Newton Biv
(Newton Biv looking along the tops to Mt. Newton: Photo Rob Owen 2005)
Maintenance Status
Newton Biv has been designated as minimal maintenance.
There are no officially maintained routes to the Biv, however the top portion of an
old NZFS track from the Styx valley has been
opened up by volunteers at its top end and can be accessed up a side-creek
on the TL of the ridge.
Location
The Newton Range between the Arahura and Styx catchments. Map BV19. Grid Ref: E1458757/ N5251170. Altitude 1155m.
Newton Biv is incorrectly marked on the Topo Map 300m West of its actual location.
It is nestled against a sloping tussock bank at the edge of a flat peaty area on the crest of
the Range with expansive views of the Alps and coastal plains. It
is an exquisitely tranquil setting. A number of small, deep tarns
provide water, and there are 3-4 metre deep subsidences in the peat
elsewhere. A small
troop of weka provide entertaiment and a rubbish dispersal service. The Biv
has historically had very low levels of use
despite being accessible in a day from the Styx
roadend. Before being profiled
on the site gaps of 2-3 years between visits were common.
In 2008 there were 18 visits, mostly hunters, and in 2009
eight visits.
Access
The most direct route up to Newton Biv is from the Styx valley
up a large side creek
situated 1/2 an hour below Grassy Flat. The Styx River is running deep and fast next
to the cliff face at the roadend, which for the time being,
makes the Styx track only a fine weather option for most people.
The Grassy Flat track crosses the access creek at E1458968/ N5249853,
or between stoat traps 87 and 88.
The creek is steep and actively eroding in a number
of places, but provides rapid access to the top portion of an old
NZFS track on the ridge on the TR of the catchment. The lower part of the
track has been unmaintained for 35 years and is unfollowable.
The top section was recut in 2010 by volunteers and is currently in good condition.
It provides access through the
alpine scrub to the tussock.
Follow the creek up from where the Grassy Flat track crosses it. Take
the TR fork 400m upstream and continue up a
steep section with eroding sides and small cataracts, usually fairly easy
to scramble around.
The creek forks again at the top of the steep section and the TL branch
followed another 10-15 minutes. Cairns and permolat on the TR mark
the exit point from the creek and a route up and around into a recently blown-out
side gut. Head directly up the gut to a large area of slippage in the head of the creek.
A permolat cross marks the connecting point
with the old tops track, which climbs steeply up onto the ridge and follows it up through the
scrub to the tussock.
From the top entrance of the track
climb/ sidle in a NE direction
onto the crest of the Range and amble East along the Range to the
peaty bench with tarns where the Biv is located. It is tucked in
against the bank at the western
edge of the flat area, and is easy to miss if the clag is down.
Allow 4-5 hours to reach Newton Biv from the Styx roadend.
Type
Newton Biv is a standard
two-person NZFS 1960's design. It has two wooden sleeping benches
(with one small thin mattress) and a low cooking bench. Use the tarn close to the Biv for water and
the more distant ones for washing or swimming.
There is no toilet.
Condition
The Biv was repiled and had its joists, bearers, and some of its framing,
and floor replaced by DOC in 2004.
The exterior was painted and resealed at the same time, but rain
set in while this was being done and the paint hasn't stuck in places.
The roof and wall cladding
has rust patches already showing through. The roofing
iron has been nailed in the troughs of the corrugations in some places
and there is some leakage through these.
Some sealing was done on the roof in 2008, but it would benefit from being
properly renailed.
There are gaps between the roof and top plates that let the draught in, and possibly water during
more extreme weather.
The top plate at the NE end of the Biv is rotten and needs replacing, as do some of the
rafters and purlins. The paint has flaked off of the
window frame and sill, and the brackets holding the glass louvres in place are rusting.
Routes
East of the Biv the Newton Range dips into the alpine
scrub zone just past point 1190m. There are several small ups and downs through
scrub and tussock before the Range rises back to open tussock. There is a flat bench just past this point
with two large tarns.
A rough route through the scrub section
takes around 1.5 hours to negotiate and another 1.5-2 hours from
the tarns to the top of
Mt. Newton.
An old and very overgrown tops track
starts 100m downriver from Lower Arahura Hut and leads up onto
the crest of Newton Range just above the tarns. It is OK in a few places
lower down, but gets increasingly overgrown as it climbs,
vanishing completely in
the alpine scrub. This last bit to the tussock is
a difficult, unpleasant scrub-bash. From the crest of the Range
drop down to the bench with tarns and
continue West to the Biv. Allow 8-9 hours from Lower
Arahura Hut to Newton Biv,
or 5-6 hours if going in the other direction. A cairn
around E1461828/ N5251973 marks the point where the track would
have emerged in its better days, but there is no tangible
evidence of it for at least 100 vertical metres, and
no defined ridge for 2-300 vertical metres. Locating the track
when heading downhill could be difficult.
It is possible to access Mudflats Hut from Newton Biv via Mt. Newton and
Visitors Creek. There are some nice
tarns and camping spots in the top basin of Visitors Creek, and below this
a waterfall and a vertical-sided gorge. To get around the gorge drop
from the TL lip of the basin down the TL of a steep gut. This has a small waterfall
near its top and flows into Visitors Creek at the bottom
of the gorge. From here down the going is steep, rough and slippery. You need to
wade down the middle of the Creek in places, so plan on getting a wet backside.
There may be easier routes off Mt. Newton via one of the side creeks
upstream from Mudflats, but this still needs checking out. Allow 6-7 hours for
this journey from Newton Biv to Mudflats Hut.
It is possible to traverse the Newton Range West of the Biv to Mt. Brown Hut,
although this isn't straightforward or easy. The first portion of the traverse to
point 1240m is fine with open tussock travel with some interesting outcrops of ultramafic rock.
Between point 1240m and Mt. Brown the Range drops steeply down into
the alpine scrub zone. The alpine scrub is thick in places and gravity, a blessing on the downhill bits, is
not always sufficient to keep the momentum. From the low point just East of point 1154m
a rough trail of sorts leads through the scrubby bits the open tussock on Mt. Brown, with plenty
of ups and downs to keep the perspiration flowing.
Allow 4-5 hours for the journey from Newton Biv to Mt. Brown Hut or 8-9 hours to the Geologist Creek or
Styx roadends.
Repairs needed
The roofing
iron needs to be renailed on the ridges of the corrugations and the holes in the
hollows sealed.
Replacement of rotten portions of top plates, rafters and purlins is needed. Additional
spacers could be inserted in the
gaps between the top plate and roof to stop the draught and provide
something extra to nail the roofing iron to. The Biv needs repainting and
probably a new louvre frame in the medium term. A small tube of sealant
has been left in the Biv. Please use it on any noticeable leaks.
Provisions on site
The ubiquitous DOC hand shovel and brush, one small frypan, a shovel and a small hand saw.
