| We backpacked for 12 days from the Whitcombe valley, up Cropp Knob and Steadman Brow to Mt Beaumont, then Upper Tuke valley, then Ivory Lake and down the Waitaha valley. There is a track as far as Prices Hut in the Whitcombe, then up to Cropp Knob the track is partly cut but very slow where it is not cut and also slow on steep tussock ribs at the top. We camped by some nice tarns on Cropp Knob. We then continued up Steadman Brow to Mt Beaumont, but the cloud came down before we could start on the traverse to Ivory Lake so we dropped off into the upper Tuke. The following day it cleared and we traversed the ridge to Ivory Lake. Then we spent 2 days bashing through scrub, boulders and windfall to Moonbeam hut, with a camp at Chainman Creek confluence on the way (we found the only 1.2 sq metres of flat space in 2 days to pitch the tent). Then another day to Kiwi Flat hut (thanks to the lovely people who cut the track) and finally out to the road-end and another 10km down the gravel road to the West Coast highway and civilisation. This is a beautiful area, rugged and remote. |
