly up onto the main range. The crest of the range is reasonably flat, easy going along to spot height 1489m above Lake Morgan. Drop down the NW ridge of this peak to the low point between it and spot height 1422m. An obvious rocky gut leads from here down to Lake Morgan. Follow the Lake edge around and drop down the TR of the outlet creek past a small set of waterfalls, then cross to a flat bench with tarns on the TL. Lake Morgan Hut is visible from here 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 (no fire or wood stove) built in the 1970's. 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 and a roof fed watertank was installed in 2008.

Routes

There is a route to Lake Morgan from Cone Creek Hut in the Haupiri. A tops track leads from Cone Creek Hut into the head basin of the first side creek down from the Hut. It emerges at its top end on the bush edge in the vicinity of where the creek forks. 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 when dropping over from the Lake Morgan Side. Allow 3-4 hours for this route.

A relatively popular route out from Lake Morgan is via the tops on the TR of the Morgan River down to the Crooked road end. This is often 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. At around the 1280m mark drop off the ridge and sidle across O'Shanessey's SW face, across a scree, and back up onto the main range between O'Shanessey and spot height 1375m (there is a nice sized tarn just beneath the low point in the ridge).

It's easy travel along the range to spot height 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.

 

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