Mon 24.02.20. Near Mayfield, from Hinds River Gorge, I climbed Mt Pukanui, 1153m, Moorhouse Range, Map ref: BX19 562563. Moorhouse Range has Rangitata Gorge W side & Hinds Gorge E side.
Stats: From Chapmans Rd, DOC carpark easement, 10 km return hike / climb, 4 h up, 3.5 h down, 670 vertical metres climb. Beautiful cloudless day, gentle zephyrs, grand Alpine & Rangitata River views.
See Tramper NZ link for terrain pics. The Tramper time of 3 h 30 mins return for a 10 km hike / climb, 670 vertical m, was nuts!
From Chapman Rd, DOC easement carpark, for 2.5 km my hike undulated along a DOC marked farm track, sidling E around the bottom of a Mt Pukanui ridge & passing through paddocks & 6 farm gates to Hinds River Gorge, between Moorhouse Range E & Peter Range W.
2.5 km E Ridge climb: Beyond the 6th farm gate, I crossed a creek at the bottom of a tuatara-back ridge, E side of Moorhouse Range. The E ridge climb was between two more E ridges, creeks below each ridge, the S ridge, 815m, overgrazed farmland, the N ridge, 906m, bushy DOC conservation land. The "track" up the climbed ridge was not marker poled by DOC. By a creek the "track" began at the N side of the ridge before topping the ridge along a disused, overgrown, farm track, through snow tussock & matagouri, over a series of shoulders, then when the farm track petered out, the "track" followed a fence through snow tussock & Dracophyllum to Moorhouse Range summit ridge.
More alpine plants seen: Coprosmas, Porcupine Plants, Cyathodes, Wahlenbergias, Celmisias, Snowberries, Spear Grass, Geraniums, Gentians...
Moorhouse Range summit ridge was a series of knobs: Mt Pukanui S, 1145m... Mt Tripp N, 1378m... The E ridge I summited, 1153m was closer to Mt Pukanui.
The clear day enabled 360 degree Alpine views: E: about 150 kms across Canterbury Plains, hazy Banks Peninsula. SW: Mt Peel. W: Waikari Hills, Coal Hill on Tara Haoa Range. Further W: High Claytons, Sherwood Range & Mt Fox. Beyond: Two Thumbs Range with tops of Mt Edward, Mt Maud, Mt Dobson about 150 km away... NW: Ben McCleod Range & Main Divide...
Curving far NE: Mt Grey, Mt Thomas, Mt Oxford. Mt Hutt obscured by Mt Somers. Fresh snow on Old Man Range... Just some of the Alpine ranges seen forming headwaters for Ashburton River & Rangitata River, the latter flowing through Rangitata Gorge between W side of Moorhouse Range & E side of Waikari Hills.
Caution: Hill walking fitness, backpack, all weather gear, food, water, map, walking stick(s), boots, hat needed. There was cell phone coverage on top of Moorhouse Range.
Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
