Top Waitaha Hut
(Top Waitaha Hut looking
downriver:
Photo Nicola Noble 2007: Double click to get larger image)
Maintenance Status
Top Waitaha Hut has been designated as minimal
maintenance. The tracked section of the route to it up the Waitaha valley is no longer
officially maintained, but has been recut by volunteers in 2007 and 11.
Location
Waitaha catchment. Map BW18. Grid Ref: E1427288/ N5222410.
Altitude 1060m. Top Waitaha Hut is located
in an expansive tussock basin at the head of the Waitaha
valley, a serene and remote spot that backs on to
the pristine, permanent snowfields,
glaciers and ice plateaux of the Mt. Evans massif.
The alpine meadows and gently flowing river are a huge contrast to
rugged, wild and gorgy river valley that lies below the basin.
Top Waitaha Hut is seldom visited due to its remoteness and the roughness of the lower valley.
Access
DOC ceased maintaining the tracks in the upper
Waitaha valley in the early 90's. From then until 2007 when Permolat volunteers recut and
remarked the tracks visits to Top Waitaha were becoming Increasingly infrequent.
The track from Moonbeam Hut to
Chainman Creek above the Windhover Gorge was recut in 2011. This is as far as it ever
went, the rest being
river travel. From Moonbeam the
track follows the river terraces on the
TL of the Waitaha for around 20 minutes through montane totara, pahautea, rata and kamhai forest.
It drops down a steep bank to the riverbed just before Dorothy Creek and re-enters the bush after Alexander Creek.
From here there is a sidle along the bush faces to a reasonable dry
rock just before the County Stream turnoff.
At the turnoff the the Top Waitaha track drops
directly to the River, crosses
the swingbridge, and continues up the TR of the valley. There is a short section of boulderhopping
ending at a small side creek. The track re-enters the bush 20 metres up the TL of the creek
and climb/ sidles up and around into a second creek catchment with attractive water sculpted
rock walls. From here it ascends the ridge that divides this creek and Chainman Creek.
At around the 900m level the ridge flattens and the track drops down a bushed rib into Chainman Creek,
entering it 50m above where it meets the Waitaha.
It crosses Chainman and cuts through a flat area of olearia scrub to the River.
The remainder of the upper Waitaha valley
to Top
Waitaha Hut is untracked and
and rough, with numerous large
boulders and dense scrub surrounds.
A second dry rock can be found 20 metres up
and 20 metres east of the second side creek above Chainmain Creek.
The long and rough section of river at the lip of the Top Waitaha basin.
This large and benign tussock
expanse with open vistas makes for an idyllic stroll after the preceding
river-bash. Allow 7-10 hours currently to get from Moonbeam Hut
to Top Waitaha Hut.
Type
Top Waitaha is a Standard six-bunk NZFS design. It was probably built in the erly-mid 1960's, a good decade
before the other upper Waitaha Huts. It has no open fire
or woodburner and is unlined. Water is from the river. There is no toilet.
Condition
Top Waitaha Hut was in reasonably good condition at last report.
It was repainted and may have received
some minor repairs
in 2003.
Some water damage under the western window and walls was reported a while back,
possibly from the 2008 winter storms.
Routes
The route from Top Waitaha up to Ivory Lake Hut is reasonably straightforward.
Follow the River flats up to the Reid/ Stag Creek confluence and
climb from here due East up onto
a flat tussock bench on the TL of Stag Creek.
There are numerous small tarns here and it is reasonably pleasant travel.
The bench tapers out as Stag Creek rises to meet it and the Creek is then followed up to where the
Ivory Lake outlet creek cascades
down a rock face from Ivory Lake. The Hut is
on the lip of the cirque above the cliffs, but is not visible from the Creek.
Continue up Stag Creek 100m past the outlet, and
then climb out, following a roughly diagonal line up a series of ledges
onto the bench where the Hut is. Ice axes and crampons may
be necessary on this bit in
winter and spring. There is a less exposed route a bit further up Stag Creek, up
a very small creek that drops down the faces at the eastern end of the Lake. Head up the TL of the
creek to Hut level,
then sidle back towards the Lake. Allow around two hours for the journey from
Top Waitaha Hut to Ivory Lake Hut.
