Gillespie Pass, Wilkin Valley Tracks

Scenic Flights & Track Connections Te Wāhipounamu – South in Mt Aspiring National Park Gillespie Pass, West New Zealand World • Siberia Valley • Top Forks Heritage Area • Albert Burn • Upper Makarora Wilkin valley • Hunter Valley • Other areas by request South-west New Zealand is one of the great • Siberia Valley back flights $50 pp standby tracks wilderness areas of the southern hemisphere. Southern Alps Air Known to Māori as Te Wāhipounamu (the place Mount Aspiring National Park State Highway 6, Makarora of greenstone), the South West New Zealand Ph: 0800 345 666 World Heritage Area incorporates Aoraki/Mount Cook, Westland Tai Poutini, Fiordland and Mount www.southernalpsair.co.nz Aspiring national parks, covering 2.6 million hectares. World Heritage is a global concept that identifies natural and cultural sites of world significance – places so special that protecting them is of concern for all people. Some of the best examples of animals and Jetboat pick up/drop off at Young River mouth plants once found on the ancient supercontinent Gondwana live in this World Heritage Area. Cover: Gillespie Pass. Photo: Jeremy Murray-Orr Further information: This publication is produced using paper sourced from well-managed, renewable Tititea/Mount Aspiring National Park Visitor Centre and legally logged forests. Ardmore Street Published by: Department of Conservation PO Box 93, Wanaka 9343 Tititea/Mt Aspiring National Park Phone: 03 443 7660 Visitor Centre PO Box 93, Wanaka 9343 Email: [email protected] New Zealand www.doc.govt.nz October 2017 Editing and design: Publishing Team, DOC National Office R120958 Track grades Easy tramping track – well formed track for comfortable overnight tramping/hiking. Tramping track – mostly unformed but with track directional markers, poles or cairns. Backcountry skills and experience required. Route – unformed, suitable only for people with high-level backcountry skills and experience. All times are one way. Siberia Hut. Photo: Vonny Sprey Gillespie Pass Circuit Gillespie Pass and the Wilkin valley The 58-km Gillespie Pass Circuit Track is an excellent 3–4 day circuit, with spectacular mountain scenery, alpine vegetation, and river valleys filled with silver beech/tawhai. It should only be undertaken by experienced parties. Due to avalanche risk the track is not recommended in winter. This area’s diversity was recognised in 1964 with the creation of Mount Aspiring National Park, and again by the establishment of Te Wāhipounamu – South West New Zealand World Heritage Area in 1991 – recognising it as one of the world's remarkable natural landscapes. History Māori people from coastal Otago and Southland visited the inland Otago lakes to hunt moa, kākāpō and weka, and to fish. They camped around the shores of lakes Wanaka and Hāwea and in the Makarora valley, which they called Kaika Paekai (place of abundant food). Haast Pass/Tioripatea was one of the routes used by groups of Māori travelling to the West Coast in search of pounamu (greenstone). Natural history Today’s dramatic landscape reflects the power of ice-age glaciers. The rocks of the Southern Alps/Kā Tiritiri o te Moana began as layers of sand and mud on the sea floor over 220 million years ago. Under intense heat and pressure, they rose to form mountains. Silver beech/tawhai is the dominant tree. Birdlife, including fantail/pīwakawaka and rifleman/ tītitipounamu, thrives in the forest. Mohua/yellowhead are also common in some areas, as are parakeet/ kākāriki. Grasshoppers, black butterflies and other invertebrates live among alpine tussocks and large flowering herbs. Crucible Lake. Photo: Jess Simson Safety Hunting and fishing • Read the DOC publication Planning a trip in the You must have a DOC permit to carry firearms in backcountry before you start. the national park. • Plan your trip – seek local knowledge; plan your There are brown and rainbow trout in the rivers. route and the time you reasonably expect it to take. To fish, you must have a current fishing licence • Tell someone your plans – leave a date with a with a backcountry fishing endorsement from Fish trusted contact for raising the alarm if you haven’t & Game New Zealand. For more information, see returned. Consider using the Adventuresmart www.fishandgame.org.nz. Outdoors Intentions process. See www.adventuresmart.co.nz. Check, Clean, Dry Stop the spread of didymo and other • Be aware of the weather – New Zealand’s weather freshwater pests. Remember to Check, is highly unpredictable. Check the weather forecast Clean, Dry all items before entering, and the latest information on hazards and facilities and when moving between, waterways. before you set out. Just one drop is all it takes. • Know your limits – challenge yourself within your physical limits and experience. Huts and camping • Take sufficient