Young - Wilkin - East Matukituki via Gillespie and Rabbit Passes

Day 8 - Top Forks - Rabbit Pass - Ruth Flat

All images © David Noble. No image can be used for any purpose without permission.

This was to be the longest and hardest day of the trip - over the tricky Rabbit Pass. There were plenty of warnings not too tackle the pass in wet or windy conditions in the hut and in our guidebooks. This was certainly very good advice. Fortunately we had a marvelously fine day.

Above - Dawn (about 6:21 am) - Mt Castor

Above - a little later

Above - and at 7:39 am - just before we set off

Above - John and Rob on the bottom left on the track high above the side of the south branch

Above - Chuin Nee and Rob

Above - Mt Cook Lily (Ranunculus lyallii)

Above - an upper basin

Above - a good place to take a break (and allow for some photo-pfaffing)

Above - everlasting daisies (Helichrysum bellidiodes)

Above - a last view of Castor and Pollux

Above - continuing onwards and upwards

Above - we approach the waterfall face

Above - looking back down

Above - the waterfall face. The hardest part of the route up to the pass. The route (marked with standards) goes up on the right face (about the middle of the photo) - up easy slopes, then steep country towards the right with some small bluffs and then traverses back to the left well above the waterfall.

Above - looking down at John and Chuin Nee

Above - Rob, with John much further below

Above - Rob on the final traverse - with John and Chuin Nee below

Above - Rob on the last bit

Above - Looking back down

Above - Chuin Nee on the last bit - John below further back

Above - John almost at the top of the waterfall face

Above - looking up. Pearson Saddle is on the right - we climbed up to the saddle for a view and then returned to climb up the easy last basins to the top of Rabbit Pass on the left.

Above - South Island Edelweiss (Leucogenus grandiceps)

Above - Looking back at the side waterfall

Above - Korikori (Ranunculus insignis)

Above - heading up the valley

Above - view from Pearson Valley - looking down to west coast valleys

Above - more Mt Cook lilies

Above - a small cushion plant

Above - Chuin Nee on Pearson Saddle

Possibly a type of vegetable sheep?

Above - Phyllachne colensoi

Above - John continuing up the South Branch to the top of the pass

Above -delightful country

Above - Rob and John at the top of the pass. Our route the was to the left crossing the valley below the snow and up the sloping hills in the middle of the photo.