Sir Robert Hut
(Sir Robert Hut: Photo Andrew Buglass 2010)
Maintenance Status
Sir Robert Hut is designated as
minimal maintenance, while the Homeward
Ridge track that provides access from the Mungo valley is probably non-maintain again.
Location
Hokitika catchment. Map BV19. Grid Ref: E1449755/ N5231014.
Altitude 955m. Sir Robert Hut is a high-country jewel set in a spectacular, rough, and remote
section of the Main Divide. It is located on the TL of Sir Robert Creek, a major tributary of the Mungo River.
The lower sections of the Creek are gorged and impassable and access to the Hut
is via the tops.
Sir Robert is a very low-use Hut and gaps of 2-3 years between visits are not uncommon.
The last entry in the hutbook when we visited in October 2010 was in March 2008. The Hut averaged 1.5 parties per
year between 2000 and 2010. There were no visits in 2001, while 2002 was busy year with three visits.
High-level cols at the head of the Creek provide
access to the North Mathias
River in Main Divide North of the Hut are seldom climbed. Roger Chester, John Pascoe and
Allan Willis made 11 first ascents along this stretch on one day back in 1930.
Access
Sir Robert Hut is usually accessed from the Hokitika and Toaroha roadend when coming from the West Coast
side, both requiring two days travel. The Homeward Ridge track starts at the swingbridge around 20 minutes
upriver from Poet Hut in the Mungo valley.
There are patches of windthrow on the first terrace that need skirting,
but the rest of the track
up the Ridge is in good shape at last report. It's a long uphill trudge to the 1440m
contour line (around 1449130E/ 5231595N) where the drop-off point is.
Access is down a steep side-spur that drops East off the Ridge.
towards Sir Robert Creek. Ice axes and possibly crampons may be necessary during winter
and early spring to get down this bit. Around the 1250m mark the
side-spur flattens briefly and a gut directly below this provides access down
towrds a main tributary
of Sir Robert Creek. The gut becomes a small creek which passes through a band of
mountain ribbonwood and
over a small bluff
into the main side creek. The bluff is downclimbed via the creekbed.
Once in the main side creek it is 200 or so metres down to Sir Robert Creek. From here
head up the TL of Sir Robert for around 300m to the Hut. The entrance of the track up to the Hut
is cairned and cruise-taped.
Allow 5+ hours to Sir Robert Hut from Poet Hut.
Sir Robert is accessed from the Hokitika/ Whitcombe roadend via Frew Saddle and the upper Hokitika Basin.
A poled
route leads from Frew Saddle Biv over and down into the Hokitka basin.
Follow the basin down to Steadman Creek and climb out up the ridge on the TR of Steadman Creek.
The route up the ridge is marked as "poled" on the topo map, but DOC recently removed the poles.
Access up onto Homeward Ridge is straightforward and the drop-off point into Sir Robert Creek
is the same as for the Poet route. Dropping directly down into the Creek
from Steadman Saddle is not recommended as it's very steep and unstable at the top.
Allow 4-5 hours from Frew Saddle Biv, or two days from the Hokitika roadend.
When accessing Sir Robert from Bluff Hut it's not necessary to go all the way up to
Steadman Creek in order to get up onto Homeward Ridge. Cross the Hokitika where the track hits the riverbed
downstream of Tub Creek.
Head up Tub Creek taking the larger and easier looking TR fork. Follow this up onto Homeward Ridge.
The drop-off is the same as the Poet route. Allow around four hours for the
crossing from Bluff to Sir Robert Hut.
Type
Sir Robert is a standard four-bunk NZFS tops hut built in the mid-60's. It was lined
in the early 80's and a loo was built. Water is from the Creek. There is no open fire
or wood burner.
Condition
Sir Robert Hut is in very good condition. It had its exterior repainted and resealed
and some minor repair work done in the
Summer of 2003/4. Some water is getting in at end just under the bench table and
the floorboards are damp. There is some buckling in the wall lining here, and
a bit at the top of the wall in the NW corner. The piles seem to be leaning slightly towards the river, however the floor
is still level and sound. The paint is flaking in a few places on the outside end wall, and the end window sill and frame.
Routes
A colleague used an alternative and more direct route from Poet to Sir Robert in
the mid-80's. It involved drop from the 940m contour on Homeward Ridge
(around 1449957E/ 5232801N),
down a steep scree and gut into Sir Robert Creek, and following the Creek up to the Hut.
If still OK (there is no recent information) this would be a dry-weather
route, and involve getting around some rough stretches in the mid section of the Creek.
It might offer an alternative if the tops route was clagged or unsafe due to snow and ice.
Sir Robert can be accessed over the Main Divide from Canterbury
via the Mathias River and Canyon Creek. A gorge in the lower part of Canyon Creek can be walked up
when it is at low flows. The alternative to this is to ascend the NE ridge of Monarch Hill from the Mathias/
Canyon Creek confluence onto
a flat bench at the 1500m mark. Drop back into Canyon Creek down the side creek here.
The old bench track on the TL of Canyon Creek has fallen away in places and the best route currently is
along the tussock benches on the TR. Cross over into Sir Robert Creek via
col 1905m between Gerard Peak and point 1964m. This can be accessed from the
the top basin of Canyon Creek by climbing up to a second col between
point 1964m and Mt. Treager. Sidle North
from here around the West face of point 1964m. This is a relatively easy
alpine route, but may require ice axes and possibly crampons, depending on snow conditions.
There is a high-level route from Sir Robert to Mungo Hut
via Brunswick Ridge that involves heading down Sir Robert
Creek and going up the first big side creek
on the TR. Ascend the large scree that comes in on the TR of this
creek at E1451202/ N5231174, and up a small, steep side-scree on the TL to a dip in
Brunswick Ridge
below Kai Iwi, around E1451900/ N5231240. The top of the side-scree is
very steep and the main scree is active with
rock falls, so take care.
Travel down Brunswick Ridge is straightforward and Brunswick Creek is accessed
down a prominent NE side-spur that enters the Creek around E1452882/ N5232300.
The Brunswick is fair-sized stream and swift lower down and it may be easier to ford in its middle reaches
and travel
down the TR. Boulderhop down to the Mungo and head up the TL for around 10 minutes. Ford to the TR and head up
Past the Park confluence. The track entrance for Mungo Hut is 100m further up the Mungo. A steep 15 minute climb
takes you up to the Hut. Allow
around six hours for the journey from Sir Robert Hut to Mungo Hut.
Repairs needed
The outside end wall, window sill and frame need repainting. Some leak sealing work is needed down at the
end of the Hut. A rainy day is probably neccessary to locate where the water is coming in.
A flat file is needed to sharpen the slasher.
Provisions on Site
Under the Hut there are assorted bits of timber including some tongue and groove, some small sheets of flat iron,
a sheet of corrugated iron, a wooden ladder, and a small roll of barbed wire. Inside is a bench seat, four
mattresses, a hearth broom and shovel, an original NZFS issue straw broom, a normal broom, two shovels, two axes, a very blunt
slasher, a camp oven (no lid), a plastic wash basin, four spare glass louvre panes, 10 perspex panes, and a roll of tar paper.
There is an an interesting collection of old magazines in the Hut library including
Time (early 1970's), Outdoor (early 1970's), and
British Women's Own (1964-66 editions).
