Lately I have been working the painting of Sefton Bivvy, its been on the go for over a year - I posted the early progress when I started it - now I’ve started to make a bit more progress on the details. Here are the updated progress photos. Sefton Bivouac is perched on a ledge, exposed to the changing elements with panoramic views of the Hooker Valley and Mount Cook Village below. The route starts with a scenic walk up Stocking Stream and gradually gets steeper as it progresses. There are numerous cairns to guide you to the trail that accesses the spur. A steep climb up a narrow single-track takes you eventually up a rocky spur with opportunities to fall off the mountain. Twice I scrambled up here in two days, as the first day was clagged in and I could see no more than 5-10m. Once you get to the plateau at 1650m Mt Sefton and Footstool tower behind the bright orange bivvy. Sefton Bivouac is over 100 years old and is the oldest building in the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park with extraordinary glacier views. The most exciting feature is the speedily shrinking Te Waewae Glacier within touching distance if you walk a little further. Such a gift to be able to experience this treasure that may soon be a distant memory.
Friday/Sat just gone was looking like a really nice but short weather window. Husband and kids had taken off on Thursday with their Aunty, and Grandma and Grandad to check out the Molesworth and stay at Saxtons Hut. I had quite a bit of work on so decided to get up early Fri and 4WD up the Leatham Valley and walk in to the hut to meet them. After getting briefly stuck in the river on the way up I set off from Bottom Gordons Hut, up Gordons Stream and over Saxton Saddle and was greeted by the gigantically...
A while ago I explored the Arthurs Pass area with my good friend Dulkara, we walked up the Taramaku River, bush bashed through the thick & steep bush up to the open tops where we spent three days traversing the ridges. On the second afternoon, after lots of up and down ridge-line scrambling we approached Lake Morgan...
Camp Stream Hut, a historic musterers hut on the Te Araroa trail near Tekapo with Roundhill in the background. A magical place to visit, especially in the late afternoon although once the sun falls it becomes bitterly cold. On this particular trip the walk out was sodden with snow melt and my feet lost feeling in the last main river. Brr…