Princess Mountains Traverse - February 1979
All images © David Noble. No image can be used for any purpose
without permission. Some photographs taken by Gordon Thompson.
This follows from Part 1 - the approach
walk via the Dusky and Hauroko Tracks
Above - Our nice sheltered campsite near End Peak - just above the
bushline from our spur up from near the Hay River
Above - Gordon climbing up to End Peak. Lake Hauroko far below. On this
day it started out reasonably fine so we set off southwards along the
crest of the range. We stopped at about lunchtime when we were hit by
bad weather and set up camp.
Above - On the range - looking south on the open tops and our first
views of Lake Poteriteri
Above - Traversing. Old dear trails made the going fast and easy
Above - Gordon on the tops
Above - Gordon stops for a drink
Above - View from the tops
Above - Gordon traversing the tops
Above - Looking back. This steep section was the only place on the
entire range that we had to deviate from the skyline. Bad weather was
coming - so we camped in the lee of the range.
Above - Gordon on the tops
Above - More open tops
Above Grdon walking in mist on the tops
Above - Gordon on the tops
Above - Looking ahead
Above - Gordon pointing to something
Above - More mist and open going
Above - The mist lifts a little
Above - Looking down to Lake Poteriteri
Above - Dave on the range
Above - Climbing out of a deep saddle. The Cameron Mountains behind.
Above - Lake Poteriteri and the Cameron Mountains. Lake Kakapo lies in
the valley in the middle of the photo.
Above - Rare sun hits our campsite near this nice tarn on the lee of
the range
Above - A storm approaches from the Cameron Mountains
Above - Princess Mountains and Lake Poteriteri
Above - Lake Poteriteri
Above - The next day looking back (north). Our campsite was near the
most distant of these three lakes.
Above - Traversing. More open tops and more mist
Above - Cloud
Above - On the tops
Above - View north from near Helena Peak looking back on the range -
most of the country we had just traversed. Fantastic!
We camped in a sheltered basin just east of Helena Peak. After a cold
night we awoke to find snow had fallen.
Above - Looking back to Helena Peak. We descened down as easy spur to
the Rata Burn and then went through rainforest to the outlet of Lake
Hauroko. There we found a deep fast flowing river. But - by luck there
was another walkwire nearby - so we crossed to the eastern side and
walked north along Lake Hauroko to a hut. There we met a party of
fishermen. The next morning we accepted a lift out on their boat back
to the road (and then another lift back to Invercargill).
Of the fifteen days of the trip - it rained on all except two days -
but many of the days had fine patches.
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