Top Olderog Biv
(Top Olderog Biv looking over the Arahura: Photo Andrew Buglass 2008)
Maintenance Status
Top Olderog is designated as minimal maintenance.
Location
Arahura catchment. Map BV19. Grid Ref: E1464308/ N5257604.
Altitude 1250m. Top Olderog Biv is located on a tussock bench
high above the TR
of Olderog Creek. It was getting one visit
every 3-5 years prior to being profiled on this site, and now gets 3-4 per year.
On my first visit there in
2004 I found blocks of petrified butter in a food drum that were wrapped in
1973 editions of the Hokitika Guardian.
Some 30-year-old Red Rose didn't make a particularly
satisfying brew, not that it ever did even when fresh.
The view from Top Olderog is stunning and
the silence and sense of isolation here is palpable. There are a number of tops routes possible from
the Biv to other remote huts and bivs in the area.
Access
The most direct route to Top Olderog is up an old NZFS track onto Mt.
Kerr from the Hydro Road in the Big Wainihinihi Valley. A gate at the start
of the Road from the Arahura valley is locked most of the time, but it is easy
to mountainbike the section between here and the track start. It may
also be possible to loan a key from Westpower/ Electronet.
The Mt. Kerr track is not officially maintained,
but is in reasonably good condition
thanks to the efforts of volunteers over the past few years. An overgrown section through the alpine
scrub was re-trimmed and remarked in 2008. Some sections lower down still need a bit of tidying and
marking in places. The track starts at a side creek
that comes in on a prominent bend on the Little Wainihinihi Hydro Road, around E1461160/ N5260130.
The creek flows down through
an iron grill into the water race that runs alongside the road.
The track entrance is on the TL creek bank just above the water race intake.
A short steep climb takes you up onto a ridge, which is
is followed all the way to the tussock.
In the tussock zone the track veers hard right and continues up a spur through
a band of alpine scrub to
trig point 1278m. There are tarns and good campsites just below the trig.
From here
it is a relatively straightforward scramble through the tussock up a steep side spur onto Mt. Kerr.
Follow the crest of the Olderog Range from Mt. Kerr
until more or less directly above the Biv.
There
are numerous small ups and downs, but the going is generally pretty easy.
The Biv is sited
around a 100 vertical metres down on the Olderog side and is
visible from the crest of the Range in
fine weather. A rock cairn around E1464410/ N5257820 marks the drop-off point. If it's foggy
a compass bearing of 168 degrees would get you pretty close to
the bench where the Biv is located, but don't overshoot because it's
a long way down into the Olderog.
Allow 5-7 hours travel from the track start to the Biv, 6-8 if
the gate is locked and you have to walk the Hydro road.
Top Olderog can be be accessed from the Arahaura side via Lower Olderog Biv
and the McArthur Crags. From Lower Olderog Biv head up the scree above the Biv clearing
onto the flat ultramafic bench with scattered, stunted scrub overlooking Olderog Creek.
Continue NE to the end of the bench and veer uphill in a NW direction
through patchy scrub, across a gully and onto the SE ridge of the McArthur Crags. Follow the
Crest of the Range from the Crags along to Mt. Kerr. The route from here is
the same as for the Hydro Road route. Allow around four hours
for the journey from Biv to Biv.
Type
Top Olderog was built in 1971 by Tony
Newton and Mario Geremia of the NZFS Hokitika, one of the last bivouacs to be put in by the Service.
It is a high-stud design, slightly
larger than the standard 1960's bivs, and has two
shortish sleeping platforms with mattresses. Two small tarns next to the Biv provide water. There is no toilet.
Condition
The Biv is in reasonably good condition currently. The southern window blown in
at the end of the 1990's and the inner wall linings buckled with all the water that got in.
The window was patched in a rudimentary fashion on two
occasions by the Biv's very infrequent vistors. DOC repainted the Biv in 2004 (the first maintenance since
the NZFS era), but the paint didn't stick.
Some more thorough maintenance was done in 2008, including repainting,
replacing the buckled ply inner lining, replacing the door, putting new louvres in the window,
and tightening the tiedowns.
The Biv is cosy and pretty weatherproof now, although there is still a bit of
moisture getting in at the SW corner under the cooker bench, possibly where the
the iron cladding is wrapped around the front corner. A section has lifted here
and may be letting the rain or snow melt in.
Routes
Newton
Creek Hut, Scottys Biv, and Griffin Creek Hut,
are all accessible from Top Olderog via the tops.
The obvious direct line along the crest of the Olderog Range to Mt. Olson is not recommended as there are
some significant ups and downs, 4-5
vertical pitches, including one very exposed sidle with minimal hand-holds.
The last party attempting this route described it in the hutbook as,
"mildy terrifying." The alternatives are either to drop into the
upper Wainihinihi Basin from the main range above the Biv and climb back onto
the Tara Tama Range just SW of point 1572m via the prominent spur
in the head of the Wainihnihi, or drop into the Olderog via the side creek just upstream from
the Biv. From here continue up Olderog Creek and climb a
steep gut to the saddle between point 1566m and Mt. Olsen. To get to Scottys, traverse around the
head of Newton Creek basin and down to Scottys Saddle. Scottys Biv is a 20 minute amble
down a series of sloping benches and tussock faces from the Saddle.
To get to Griffin Creek Hut
drop from the unnamed saddle 200m South of
Scottys Saddle (there is a cairn at the top of this) and down a steep scree into the unnamed creek catchment below.
There is a waterfall in the alpine scrub zone with a short section of track
around it on the TR. The first bit of this track where it leaves the creek is a tad exposed. Below the fall the
the creek is steep, but reasonable travel. It flattens a short distance before it meets Griffin Creek. The
track crosses the creek just above the Griffin confluence. Head upriver from her for 15 minutes and you're at the Hut.
Griffin Creek could also theoretically be accessed via the upper Wainihinihi, then up and over Mt. Griffin
Newton
Creek Hut is a 4-5 hour journey from Top Olderog Biv. Drop into Olderog Creek and
up onto Mt. Olsen via the route mentioned above.
There is mention of a rock biv
somewhere down in the head of Olderog Creek. Drop from Mt. Olson
down a large open dry creek that enters
Newton Creek at E1467575/ N5256870. Follow Newton Creek down from here, leaving the
riverbed and moving through the scrub where necessary. Further down in the montane zone it is
necessary to climb up into the bush on TR and sidle around a gorgy bit. Travel isn't too bad here
if you find the right line.
At least one party has gone from Top Olderog to Lower Olderog Biv by dropping down
into Olderog Creek and following it down. There are two gorge sections that need negotiating to
reach the base of the ultramafic rock zone. A rock and scrub scramble is required to get
from here up onto the bench above Lower Olderog Biv. The trip took them seven hours.
I tried dropping into the Olderog from the ultramafic bench in 2006 with the intention of
making the trip in the opposite direction from Lower Olderog Biv, but ended
up flagging it because I didn't like the look of the scrub and bluffs below,
or the lower gorge which I couldn't see into properly. As the tops traverse takes only four hours,
the Creek route is probably only of interest to those of a more adventurous nature.
Repairs needed
The iron cladding on the front (SW) corner
needs renailing with longer nails and sealing.
Provisions on site
One billy, one small collapsable shovel, candles,
an aluminium bucket and wash basin, a hand brush and shovel, a spare louvre pane, and a quantity of
small flathead nails.
Under the Biv is the old door, a makeshift ladder, a few bits of tongue and groove and 4x2,
and a coil of No. 8 wire.
