Routes
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DOC Land
Altitude: 94m to 1491m. Gain: 961m. Loss: 1843m . Gradient: 13 deg (Steep)
Skills: Prolonged scrambles (4/7) - Streams (2/6)
An otherwise good ridgeline route with two narrow, exposed sections heads over the tops from Scamper torrent to the head of Tarpot Creek.
From Scamper Torrent Hut return downstream to the start of the track, 300m below the hut. A rough climb through tall grasses is cut through the scrub and marked with permolat. Once at the bushedge, climb to pt1125.
From pt1125 follow the ridgeline west, climbing to pt1502. The first peak west of pt1125 is scrubby and can be sidled on the southern face. Otherwise, good game trails follow the ridgeline all the way - good going.
At pt1502, swing NW and descend the steep and very narrow ridgeline towards pt1411. One 10m section is not even wide enough to fit both boots on, and I have no shame to say I ended up crawling it! A later descent is also very steep with bad exposure to falls to the north, and only sparse vegetation. Once past these, however, good goat trails follow the broad and easy ridgeline all the way to Mt Ashmore.
The broad tops SW of Ashmore break up the game trails, and you are left to find your own way SW over Karnbach. Reasonable trails pick up again later as a low ridge forms on the western escarpment. Good tarns at the southern end of Karnbach provide the only clear water on this ridgeline.
The geography becomes confused at the SW end of Karnbach, with numerous small ridges and gullies not shown on maps. Scout your way through the maze down to the saddle - but be aware this could be tricky routefinding in poor visability. A roughly cut route crosses the saddle - marked at the start at both ends, but no markers in between, and exits onto the smaller clearing on pt1069.
A lone warratah on the summit of pt1069 marks the start of the old NZFS track down the spur between Hurleys and Tarpot Creeks. The initial 200m of descent are extremely steep, and you are frequently lowering yourself from one tree to the next as you descend. If it weren't for the trees, ropes would be required. After losing 200m the track becomes merely steep, and follows the narrow spur down. The track is well cut and marked with tape down the spur.
The old NZFS track drops due south off the spur just where the spur swings north. The section down to Tarpot creek was not cut, and was sporadically marked with old permolat and newer tape. One section had been erased by windfall. However, the bush is quite open and it's easy enough to find your own way south off the ridge to the creek at this point.
The old track hits Tarpot Creek in its upper reaches around the point where the creek becomes dry and starts to peter out. From here the route is simple - follow the creek down until you hit the hydro road 200m from the carpark. The creek is ankle deep in normal flows, but would be impassable after heavy rain. If the creek is up, then the true left looked travellable all the way to the road, where there is a bridge,
Head right along the hydro road, which exits at the power house / information board / carpark 600m south of the state highway.