Mt Titiroa, Fiordland National Park

A distinctive peak in the Hunter Mountains, Mt Titiroa appears to have snow on it all year round due to the white granite sands that glisten on its summit. Take a water taxi across the Waiau River and begin walking the Hope Arm Track. Old beech and podocarp trees line the muddy and swampy track – it is one of the few places that these tree types grow together. Continue on from Hope Arm Hut through more beech and podocarp forest, to Garnock Burn Saddle and on through Snow White Clearings – a great place to camp if you have time. After descending to the Garnock Burn River the off-track section of the trip begins. Across the river, climb a ridge in the bush, keeping to the true right of the stream flowing from Mt Titiroa into the Garnock Burn and head towards Pt785, avoiding the bluffs on the steep slope. Above this, the gradient eases and there are game trails to Pt1017 where scrub gives way to tussock slopes and a sandy granite saddle. You can either camp in the bush or there is a bivvy higher up, but it may prove difficult to find. Alternatively, there is a leaning rock, near a tarn 300m below the summit at Pt1412. Climb up the sandy slopes to the main ridge, where eroded granite monoliths protruded from the ridge in various forms. Head on to the 1715m summit. It pays to occasionally drop onto the western side of the ridge to negotiate the more severe rocky outcrops. The summit has views of Lake Manapouri. Retrace your steps off the ridge, down to Garnock Burn, Hope Arm. you can arrange a boat pick-up at the Waiau River.

Wild File Access Pearl Harbour, Manapouri (boat required) Grade Difficult Time Pearl Harbour to Hope Arm Hut, 2.5hr; Hut to Bivvy at Pt1412, 5hr; Bivvy to summit, 1.5hr; Summit to Pearl Harbour, 9hr Distance 19.3km to summit Total ascent 1984m Map CE07 Lake Monowai Further Information There are boat services that drop you at Hope Arm Hut itself if you are short on time.

Elevation Profile

© Wilderness Magazine, www.wildernessmag.co.nz Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to map this route correctly, Wilderness does not accept responsibility for any errors. Users should plan their routes and gather as much information as possible before departing. The GPX file associated with this route has been drawn using Memory-Map software, version 6. Use descretion when following the route, especially when no track is marked on the map. The GPX file in these cases are a ‘best guess’ of the route only. Users should use a combination of GPS, visual observations, maps and compass to find the best possible route. Memory Map shows purple tracks and hut icons as verified routes and huts. Red or blue routes are those drawn by Wilderness.

Mt Titiroa, Fiordland National Park. Map 1

Mt Titiroa, Fiordland National Park. Map 2