Rocky Creek Biv
NZFS builders Warren Keely, Tony Newton and Mario Gerimia.
Maintenance Status
Rocky Creek Biv is designated as minimal maintenance by DOC. In December 2022 Ollie Clifton of the Back Country Trust and a Kaimahi for Nature crew did a major overhaul on the Biv. The access tracks to Rocky Creek from the Taipo valley and Griffin Creek have been kept open by volunteers. Peter Umbers of Christchurch is the latest in a series of community people who have taken an interest in doing this. He's been busy over 2022 and 23 doing bits and pieces on it. Eigill Wahlberg who is doing predator work for DOC wants to recut some of the old NZFS bush detours that will double as a predator line as well as track.
Location
Taipo catchment. Grid Ref: E1469915/ N5261720 (BV20 699 617). Map BV20. Altitude 615m. Rocky Creek Biv is located on the TR of Rocky Creek in the Taipo River catchment. The bush surrounds are rata-kamahi forest and there is pleasant remote ambience here. Rocky Creek Biv has historically been low use, with numbers dwindling to a trickle during the 1980's and 90's due to deteriorating tracks and a lack of good route information. Visits have increased since the tracks were fixed up and the Biv profiled on this website. A lot of the folk visiting the Biv are doing a two-day Rocky Creek - Griffin Creek circuit, exiting from the Griffin via the Harrington Creek track to SH73 (or vice versa).
Access
The Rocky Creek track from the Taipo roadend wasn't maintained after DOC took over from the NZFS in 1987. For many years Frank King and Honora Renwick of Christchurch kept the route open. Eigill Wahlberg of Hokitika took an interest at some point and reinstated some of the bypass tracks in the creek bed and cleared windfall on the track across the terrace from the Taipo. Peter Umbers and friends began doing some work on the tracked sections in January 2022 and this continued into this year. The route commences at the Taipo bridge on SH73 and follows the TL of the Taipo. A cut track starts at the top end of a grassy terrace and leads to the first side-creek. The terrace track starts on the TR of the creek and climbs steeply before levelling and sidling up the valley and into the Rocky Creek catchment. The track enters Rocky Creek at the bottom end of a small gorge from where it is around two hours to the Biv. Most of the last section is river travel with short track detours around a waterfall and a slumped area of hillside above a small gorge. The track up to the Biv starts on the TR of the Creek and is marked by a large cairn and permolat. It follows a small side-creek initially, then exits and sidles around to the Hut. Allow 3-4 hours from the Taipo Bridge to Rocky Creek Hut currently. This is a fine weather route and would be difficult or dangerous if the Creek were up.
Access to Rocky Creek Biv from the Griffin Creek catchment is over a low bush saddle. The route commences at the unnamed side-creek that drains Scottys Saddle, 15 minutes downriver from Griffin Creek Hut. A track goes a short distance up the TL of the creek, crosses, and climbs around into into the next side-creek downriver. The track exits the creek a short distance up its TL fork and crosses into the TR fork above a small waterfall. It is a 10-minute climb from the head of this fork up to the Saddle. The track drops from here into Rocky Creek and this is followed downstream for around an hour to the Biv. This bit involves multiple crossing and a fair bit of wading and would be difficult if the Creek was in flood. Peter and friends did some trimming work on the route in January 2022. Allow around three hours from Griffin Creek Hut to Rocky Creek Biv.
The clearing next to the Biv that provides helicopter access was cleared by Ollie's team in 2022.
Type
Rocky Creek is a one-off B143 high-stud design built in 1971. It has two sleeping platforms with mattresses. The original had louvre window on each side, and a cooking bench. It replaced a tent camp on the other side of the Creek that had been established sometime in the 1960's. The NZFS construction crew were Warren Keely, Tony Newton (Field Officer) and Mario Gerimia. Ollie's team replaced the louvre windows with single pane PVC ones and took out the cooking bench to create more space. The Biv is lined but has no heating or toilet. Water is from the Creek 50m away.
Condition
Rocky Creek is very well constructed and remained in good condition during a long period of zero maintenance in the 1980's and 90's. In 2004 DOC resealed and painted it, replaced the door, and made a few other minor repairs. Along with the window replacement, Ollie's crew re-roofed the Biv adding a skylight on the west side, they re-painted exterior and interior, replaced some of the internal ply lining, and dug a drainage ditch dug around the perimeter of the Biv. This will help hugely with moisture issues. Some accumulated soil from under the Biv was also removed.
Rocky Creek Biv is designated as minimal maintenance by DOC. In December 2022 Ollie Clifton of the Back Country Trust and a Kaimahi for Nature crew did a major overhaul on the Biv. The access tracks to Rocky Creek from the Taipo valley and Griffin Creek have been kept open by volunteers. Peter Umbers of Christchurch is the latest in a series of community people who have taken an interest in doing this. He's been busy over 2022 and 23 doing bits and pieces on it. Eigill Wahlberg who is doing predator work for DOC wants to recut some of the old NZFS bush detours that will double as a predator line as well as track.
Location
Taipo catchment. Grid Ref: E1469915/ N5261720 (BV20 699 617). Map BV20. Altitude 615m. Rocky Creek Biv is located on the TR of Rocky Creek in the Taipo River catchment. The bush surrounds are rata-kamahi forest and there is pleasant remote ambience here. Rocky Creek Biv has historically been low use, with numbers dwindling to a trickle during the 1980's and 90's due to deteriorating tracks and a lack of good route information. Visits have increased since the tracks were fixed up and the Biv profiled on this website. A lot of the folk visiting the Biv are doing a two-day Rocky Creek - Griffin Creek circuit, exiting from the Griffin via the Harrington Creek track to SH73 (or vice versa).