There are a number of reasonably challenging but very satisfying alpine
routes in and out of the Top Waitaha Basin to the Kakapotahi, Mikonui and Whitcombe catchments
which should be attempted by experienced parties only. Apart from late summer and autumn when you can often
get away without them, ice axes and crampons should be
carried on these crossings.
Tuke Hut and the Mikonui valley
can be accessed from Top Waitaha via point 1870m above Ivory Lake.
Head up the Waitaha River from the
Hut and follow Stag Creek up to the Watson Creek confluence. Climb
from here up the face on the TL of Watson Creek onto
the prominent spur that runs east onto point 1870m. The ridge from here to Beaumont is
easy travel with a number of possible routes down into the upper Tuke basin.
Mt. Beaumont has permanent snow on its summit and a small glacial remnant
on its South face.
Access to the Cropp
basin is possible from Mt. Beaumont via the col at point 1898m on Galena Ridge. Sidle from the col NE
to point 1695m, then continue North along the ridge on the TR of the cirque for another 400m.
From here drop down the face between the two
side branches of the upper South branch of the Cropp, and follow the Cropp down into the Basin.
Access to the Whitcombe valley
is down the Cropp Brow and a tops track from Steadman Brow to the Price Flat swingbridge.
This is a fully maintain track, which was
recut
by DOC in 2010. Allow two hours from the scrubline down to the bridge.
There is a route over
Ragged Peak, The Tusk and Dickie Ridge to Dickie
Spur Hut. There are a couple of entries in the Dickie Spur hutbook about a difficult section
of Dickie Ridge around point 1920m. There is at least one pitch that
calls for a reasonable head for heights and an ability to downclimb, but it is not technically difficult.
Take a rope if this description sounds a bit iffy for you. Dickie Ridge from here is a reasonably straightforward,
but long plod down to Dickie Spur Hut. Around the 1200m contour a marker pole indicates the
turn-off down to the Hut. Drop down the side ridge here in a NE direction following the small wooden stakes
with permolat and cruise tape. The Hut is on a tussock bench below the side ridge and
good visibility is necessary to locate it.
There are routes from Top Waitaha out over the Hitchen Range
to the Waitaha roadend and the Kakapotahi valley. Access to the Hitchen Range is
up a side creek that
enters the Waitaha at 235430E/ 5784370N and a saddle at the top of its TR fork.
Some steep exposed sections on the Hitchen Range between
Mt. Allen and Mt. Hitchin can be avoided by dropping from Ridland Saddle down the ridge on the TR of
the upper TR fork of Isobel Creek. Climb back onto the Range from the
confluence of the upper TR and TL forks of Isobel Creek to the col between points
1385m and 1585m. Continue along the crest of the Range from here to Mt. Allen.
An old NZFS track up to Mt.
Allen from the lower Waitaha valley no longer exists in useable form,
but access off the tops is possible
down Robinson Slip and MacGregor Creek. The very top of the slip is steep and unsafe
and shouldn't be attempted.
A route up the slip suggested by
Danilo Hegg in 2008 may be worth using to get down. This is via the second creek on the TR
before the main slip, which is accessed down the western spur of Mt. Allen.
Access from the top of Swandri
Spur down Slip Creek to Polluck Creek Hut
in the Kakapotahi is described in the old NZFS route guides. No
information is available cuurently as to whether this route is still viable. Dropping down
Swandri Spur itself is not recommended. The one party I know of that attempted this route
had a long and unpleasant scrub-bash.
There is are high-level routes
from Top Waitaha to County Stream Hut
via the Bloomfield Range. The easiest access is up an open side creek
that flows into the Waitaha
opposite Dropp Off Creek. Some old Forest Service guides recommend
dropping of Bloomfield down O'Reillys Creek, but this leaves you
a considerable downriver from County Hut.
A more direct approach if conditions permit would be
over the summit
Bloomfield and down the steep rib between the two
forks of Bloomfield Creek. The drop-off point is
just North of the saddle between Bloomfield
and Artist Dome.
Access onto Bloomfield is also possible from the spur
West of Reid Creek. Ice axes may be required for the section of ridge just
South of the summit of Bloomfield.
A side trip to Reid Lake from Top Waiatah is recommended if you have the time.
There is an awesome
slot gorge just below the Lake that can be
negotiated by terrace-hopping on the TR.
Repairs needed
Some sealing is possibly required around the windows and on the West side of the Hut.
Provisions on Site:
Billies and one pair of downhill skis.
