Leader: Pat Holland
Day 1: Branch—Silver Stream.
Five of us squeezed into Mike’s 4WD to drive over to the Wairau Valley and into the hills at Argyle Pond.
There was some early excitement as we neared the ford across the Leatham River. Mike and Pat were taking a comfort stop by the road-side when an old cockie appeared with excitable pig dogs. After retreating to the vehicle and steadying our nerves, we crossed the ford and proceeded up the Branch Road towards Greigs Hut. We were pleased that we had a 4WD as the fords were in poor condition.
Parking at the junction with the Silver Stream, we kitted up and staggered across the Branch River to the start of the Silver Stream track. The weather was calm, overcast, but with a few spits of rain.
The marked track is just above the stream through the forest and is in only moderate condition with some windfall and overgrowth. Progress was steady but not spectacular with four-day packs. Pat and Ray indulged their OCD tendencies by minor track clearing and humming respectively.
After a few hours we reached the first of three major side streams with steep gullies. These took some effort and care to cross but had lovely waterfalls and pools. After seven hours we reached Mid-Silverstream Hut. This is an old six-bunk NZFS hut in good condition in a small clearing. Kelvin got the woodstove firing, so we could dry our socks.
Day 2: Silver Stream—Bull Paddock Stream.
After a cosy night in the hut, we proceeded up-river on the surprisingly good track in super-fine weather. Mike and Pat had done this trip with Ruth Hesselyn six years previously but, unfortunately, their memory banks were not up to recalling the details of where to turn off to get to the tops, 1000m above.
After a close examination of the map, we decided to go up a forested spur about two km from the hut (we should have proceeded further up-track towards the valley head.) The going was steep, but not difficult. The views of Scotts Knob were spectacular (this trip essentially circumnavigates the 2160m peak).
Eventually, we emerged from the forest into scrub and then open tops. These were not the expected tussock basins, but a long rocky ridge with several ups and downs. No problems but a lot of work after some scouting by Mike, to a final exit onto a ridge near pt 1794. This is above the tarn and saddle on the official route to the Bull Paddock Stream catchment, with the bivvy just visible in the distance.
We made a steepish, but untroubled descent through the bluffs and waterfalls onto the tussock slopes and stream leading to the bivvy. This was a vigorous ten-hour day, so we tumbled into bunks (2) and tents (3) after a quick cook-up.
Day 3: Bull Paddock—Lost Stream.
The steep, unmarked route from the bivvy to the tops is directly up behind the bivvy. Again, there was debate just which spur to attack once we emerged from a short section of forest. We took a steep, but unobstructed route that brought us over pt 1828. We sidled around to a delightful small tarn just below the saddle to Lost Stream where we had lunch on a calm, sunny day. From this saddle, the Lost Stream bivvy was just visible way below at the end of the main upper valley. However, the route through the array of steep bluffs was not obvious.
After some scouting, Mike found a steep 100m gut with some tussock and small shrubs that we grovelled down to gain easier ground. The bivvy seemed to take forever to reach through the tussock and some fringes of forest After a nine-hour day, we were pleased to recline in our bunks (2) and tents (3).
Day 4: Lost Stream—Branch.
Now on a marked track, with lighter packs and weather holding, we jauntily made our way down Lost Stream valley – a delightful gem. Like the grand upper basin, the lower valley has open beach forest, with small gorges and side-streams with waterfalls ... well worth a visit in its own right.
We reached the main Branch track which goes south to Misery Creek. We went north to Siberia Hut. Although the track is mainly clear, there is lots of evidence of the severe windfall from a major storm about five years ago.
After lunch at the hut we proceeded down-river, crossing at the hut to true right and then back over a new swing bridge after one km. We were then on the broader farm/forestry track leading us to the swing bridge at Scotts Creek and Greigs Hut (8 hrs). The rampant wilding pines/Douglas fir in the lower Branch threaten to obliterate views on the track and take over remnant beech forest right to the tops. Another 4km down the 4WD road got us back to Mike’s vehicle and so home, all in good order.
Overall, it was an excellent effort considering that two of the party are 70+. There was much ribbing of the leader about the grading in the programme for the trip. (It more properly could be advertised as ‘fit’.) However, some may not have participated and therefore missed out on a very satisfying adventure.
Adventurers were: Pat Holland (scribe), Kelvin Drew, Marie Lenting, Mike Drake and Ray Salisbury.