Access
The Rocky Creek track from the Taipo roadend wasn't maintained after DOC took over from the NZFS in 1987. For many years Frank King and Honora Renwick of Christchurch kept the route open. Eigill Wahlberg of Hokitika took an interest at some point and reinstated some of the bypass tracks in the creek bed and cleared windfall on the track across the terrace from the Taipo. Peter Umbers and friends began doing some work on the tracked sections in January 2022 and this continued into this year. The route commences at the Taipo bridge on SH73 and follows the TL of the Taipo. A cut track starts at the top end of a grassy terrace and leads to the first side-creek. The terrace track starts on the TR of the creek and climbs steeply before levelling and sidling up the valley and into the Rocky Creek catchment. The track enters Rocky Creek at the bottom end of a small gorge from where it is around two hours to the Biv. Most of the last section is river travel with short track detours around a waterfall and a slumped area of hillside above a small gorge. The track up to the Biv starts on the TR of the Creek and is marked by a large cairn and permolat. It follows a small side-creek initially, then exits and sidles around to the Hut. Allow 3-4 hours from the Taipo Bridge to Rocky Creek Hut currently. This is a fine weather route and would be difficult or dangerous if the Creek were up.
Access to Rocky Creek Biv from the Griffin Creek catchment is over a low bush saddle. The route commences at the unnamed side-creek that drains Scottys Saddle, 15 minutes downriver from Griffin Creek Hut. A track goes a short distance up the TL of the creek, crosses, and climbs around into into the next side-creek downriver. The track exits the creek a short distance up its TL fork and crosses into the TR fork above a small waterfall. It is a 10-minute climb from the head of this fork up to the Saddle. The track drops from here into Rocky Creek and this is followed downstream for around an hour to the Biv. This bit involves multiple crossing and a fair bit of wading and would be difficult if the Creek was in flood. Peter and friends did some trimming work on the route in January 2022. Allow around three hours from Griffin Creek Hut to Rocky Creek Biv.
The clearing next to the Biv that provides helicopter access was cleared by Ollie's team in 2022.
Type
Rocky Creek is a one-off B143 high-stud design built in 1971. It has two sleeping platforms with mattresses. The original had louvre window on each side, and a cooking bench. It replaced a tent camp on the other side of the Creek that had been established sometime in the 1960's. The NZFS construction crew were Warren Keely, Tony Newton (Field Officer) and Mario Gerimia. Ollie's team replaced the louvre windows with single pane PVC ones and took out the cooking bench to create more space. The Biv is lined but has no heating or toilet. Water is from the Creek 50m away.
Condition
Rocky Creek is very well constructed and remained in good condition during a long period of zero maintenance in the 1980's and 90's. In 2004 DOC resealed and painted it, replaced the door, and made a few other minor repairs. Along with the window replacement, Ollie's crew re-roofed the Biv adding a skylight on the west side, they re-painted exterior and interior, replaced some of the internal ply lining, and dug a drainage ditch dug around the perimeter of the Biv. This will help hugely with moisture issues. Some accumulated soil from under the Biv was also removed.
Scottys route
Routes
The saddle over into Griffin Creek is around an hour upstream from the Biv. It is visible from the Creek and has a large open slip on its northern side. The track entrance is 20 metres up the Creek past the slip.
Scottys Biv can be accessed by continuing up Rocky Creek past the Griffin Creek saddle turnoff. The creek narrows considerably, needs to be waded, and is steep and slippery in places. At around 1100m it forks and the TL fork is followed up. The fork steepens and peters out on an active scree. Climb onto the spur above the scree and continue up through a narrow band of low alpine scrub crossing a rock field just below the crest of the Range in a SW direction. The faces directly above this are very steep, and it is easier to continue SW over a narrow ridge before ascending the last bit (which is still pretty steep). Scottys Biv is visible from the top of the Range and can be accessed by following the waratahs down from point 1406m. Allow 2.5-3 hours from Rocky Creek Biv to Scottys Biv.
Repairs needed
None at the moment. Route-wise there is more work that needs to be done on the bush detours in the Creek downstream from the Biv.
Provisions on Site
One billy, an aluminium basin, a large bowsaw, a shovel, a crowbar, a mattock, a jar of small nails, some red and white permolat, a hammer, two long pieces of tongue and groove, a coil of fine wire, a broom, two galvanised buckets, two bench seats, and a brush and shovel.
The saddle over into Griffin Creek is around an hour upstream from the Biv. It is visible from the Creek and has a large open slip on its northern side. The track entrance is 20 metres up the Creek past the slip.
Scottys Biv can be accessed by continuing up Rocky Creek past the Griffin Creek saddle turnoff. The creek narrows considerably, needs to be waded, and is steep and slippery in places. At around 1100m it forks and the TL fork is followed up. The fork steepens and peters out on an active scree. Climb onto the spur above the scree and continue up through a narrow band of low alpine scrub crossing a rock field just below the crest of the Range in a SW direction. The faces directly above this are very steep, and it is easier to continue SW over a narrow ridge before ascending the last bit (which is still pretty steep). Scottys Biv is visible from the top of the Range and can be accessed by following the waratahs down from point 1406m. Allow 2.5-3 hours from Rocky Creek Biv to Scottys Biv.
Repairs needed
None at the moment. Route-wise there is more work that needs to be done on the bush detours in the Creek downstream from the Biv.
Provisions on Site
One billy, an aluminium basin, a large bowsaw, a shovel, a crowbar, a mattock, a jar of small nails, some red and white permolat, a hammer, two long pieces of tongue and groove, a coil of fine wire, a broom, two galvanised buckets, two bench seats, and a brush and shovel.
