Scamper Torrent Hut

(Scamper Torrent Hut: Photo Andrew Buglass 2005)

Maintenance Status

The Scamper Torrent Hut and track are designated as fully maintain.

Location

Waitaha catchment: Grid Ref: E1416408/ N5219654. Map BW17. Altitude 975m. Scamper Torrent Hut is a great spot, accessible in a day from the Waitaha roadend by a reasonably fit party. The Hut is located in the tussock basin of Scamper Torrent on the Smyth Range. The Torrent tumbles from the basin over waterfalls and through a steep-sided gorge into the Whirling Water, which flows into the Waitaha River at Kiwi Flat. Scamper Torrent Hut has always been fairly low-use, with visits picking up somewhat since was profiled in Wilderness Magazine and on this website. It currently gets from 6-12 visits per year.

Access

The most direct and easy access to Scamper Torrent is via a tops track from Kiwi Flat in the Waitaha. Head down the Flat from Kiwi Flat Hut for 15 minutes to Labyrinth Creek. The Scamper track entrance is 75m up Labyrinth Creek on the TR and is overgrown currently. A cruise-taped DOC stoatline enters the bush a bit lower down the Creek and connects with the track proper a bit further up. The track itself is becoming overgrown, particularly at the bottom end. It climbs steeply from the Creek, flattens, and follows a sloping terrace towards the steeper faces of the Smyth Range. Areas of windthrow on this section from the 2008 storms may slow progress here. From the terrace the track climbs steeply, becoming easier to follow once it gets onto a more well-defined side ridge. The trail has had the odd bit of trimming and cruise-taping work done by various folk over the years, the most recent in February of this year.

At the tussock line the ridge connects with the broad spur bounding the TL of Scamper Torrent basin. Snow poles lead from here down towards the Torrent and the Hut is visible from just below the crest of the spur. Permolat, cruise-tape and the odd snow-pole mark a rough trail through an alpine scrub band to the Torrent. Follow the creek up for another 10-15 minutes. The Hut is on a tussock terrace on the TL, 30 vertical metres above the Creek. Allow 3 hours from Kiwi Flat Hut to Scamper Torrent Hut, or 6-8 hours from the Waitaha roadend.

Type

Scamper is a standard four-bunk NZFS tops design, built in 1971 at a cost of around $1600. It is lined and has the original kero cooker and stove. There is no Kero in the Hut currently. A roof-fed watertank was added in 2001. There is no toilet.

Condition

Scamper is in good condition currently. It was repainted and had a water tank added by a DOC volunteer party in 2001. This was financed by a high-country philanthropist who wanted to preserve the Hut, following a considerable period of zero maintenance. The tank was placed on the end of a pre-existing bench/ seat at the front of the Hut, and droops slightly over the end. It'll be interesting to see if it holds up over time. Scamper was re-designated as fully maintain in 2004. The plywood lining under the end window is buckling in places where moisture has been getting in, and the guy wires are slack and need tightening (although the Hut is in a reasonably sheltered site).

Routes

There is a tops routes into Scamper Torrent from the Wanganui valley. via the Tarpot Creek tops track and Karnback. It starts up the valley access road, 400m from State Highway 6. Head up Tarpot Creek taking the TR branch each time it forks. The track entrance is marked next to a small moss covered slip on the TR in the head of the Creek, where it begins to peter out. The track climbs, then sidles across a bush face to a side ridge that joins with a main ridge leading up onto Karnback. The ridge is steep and the track is overgrowing in places. Someone had trimmed it in places back in 2005 but the work wasn't consistent. A waratah with cruise tape stands on the crest of Karnback just above where the track emerges. The top 20 metres from Karnback down to the first permolat marker on the track was cruise taped in 2005.

Continue up Karnback through a band of alpine scrub with scattered tussock patches. Scrub bashing can be kept to a minimum here by picking the right route. Following this a short climb takes you out onto some sloping tussock benches on the Amethyst Ravine side of Karnback. Sidle on this side under Mt. Ashmore rejoining the main ridge above a steep drop down to the saddle (1199m) at the head of the Amethyst. Climb from the saddle on the Amethyst side of spot height 1453m, traverse points 1411m and 1502m, and drop down onto the the broad spur on the TL of Scamper Torrent basin. There are several routes down into the basin from this spur. Don't drop from directly above the Hut however, as there is a significant band of scub at this point.

