The Three Passes - West Coast to Arthurs Pass - January 1979

All images © David Noble. No image can be used for any purpose without permission. Some photographs taken by Gordon Thompson.

We caught a taxi out of Hokatika to a track that went up the Styx Valley



Above - Gordon near the start looking at the Styx River - wondering how to get over the bluff in front.



Above - We found this old and tricky ladder.



Above - We spent the first night in this hut at Grassy Flat in the upper Styx.



Above - Dave relaxing in the hut



Above - Next morning, in fine weather we crossed over a saddle to the Arahura Valley



Above - Gordon crossing a small creek



Above - The Arahura River



Above - Dave crossing a swingbridge near Harman Hut



Above - Gordon on the swingbridge



Above - Looking down the Arahura Valley



Above - Gordon climbing up to Browning Pass



Above - Lake Browning.



Above - Looking down from Browning Pass to the Wilberforce River. We camped near the junction of the Cronin Stream - coming in on the left a short way down the valley.



Above - Gordon near Browning Pass



Above - Near Park Morpeth Hut at the junction of Cronin Stream and the Wilberforce River. We camped near the hut.



Above - Dusk



Above - Next day we walked up Cronin Stream to Whitehorn Pass



Above - Near Whitehorn Pass



Above - At Whitehorn Pass



Above - Gordon at Whitehorn Pass



Above - At Whitehorn Pass



Above - At Harman Pass



Above - Below Harman Pass



Above - Looking back up to Harman Pass



Above - Our route lay down this steep stream



Above - We skirted these nice waterfalls



Above - Near the bottom - Looking up the White River to Mt Murchison



Above - Dave crossing the White River



Above - Mt Murchison

We stayed in the spacious Carrington Hut that night



Above - Walking down the Waimakariri River the next day.

Later we turned off from the main valley and went up the Crow River to Crow Hut.



Above - Looking up the Crow River to Mt Rolleston. The next day we clilbed up screes on the right to near Avalanche Peak



Above - Mt Rolleston from near Avalanche Peak



Above - Gordon on the range near Avalanche Peak



Above - nearby peaks

From there is was a short, easy descent to Arthurs Pass

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