Goat Creek track to Mt Barron

This was one end of a great loop up and down Mt Barron. Sadly the track has degenerated through neglect and slippage and marking has disappeared.  The track isn't even signposted at the road, unlike the other branch which leads up from near the old Rolleston River landfill site.

I don't know when this track was last cut by the government agencies. The dude who runs the Otira Backpackers was doing a bit of work on it but hasn't done anything for 5 years. He has cut a track from his backpackers to the pipeline track.

I'll enquire at the DoC Users Group meeting on 2 June 2010 to see if DoC knows if there are any plans to reinstate this track. The Rolleston River branch was cut in May 2010 by Hokitika DoC to just above the bushline only. Hopefully they will finish the job. They have left a scrub cutter there so it looks as though they plan to come back shortly.

Unfortunately the track cutters have not followed the upper part of the original line of the benched packhorse track created by railway surveyors. This is either because they  were unable to find it hidden by thick regrowth or were too bloody lazy and just decided to cut straight uphill as it would be less work. At least they haven't banged the nails all the way in the track markers as they sometimes do so the markers should last a few years...Perhaps someone coming down from the tops can mark the original line and recut it. Same goes for the Goat Creek track too.