supplies – make sure you have • All huts have mattresses and a multi-fuel burner enough food, equipment and emergency rations if for heating. the worst happens. Take an appropriate means of • Leave huts clean and tidy. Replace the firewood communication. and kindling, extinguish the fire, and close all windows and doors securely. • The map in this brochure is a guide only – you should carry 1:50,000 topographical maps: sheet • Please carry your rubbish out with you – huts NZTopo50 BZ11 Mount Pollux, BZ12 Makarora, have no rubbish facilities. and CA11 Aspiring Flats, available from the DOC • Siberia Hut requires bookings – see the DOC Siberia Valley. Photo: Jess Simson Visitor Centre. website www.doc.govt.nz or call into a DOC • Keep to the track. If you get lost, find shelter, stay Visitor Centre to book. calm and think of ways to help searchers find you • All other huts on this circuit work on a first-come more easily. basis – you must buy backcountry hut tickets • Cross rivers with care – if the river is too high, wait. or passes before your trip, from DOC offices or approved outlets. • The terms ‘true left’ and ‘true right’ are defined as • Camping is permitted, but choose your site if you are looking down the river or water flow. carefully as rainfall is high in the area. Campers Your safety is your responsibility. For specific using hut facilities must pay $5 per night. If warnings relating to the Gillespie Pass/Wilkin camping elsewhere, bury all human waste valley tracks, see the track descriptions. carefully. Alpine track sections are home to fragile ecosystems – camping in these areas is not recommended. Mt Dreadful Mt Awful North Blue Blue 2020m 2192m Pools ( River ) Gillespie Br Siberia Pass . * Crucible Young Lake Hut Stm Siberia !6 Newland Hut Lake Mt Turner River 2150m Mt Castor Castalia Makarora 2518m Mt Aeolus Kerin Forks Wonderland 2283m Hut Lake Lucidus Stream Lake Diana Makarora North Branch Top Jumboland Forks Hut Rabbit South Branch Craigie Pass Burn ) ( !6 Albert Burn Hut Albert Burn Lake Wanaka RiverRuth Flat Public conservation area –V Serviced Hut Short walk Note: This map should be used V as a guide only and not for Avalanche areas – Standard Hut Walking track navigational purposes. –# Airstrip –V Basic Hut/bivvy Tramping track Refer to ‘Safety’ section in ! ! ! ! ! this publication. Matukituki –+ Boat pickup –0 Camping Route 0 5 kilometres –X Information Parking East Branch Basemap by Geographx Junction Flat September 2017 Near Gillespie Pass. Photo: John Barkla Gillespie Pass Circuit Makarora to Young Hut Young Hut to Siberia Hut the lake. The tiny rock wren/pīwauwau is often seen 6–7 hr, 20 km 6–8 hr, 12 km among rocks at the lake outlet. Access to Young valley is signposted on the left, The alpine section between Young and Siberia Camping is not allowed in Crucible basin. 2.5 km north of the Makarora Tourist Centre. Cross huts crosses ‘complex’ avalanche terrain, with Siberia Hut to Makarora the stile and follow the orange poles to the junction multiple avalanche paths. Visit www. 6–8 hr, 22 km of the Young and Makarora rivers. If Makarora River avalanche.net.nz if planning a trip between Siberia Hut to Kerin Forks is too high to cross safely, you can wait for the river May and November. to drop, take the Blue–Young link track (see Blue 2–3 hr, 7 km Pools to Young River below), or use a commercial Climb 1 hr to the bushline, cross the bridge over the About 30 min down from Siberia Hut, on the true left, jetboat. Once across the Makarora, follow the upper Young River, and follow the valley floor for about the track to the Wilkin valley enters the forest at the Young River on the true left to a swing bridge at the 20 min until the start of the Gillespie Pass track on southern end of Siberia flat. It then meanders above junction of the north and south branches (3–4 hr). your left. This is usually the last water source until well Siberia gorge before a zigzag descent to the Wilkin over the pass, so fill your water bottles before leaving River. The track divides after the bridge; the Young Forks the valley. The track climbs steeply onto a snow grass Campsite is 200 m upstream. The track to Young spur that, after 3–4 hr, veers to the left before the pass Kerin Forks Hut (10 bunks, 340 m) can be seen 400 m Hut (750 m) continues downstream then enters the and climbs to 1,600 m. The impressive Mount Awful downstream from the Siberia Stream/Wilkin River forest on the true left of South Branch, just beyond dominates the skyline. junction, at the western end of a large flat on the other the junction. The track climbs steeply for 100 m, side of the valley. Cross the river here to reach the then sidles through a series of unstable slips to The track descends steeply before sidling down a upper Wilkin valley, if safe to do so.

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