Routes
Huts / campsites
Roadends
Summits
Passes / crossings
Scenic features
Junctions
DOC Land
Altitude: 886m to 1781m. Gain: 942m. Loss: 491m . Gradient: 10 deg (Moderate)
Skills: Alpine weather (2/7) - Streams (2/6)
From Park Morpeth Hut, follow the well-worn route marked with poles and cairns steeply up behind the hut until a boggy terrace marked with several small tarns. At the end of the terrace, begin a sidle across a scree slope above a narrow, gorge-y section of Cronin Stream. The route, lightly marked with cairns and poles, continues sidling for the next few hundred meters, gradually dropping down to the level of the stream just above the gorge-y section, where you may see an orange marker indicating the beginning of the sidle track for those walking from Whitehorn Pass.
Note that on the most recent topo map update, the Three Passes Route is mapped with a line of dots. The map shows the route continuing to sidle 20-40m above the level of Cronin Stream. This is NOT accurate: after the brief sidle mentioned above, the route travels in Cronin Stream. Looking for any trace of a poled route on the valley wall will be futile.
Continue walking up Cronin Stream and find a good place to cross Cronin Stream to the TL. (A straightforward crossing in summer low flows, although the stream is deep in places, so take due care choosing a crossing.) Occasional cairns mark a vague route that continues up the TL toward Whitehorn Pass, although it is very faint and easy to lose, especially in low visibility as the small cairns are hard to distinguish from the surrounding rock.
On the final push to Whitehorn Pass, the route follows a zig-zag to avoid some small bluffs. This is probably more crucial to follow for people descending the pass than those ascending, as the bluffs are quite obvious to anyone ascending. Take whatever approach to the pass makes sense.
From Whitehorn Pass, sidle slightly to the right and drop onto the snow field that extends downvalley from the pass. In decreasing visibility on a cool February day, the snow field was straightforward to navigate and not steep — in any case the surface was pocked with rock and gravel that offered good traction. Be ware of deep crevasses where the snow remnant touches the valley walls on either side, and, lower down, of an icy stream that comes down off the TL valley wall and begins to run in a cavern underneath the snow.
When the snow remnant ends, make a safe exit onto the valley wall (I picked the TR) and sidle/descend through scree and boulders to the stream bed. Continue downstream to Ariel's Tarns. Shortly before the tarns, you may spot a marker pole or two, and where the tussock and grass begin, a boot path winds around the tarns, sidling well above the small gorge of Mary Creek.
Ariel's Tarns are the only place where camping is permitted (or really possible) along the Three Passes Route between Carrington Hut and Park Morpeth Hut. There are 3-4 cleared tent sites sheltered from the wind with piled up rock walls. It is a very scenic camping spot (or it would be in good visibility).
Although it is only about 1.5-2 hours down from Harmon Pass to Carrington Hut, do not descend from the pass into the Taipoiti Gorge towards Carrington Hut if it has been raining, or if heavy rain is in the forecast; the short drop to Carrington Hut travels directly through the gorge and involves numerous crossings, plus a crossing of the White River below, all of which would be very dangerous in high flows.