North Opuha Track to Spurs Hut.

11.02.19. I drove from Fairlie along Claytons Rd, beyond the monument, left turned at Mt Fox Ski Field turnoff & 7 kms hence parked at the Fox Ski Field / DOC carpark. I wanted to walk the 7 km North Opuha Track to the old, 1896, Spurs Hut. (Map ref: 288452). The track rose gently, with undulations, from 660m at the DOC / Ski Field carpark to 800m at Spurs Hut.

By the carpark was a DOC Intentions Book to be signed, 2 DOC signs & 4 private signs reading:

       Department of Conservation
    CONSERVATION AREA 7 KM
Via public access through private land...

              FOX'S PEAK STATION
               PRIVATE PROPERTY
                    NO HUNTING
TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED
        WANDERING DOGS WILL BE
                 SHOT ON SIGHT

                    SKIFIED
                    ACCESS

                  LILYDALE
                   PRIVATE
                 PROPERTY
            Permission must be
              obtained to enter

           Department of Conservation
                 Public access through
                        private land
      Keep to 10 metres wide easement
                  Please close gates
            There is no public access to 
                 Fox Peak Ski Field       

                    CAUTION
           CAR ONLY BRIDGE
        MAX WEIGHT 2500 KG
    MAX VEHICLE WIDTH 1.9M
            OTHER VEHICLES
                   USE FORD
                   SKI FIELD 
                      PH 03...

The vehicle ford was upstream, a low stone bridge covering concrete pipes allowing North Opuha water flow.

A cool morning, I wandered upstream on the the true left bank of North Opuha River flowing from a vast watershed, swampland, below Sherwood Range westwards, Ben McLeod Range northwards & Low Claytons eastwards. The watershed's, west-east, widest area, about 1.5 kms wide, was below Walkers Spur, Ben McLeod Range. The watershed narrowed considerably southwards towards DOC carpark between Fox Peak in the west & Low Claytons in the east. Above track, Low Claytons gave morning shade, before hotting up to a scorching afternoon.

For 2 hours, North Opuha watershed on my left, I tramped past Fox Peak, 2300m, with glimpses of summer-snowless, Mt Fox Ski Field, 1330-1900m & beyond past 4 Sherwood Range spurs with steep valleys between. The track eased northwards by Fox Peak Station fences towards Walkers Spur below Ben McLeod Range. En route I met a young hunter tramping down stream & greeted: "I'm deaf. I won't hear you. Did you shoot anything?" He shook his head & greeted, a praying gesture, palms together, pointing up, smiling & bowing.

The track sidled NE over a small saddle into the Orari River watershed, swampland, surrounded by Low Claytons, High Claytons & Ben McLeod Range. Another DOC sign by a gate read:

       NORTH OPUHA
CONSERVATION AREA

A DOC sign on the gate read:

Public access through private land
No shooting - private land
Keep to 10m wide marked easement
Please close gates
Do not disturb stock

The relationship between DOC & shit polluting stock in that watershed was nuts! NZ was heavily polluted with cattle shat waterways.

Midway across the wetland, beyond DOC land (?)  a line of willows sheltered black cattle from midday sun. The contrast between sparse overgrazed vegetation on private farm land & luxuriant grass growth on DOC land was stark: Low Claytons had farm roads on the hills & sharp spear grass amongst stunted tussock. Brown, muddy streams I'd passed below Low Claytons trickled down to North Ophua swampland. Few butterflies by farmlands. My aluminium walking sticks enabled me to gauge muddy depths before stream crossings. Argyrophenga, Tussock ringlet butterflies, brown with black & white eye-spot wings, abounded in DOC tussock land, sucking nectar from tiny Wallenbergia flowers & others. Butterfly abundance was a sign of good DOC grassland conservation & bad pesticide use on overgrazed Alpine farmlands.

For another hour the rest of North Opuha Track sidled around the end of Walkers Spur through Orari River watershed, tussock land to Spurs Hut, a small, 4 bunk, corrugated iron hut with wooden decking, porch for logs, basin, wood saws, chopper & inside fireplace, wood stove, grubby utensils on a kitchen work bench, DOC info signs & map on a wall, food left by other trampers / hunters, like tinned food, Watties tomato sauce, plastic bottle... Empty beer cans, booze bottles & a DOC Intentions Book were on a shelf above the fireplace. An empty wood basket was by a wooden bench on an unswept floor. A DOC wall sign read:

                                   ! Danger

The use of gas or liquid fuel, cookers, heaters and
lights in enclosed spaces can be highly dangerous
and could lead to death by Carbon monoxide
poisoning. When using any of these appliances
leave a window or door open to ensure adequate
ventilation

Midday, the iron hut was like a sauna, so I lunched outside in the shade of the stone chimney viewing the Orari River watershed in the Alpine basin & green longdrop. 2 mandarins & biltong scoffed.

On my return trek I finished all my bottled water, over 2 litres. Alpine sunburn danger.

Distance: 7 kms each way, 14 kms return.
Climb: 140 vertical metres.
Time: 6 hours return, excluding lunch break at Spurs Hut.

Caution: Tramping & hill walking fitness needed. I always backpacked food & water on my Alpine tramps, incl winter & wet weather gear, hat, as well as aluminium walking sticks (for emergency tent) tent rope, blue tarp, Topo50 map, matches, space blanket, cell phone for emergencies. There was no cell phone coverage at Spurs Hut due to surrounding Alps.

Personal Locator Beacons were too damned expensive (NZ$300 - NZ$1000+) yet whenever someone was rescued, rescue authorities spouted media gobbledegook about trampers / climbers needing locator beacons to help their rescue. Daily hiring a PLB from a Fairlie shop was a pain, as the shop only opened at 10am for equipment hire. I'd already tramped 2 hours by that time, early starter to avoid heat exposure.

Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.