Date: 25 Dec 2011 - 1 Jan 2012.
Trip type: Tramp (MF).
Location: Rakiura National Park.
Author: Tony Gazley.
Trampers: Megan Sety, Illona Keenan, Kate Cushing, Tony Gazley.
Gog, Magog and the Tin Range – Rakiura National Park
A tramping trip from Gog and Magog back to Oban via the Tin Range in Rakiura National Park, Stewart Island.
Day 1. Campsite at head of Cook Arm.Day 1. On the way to Magog.Day 1. Nearly at the summit of Magog.Day 1. It’s a bit windy up here….Day 1. On the summit of Magog. North Arm behind.Day 1. The weirdly weathered granite of Magog.Day 1. On Magog. Gog partly hidden in cloud centre background.Day 1. Among the weird rocks near the summit of Magog.Day 1. Heading back to camp at Cook Arm.Day 1. A cramped camp in the scrub at Cook Arm.Day 1. The kitchen at Cook Arm. Xmas dinner.Day 1. The view from the kitchen. Gog at right.Day 2. Heading towards Gog.Day 2. Gog from near Magog.Day 2. Beneath the summit of Magog.Day 2. Too nice a day to hurry.Day 2. On the lower slopes of Gog. Magog right of centre.Day 2. The lower slopes of Gog. Cook Arm and Pacific Ocean in distance.Day 2. On the summit of Gog. Magog left of centre, Cook Arm right of centre.Day 2. On the summit of Gog.Day 2. On the summit of Gog. Magog left, Cook Arm right, Tin Range distant left skyline.Day 3. On the way back to Oban. Heading down Cook Arm at low tide.Day 3. Cook Arm mud-flats at low tide.Day 3. Crossing Cook Arm at low tide. Gog (left) and Magog in distance.Day 3. Weathered rocks and a bonsai tree.Day 3. Mud, shells and algae.Day 3. Getting deeper nearer the ocean.Day 3. Near the start of eastern Cook Arm.Day 3. At the end of eastern Cook Arm just before the tide stated to rise rapidly.Day 3. Taking a break before heading to Bens Bay.Day 3. Damage control at campsite beyond Bens Bay.Day 3. Campsite gear explosion.Day 4. Stream dropping over Belltopper Falls. We camped next to the stream after a tough day of bush-bashing. We did get to see kiwi though.Day 5. At North Arm Port Pegasus with the worst of the bush-bashing behind us. Illona tends the fire to cook a fish and some cockles given to us by a kindly fisher passing by in his boat. The bricks are from one of the late 1800s buildings on the site – possibly the hotel.Day 5. Left to right Kate, Illona Megan, and Tony. Well feed, and happy there’s no more serious bush-bashing. Although we were nearly flattened by a very large and angry sea lion that crashed through our camp early the next morning. We hadn’t realised we had pitched our tents right on it’s haul-out track – and it wasn’t going to stop just because we were there.Day 5. View accross Port Pegasus to the remaining foundation wall of the early 1900s fish processing factory (centre).Day 6. Lunch at the tin miners’ dam on the way to the Tin Range.Day 6. On the Tin Range. Gog right of centre.Day 6. North along the Tin Range. Mt Allen centre skyline.Day 6. On the Tin Range.Day 6. South from the Tin Range. Gog just visible right of centre.Day 6. A rare fine day on the Tin Range. Mt Allen centre.Day 6. Granite Knob.Day 6. Climbing Granite Knob.Day 6. South east from Granite Knob.Day 6. Un-named tarn below Mt Allen.Day 7. Un-named tarn below Mt Allen.Day 7. Sidling Mt Allen.Day 7. Blaikies Hill.Day 7. Kiwi print and beak holes. While we didn’t see the kiwi on the Tin Range we spied dotterels and plenty of lizards thanks to the dedication of trappers who ‘ring-fence’ the area with 1080 fish baits to control the feral cats that plague the island.Day 7. North from Table Hill. Ruggedy Mountains left skyline.Day 7. All happy. Megan, Illona, Kate, Tony.Day 7. Just another Rakiura day.Day 7. Camp below Table Hill.Day 8. Tony, Megan and Kate abandon the shortcut across South West Arm while Illona continues but then gets stuck.Day 8. Illona decides she needs help when she realises she is sinking faster than she can dig.Day 8. Free.
