Top Trent (Lagoon) Hut
(Top Trent Hut: Photo Andrew Buglass 2011: Double click to get larger image)
Maintenance Status
Top Trent Hut is desinated as minimal maintenance.
The tracked and poled sections of the route to it from the Haupiri River over Trent Saddle are to be
maintained. Aside from a short piece down to the River, the section of the Trent valley
between Top and Mid Trent Huts is untracked.
Location
Ahaura Catchment. Grid Ref: NZTM2000 E1504410/ N5271863. Topo Map BU21. Altitude 865m.
Top Trent Hut is located in the headwaters of the Trent River, a tributary of the Ahaura River.
It is on the TR of the valley just above a large shallow
tarn, no doubt the Lagoon from which Hut derives its name.
Kiwi can be heard calling around the tarn on dark and there is a
fair bit of deer sign in the locality, and chamois on the tops. The surrounds are montane forest
with a lot of big old broadleafs, mountain holly, pink pine and pahautea (mountain cedar). There is one
small remnant beech stand just above the western end of the tarn. The hutbook goes
back to 1992, averaging around three entries per year. This represents a ratio of one fly-in for every two foot parties.
We were the first entry for the year when we visited in October 2011.
Access
Top Trent Hut is most commonly accessed via the Haupiri River and Trent Saddle.
Access to the Haupiri roadend is via Heaphy Road and permission is required to cross
Gloriavale Christian Community land to get to it.
A fairly rough road with numerous small fords provides 2WD access to
the carpark at O’Shanessy Flat. A good 4WD would get you another kilometre upvalley.
Continue upriver from the end of the old 4WD track crossing and recrossing
where convenient. There is plenty of easy walking on grassy flats and a few short sections of boulderhopping to
the Cone Creek confluence. There is a concreted-in hot pool 50m up the Haupiri track from
the confluence. The track continues up the TL of the Haupiri
to Elizabeth Hut taking around three hours from O'Shannesy Flat.
From Elizabeth
Hut the track crosses the TR branch of the
Haupiri and climb/ sidles up into the head of the TL branch.
It is well-marked, but is overgrowing in places with
some testing patches of windthrow below and above
the sidecreek with the waterfall (E1500859/ N5272527).
The track crosses to the TL of the Haupiri in the sub-alpine zone. Snow-poles and cairns mark the tussock and scrub
sections up and over the Saddle. The route follows the TL of the Trent in its upper basin,
climbs up around two little gorgy sections (cut and poled through alpine scrub),
then drops back into the River. It crosses to the TR at E1503658 N5271675
and continue for a kilometre of montane forest to the tarn and Hut.
Allow three hours from Elizabeth Hut to Top Trent Hut.
Top Trent Hut can also be accessed from Mid Trent Hut directly up the Trent River gorge.
This is an untracked (apart from the short section up from the river to the Hut), fine-weather only route.
It is an enjoyable trip that involves at least fifty river crossings
and river edge wading through a series of tight little gorges.
From the Waikiti Downs parking area to Tutaekuri Junction allow 2.5 hours, from Tutaekuri
junction to Mid Trent three hours, and 4-5 hours from Mid to Top Trent.
There is space for a helicopter to land near the big tarn.
Type
Top Trent an NZFS four-bunk design with open fire built in 1960. The fireplace
and chimney removed at some point, while the locker and firewood spaces remain unmodified. The bunks are wire netting on
wooden frames. The Hut is lined and there is a narrow sky light. There is no toilet. Water is from a small creek
30m up the Mt. Dixon tops track. The Hut has an interesting sign
on its outside wall, loosely plaguarised from Dante's Inferno.
Condition
DOC repainted the Hut inside and out in 2003 and dug a drain across the grass
area in front of the door. They also look to have
put some bracing in between the piles and bearers, and replaced one pile with a block. The floor plates
have been removed on both sides of the door, and the western door stud
(rotten) is braced ineffectually with a bit of 4x2 where it meets the floor,
held in place only by the iron wall
cladding currently. There is bubbling in places in the roof and wall lining indicating possible leaks.
Three piles in the NE corner are leaning downhill a bit,
however the Hut floor was reasonably level, dry, and firm in 2011.
Routes
There is an old NZFS track onto the Mt. Dixon tops that starts at the door of the Hut.
It was recut and marked by permolat people in 2011 and provides very quick access to the tussock.
The track sidles across the terrace initially to connect with the spur
that bounds the first side creek downsteam. It follows the spur up, emerging in some open areas around 1140m contour,
and here it flattens a bit.
There are three snow stakes and a few small tarns on this section and above this an 100 vertical metre band of low alpine scrub.
The track peters out shortly after the third snow stake, but the scrub is reasonably easy to push through, with
open tussock patches.
Once in open country travel is very easy and straightforward up onto the crest of the range.
Several routes exist into the head of the Trent from the Taramakau Valley.
Frank King describes a relatively easy access route to the tops via the spur on the upriver side of
Dixon Creek. A fairly well-defined deer trail leads all the way to the open tops opposite the No. 4 Hut.
From the tops you can easily walk over points 1585m and 1600m and down the tops track to the Hut, or traverse along
to Trent Saddle. Frank says most of reasonably defined leading spurs in this area are worth checking out as routes.
There is a high saddle over into the Waikiti at the head of the large side creek 800m
upriver from Top Trent on the TL. The lower and mid portion of the creek contains three
respectable waterfalls, which can be avoided by climbing up the tussock faces on the TL.
No information is available currently about what travel is like in the upper Waikiti, or how long it would take to
get down to Waikiti Hut.
Repairs needed
The most immediate repairs required are around the door. The eastern door stud
needs replacing and floor plates put back on both sides of the door. The three leaning piles will need replacing
in the longer term. There are three new, treated, but short, pile blocks under the Hut that would possibly serve the purpose.
More sealing or leak prevention work may be needed, but obviously someone needs to be there in a good rainstorm to find out
if, or where it's coming in. A toilet would be a good addition.
Provisions On Site
Four foam mattresses, two wooden stools, a galvanised bucket, a plastic wash basin,
an aluminium wash basin, two candle holders, a broom, a shovel, a hearth brush and shovel, a small table, a fixed bench,
a supply of black polythene, an aluminium camp oven, a biscuit tin of nails, a first aid kit, an egg beater, two frypans,
three billies with lids, a tin opener, and an egg slice.
There are three, short, square, treated piles under the Hut, and a wooden ladder.
