For this trip we had the club’s second van – ‘DPY’, and took it across on the ferry. It’s easy to drive and a real asset of the club. It took a bit over two hours to get to Kaikoura and the Mt Fyffe carpark. The forecast was for clearing weather on Saturday, but on Saturday morning it had already cleared, and the decision was made to do the circuit climbing Mt Fyffe first.
It’s a gentle climb to Mt Fyffe Hut on a gravel road, where we stopped for a break. There wasn’t a breath of wind. From the Hut we continued to climb, finally getting into some snow, to Mt Fyffe (1600 metres). The climb had started from near sea level, so we were feeling it near the top. In fact after this I could have returned to the Hut and felt satisfied with the day’s achievements. Unfortunately, at the top of Mt Fyffe, our day had only just begun.
From Mt Fyffe, the Circuit continues along the ridge to Gable. At Gable there was a sudden drop, which was not identifiable on the map. Struggling down this near cliff, I was no longer the steady, calm and in-control leader that I usually am, but we managed to encourage each other to the bottom. From here we walked across a narrow section of the ridge, and put on our crampons for the climb to Gables End. We didn’t need ice axe and crampons for very long, but we certainly needed them there. It was good that we needed them, because we were carrying these heavy items a long way. It was only a short climb, but after the earlier ascent, was almost unbearable.
I had been fearing the descent from Gables End, because that is an identifiable and major descent on the map, and I was right to be concerned. It is very unsettling when the way ahead is so steep that you can’t see the track, and it was a case of going from one marker pole to the next, and reassessing the situation at each pole. It is true that at this point we were passing through spectacular country, and I would have published photographic evidence with this report, but I was in such a state of horror that my camera remained inside my pack while I concentrated on getting through this without causing myself serious injury.
Looking back on it now, a lot of the fear was created by none of us having done this route before, and next time would perhaps not be so scary, but looking back at the near cliff from the base at Kowhai Saddle, we decided it would be a very nasty face to have to climb up.
From Kowhai Saddle, there is a route down Kowhai River to Kowhai Hut, and it is here that you fully appreciate the difference between a route and a track. There was no track at all, just the occasional orange marker to guide the way. It was now getting very late in the day. My shorts had been torn on the rock and loose stone coming down from Gables End, Nic’s boots were falling apart and were being held together by a gaiter strap and a shoelace, and Sarah had dropped her camera in the river never to be seen again. Light was fading, and they were keen to get to the Hut, but after 10 hours on the go I called an end to the day’s walking. We were fortunate to find a tiny grassy patch amongst rough country, and set up the fly, which did have to sit on rocky ground. We managed to make a good dinner and spent some time appreciating the stars.
We made the right decision to stop. It turned out the Hut was half an hour away through similar difficult terrain. The Hut is set in a beautiful location, and we spent a long time just sitting here, enjoying the sun rise over a hill and spreading its warmth into the valley. From the Hut there is a track beside the Kowhai River, and it was a very enjoyable stroll back to the Mt Fyffe carpark. We had completed the Circuit in two days, as expected. We found a great campsite near the carpark, at the edge of the river.
We had one more day at Kaikoura, a day that might have been needed if the weather had been rough, but it turned out to be perfect (making me wonder what the Circuit would be like in other conditions). So with our spare day we drove to the Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway, which is a very Easy walk, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way after what we had been through earlier in the weekend. The first half of the walk is across farmland, offering great views of the Seaward Kaikoura Range, and the return is along the coast where there were many seals. We nearly had to return on the farm track, due to the high tide almost blocking the coastal route! We then drove to collect the Fit group who had climbed Mt Saunders (I take my hat off to them), and we all went to town to have a lunch that satisfied our craving to eat some fish.
It is a nice drive up the coast on SH1 to Picton, and we arrived far too early for our 6pm sailing. Then it was annoying to find out that the ferry was running late, but looking back these little things really don’t matter when you consider the weekend as a whole. It was fun being part of a game of 500 on the ferry that turned into an epic battle due to Harry Smith playing in the opposing team – it was a game that John Hickey would have been proud of.
In conclusion, I say be careful about any trip into the Seaward Kaikouras. Certainly there are Family trips to Mt Fyffe Hut, even Mt Fyffe, or from Kowhai road end to Kowhai Hut, but if you go any further into the interior of the Range I say – watch out! This is an area that should be left for serious (and crazy) mountaineers.