Distance: 10.9 km (4.0 DOC hours) - Unmarked route, clear - Easy-moderate terrain
Altitude: 779m to 1025m. Gain: 425m. Loss: 193m . Gradient: 3 deg (Gentle)
Skills: - Prolonged rivers (4/6)

Unmarked route, clear (7/9)
Unmarked route, follows obvious geography (river, spur, trail, etc)

Primary, unmapped (2/5)
Route not on maps, but is principal access to hut or along range / catchment

Gentle (difficulty: 2/5)
Gentle slopes

Easy-moderate (difficulty: 2/5)
Tussock / river-gravel / open bush / cut track

Unknown (difficulty: 0/7)
Not specified

Prolonged rivers (difficulty: 4/6)
Frequent river travel - impassible after rain, risk of getting trapped

Unknown (difficulty: 0/7)
Not specified

Icy + cold travel through the Havelock in winter. The brief, easy scramble up to Veil Biv at the end rarely gets sun, so it may be slippery.

Descend from Curtis Memorial Hut to the riverbed via the obvious 4WD track, bypassing Darkey Jims Bush. What follows is 2.5-4 hours of travel up the Havelock, the specifics of which very much depend on river height and speed. By and large I followed the TL, picking up a light 4WD track up to the scree outflow of Fan Stream opposite St Winifred's Hut. After this, continue up the rocky river to the obvious outcrop that holds Veil Biv (visible on recent Topographic maps). The Biv cannot be seen from the riverbed. It may be difficult to spot the outcrop in low visibility, so note that the track up the Moraine wall starts at the confluence of the upper Havelock and Veil stream. Two cairns mark the brief climb up to the tussock ledge, where the Biv lies ~20m north.

I walked this in very low flows (ECan Rangitata reading at ~40 cumecs) and had no issues finding places to cross the river. Reading the intentions book at Veil biv + St Winifred's it seems that the Havelock frequently makes travel impossible in the area. Depending on flows it may be easier to travel closer to the TL or TR, but crossings of the Havelock, Fan stream and Veil stream are unavoidable.

Note: Described in the reverse direction to your journey

No description