Another route from the Wanganui is via the Bryan Hill track behind the old Amethyst powerhouse. This provides access to Terra Quinn, which has some big tarns and good campsites, and Carl's Ridge. Some of the Hari Hari locals have reportedly trimmed this track in recent years. The most recent bit of information in the Scamper hutbook was from 2005, at which time the track was still OK. Carl's Ridge connects with the Smyth Range West of Mt. Durward. There are some steep sections of ridge on the slopes of Smyth Range that one party found too difficult. Another that made the crossing described the route as, "interesting."

To get down to Scamper Torrent Hut from Mt. Durward, drop/ sidle in a WNW direction down the flat sloping benches above the two quite deeply slotted TR upper forks of Scamper Torrent. Once past these, drop down a fairly obvious flattish face on the TR of the main branch of the Torrent to just opposite the Hut. There are a few snow poles lower down on this route.

A side-track drops from the Terra Quinn track into the upper Amethyst basin. It is possible to follow the Amethyst into its headwaters and cross over to Scamper Torrent from here.

The Smyth Range can be traversed from Scamper Torrent to Kiwi Flat Hut via Headlong Spur, Moonbeam Hut, County Stream Hut, and beyond. To gain access to the Range, cross Scamper Torrent and head up the face directly opposite the Hut. Two snow poles and a bit of permolat lead onto the ridge between the TL and middle upper branches of Scamper Torrent. Continue up the ridge to just above a small waterfall, cross the middle branch here, and head up the ridge on its TR over a series of smooth rock ledges. Head from here up a prominent snow gully running diagonally under Mt. Durward. Once past Durward the Smyth Range is easy going for some distance with good campsites. There is permanent snow and some small glacial remnants on the approaches to Mts. Neville and Barry and ice axes may be necessary at specific times of the year.

A route leads from the Attic down Headlong Spur and back to Kiwi Flat Hut. The track down the Spur is designated as fully maintain, but is currently overgrown and can be challenging to stay on, particularly on the lower bush faces. Allow 3 days for the Scamper - Kiwi circuit, including a night bivouacing at the top of Headlong Spur.

It is possible to access Moonbeam Hut from the Headlong Spur tops by dropping down into the TR fork of the first main side creek on the TL of Moonbeam Torrent. This is a rough route and care needs to be taken. Another way to get to Moonbeam is via Mts. Neville and Barry, and Clearview Spur. There is one steep exposed section that requires down-climbing between points 1945m and 1690m. Below this it is easy going. The Clearview Spur track was recut by Permolat in 2007, and although there is likely to be some windthrow from the the 2008 storms, it should be in pretty good shape in general.

Accessing County Stream Hut also requires dropping down Clearview Spur to point 1690m. Drop into the County via the creek just below this point. It is good travel down the creek itself, with a narrow band of scrub at the bottom where it meets the County.

It is possible to drop into the Smyth River from the saddle NE of Mt. Barry.

It is possible, although not much fun, to drop from the Smyth Range to Mirage Knob and then down an old tops track to Hunters Hut in the Wanganui. The track is non-existant in it's upper section and a difficult scrub-bash is required to get down to where the ridge is more defined. Below this the track is followable in places, but vanishes again near the bottom. The original entrance is right behing the cableway on the TR of the Wanganui. I wouldn't recommend this route for uphill access, and there is no water until the flat section of ridge at 1500m is reached.

Repairs

A proper watertank stand needs to be constructed and tap on the watertank replaced. The leak at the end of the Hut needs to be checked out during heavy rain, and sealed if necessary. A toilet wouldn't be a bad idea.

Provisions on Site

A few odds and ends of timber under the Hut along with three home made ladders, a large coil of swingbridge grade wire rope, and two waratahs. Inside there is a kero cooker and stove (no kero), a tin rubbish bin, an aluminium wash basin, one large billy, a shovel, a slasher (with spare handle), a broom, a metal bucket, an NZFS First Aid Box (reasonably replete), assorted tins of paint including a full large tin of Hut-coloured enamel, 1/2 a dozen medium sized u-bolts, a box of nails (assorted), a roll of permolat, an old oven attachment for the kero cooker, a flat file, 1/3 tube of sealant, a roll of denzo tape (for covering and protecting the turnbuckles on the stay wires), sugar soap, and a spare louvre pane.