Routes
Huts / campsites
Roadends
Summits
Passes / crossings
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Junctions
DOC Land
Altitude: 876m to 1547m. Gain: 466m. Loss: 694m . Gradient: 13 deg (Moderate)
Skills: Prolonged scrambles (4/7) - Streams (2/6)
From the outlet of Lake1101 make your way up onto the rolling terrain near Pt1132 and begin climbing the hill to the west. Some bluffs near the 1180m contour are passed on their south side, heading past some tarns. Climb a gully to the north of bluffs coming off Pt1361, climbing around its northern side, to finally hit the main stream of the Florence around about the small 8th lake of the Florence staircase of lakes. The rolling, rocky terrain up here is well worth exploring if you have the time.
Climb the ridge on the western side of the large 9th lake of the staircase. It's a straightforward climb up to the southwest with the final 10th lake soon coming into view tucked in under the crest of the Merrie Range. Continue climbing until finally, the gradient eases off on fine, firm scree of the main saddle between Tamatea Peak and Pt1595, about 3 hours from Lake1101. Tamatea Peak is the crown jewel of the Merrie Range and it goes without saying that if you have the visibility you should drop your pack off here on the saddle and take the time to climb it. The summit of Tamatea Peak is reached by climbing and sidling, just down off the eastern side of the ridge. The 360-degree views from the summit are awe-inspiring. Allow an hour up and down.
Back on the saddle, the western side quickly drops away into bluffs, but it's straightforward to sidle southwards across scree slopes to reach the main ridge coming down off Pt1595. Follow this ridge down the mountainside towards Pt1320. The fastest way down to Lake Roe would be to keep descending the ridge, but we wanted to look at the tarns lying under Tamatea Peak, so we sidle around the head of a gully northeast of Pt1320 and descended a northerly ridge down to the tarns. There's plenty of camping options here, and to be honest, anywhere the rest of the way down to Lake Roe Hut.
Descend southwestwards to rolling country near Pt1068. There's an alpine wetland here just north of Pt1068, the boggy terrain sidled around on its western side. An impressively steep hillside drops down to the tarn-speckled area north of Lake Roe, so sidle south until you find a ridge that leads down to the lake. Cross the lake outlet, and traverse westwards to the rolling country northwest of Lake Roe. There is a marked track that drops down through scrubby trees to the hut, but finding the start of it can be difficult if you don't know where to look. Once located, it's a short steep descent to Lake Roe Hut.