Winter Tramping

Warfedale hut First overnighter since moving to chch nearly 2 years ago Mount Lyndon 1485 meters You have heaps of options down your way

Short circuit of the southern Takitimus in June. July - Had a go at Ivory Lake from the Tuke but turned round 2km short due to lack of snow (and excess of hard blue ice & rimed rock). Was amazingly lacking in the white stuff tho - snowline was 1800m in shaded faces and only permanent ice anywhere the sun got to. Managed a nice 10 days of exploring though over into the Whitcombe and back. 10 days of glorious West Coast sunshine. After that 12 more days in Kahurangi. Hope was to walk front range (Arthur Range) from Mt Arthur to Mt Owen then back via the valleys. But having only 3 day wx window changed that to south from Flora along the tops as far as Kiwi Saddle in more glorious sunshine but hard frozen ground. Crampons woulda been handy for a few frozen gravel/snowgrass descents on the dark faces. Ixe axe sufficed with care. Then back up the Wangapeka, Karamea to Roaring Lion in miserable rain. Had hoped to go over Kakapo Spur into the Cobb from there but clag and uncertainty about how much snow had fallen changed that to a more traditional exit via tablelands with a sidetrip to Asbestos Cottage. Scattering of snow and hard frost/ice on tops, but Kakapo Spur would have been a go-er as it turned out. Then drove round to the Cobb to visit the bit I'd missed & walked a loop up the valley and back down Lockett / Sylvester range to the carpark with a night at Ruby Lake. Managed a couple of short trips on the way back to Otago - a Manuka-Woolshed Crk-Pinacles loop. And a look at Spurs Hut. Aug - Loop over to the Motutapu track from the Cardrona side. Snow level 1400m. ice axe handy on frozen ground but the crampons just came along as ballast. Still waiting for winter! Where's the snow?

I walked from River Road to Upper Whirinaki hut via Central for an overnighter. 6 1/2 hours. Clear but cold under the bush canopy. Heavy frost froze the watertank tap but the creek was still flowing. Out via Mangamate in a similar time. Surprisingly little mud, and no-one else about. I think that I will do it again.

close up detailed study of the inside of clouds... remarkably similar regardless of how far apart the locations you visit...

@Madpom: >Aug - Loop over to the Motutapu track from the Cardrona side. Curious about your route? [Cardrona Skifield-Mt Cardrona-Macdonalds Peak-Knuckle Peak-Highland Creek Hut](https://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap?v=2&ll=-44.812836,168.927326&z=13) looks possible, was that or similar your route? I did Cardrona Skifield-Mt Sale (camped on top) -Crown Peak-Arrowtown last weekend, nice trip along the ridge with just enough snow to make it interesting and a camping spot to see both sunset and sunrise. I'll try to post pictures soon.

@ian_h. In via Spotts Creek track to The Stack CA boundary, then up Steels Spur, north along ridgeline and down the CA boundary to join the Motutapu track 2km downstream of Fern Burn Hut. That route all on easements or PCL _(carry on up Spotts Track to Mt Alpha and then ridgeline SW was the other option avoiding the scrubbash up Spotts to Steels Spur)_. Motutapu track from Fern Burn to Macetown. Plan from Macetown out was the reverse of much of what you walked: New Chum Ridge, Brackens Saddle, Crown Range Track to Crown Peak, then PCL and a short section of legal road down to the Crown Range Road Summit. Then the long walk into Megs Hut. Then either back out the next day to Cardrona; or: My preferred preferred option for the loop would be to go from Meg Hut to Kirtle Burn Hut, then get permission to cross the 4km of private land to Criffel CA and drop the northernmost of the two Criffel tracks back to the Cardrona Valley, coming out 500m north the Spotts Creek carpark. Nice 5-7 day off-season circuit there! However, the whole trip got postponed & thus shortened by a day to a 3-dayer so settled for New Chum Creek track from the Arrow to Crown Terrace and then hitched back to the truck from there. == Never realised how many public tracks there are in that private land between Skippers and Cardrona. I've added a few to routeguides.co.nz (including the section of legal road that fills the gap down from Crown Peak to the Crown Range summit). The full details of the covennated tracks - for those not familiar - are at: https://qeiinationaltrust.org.nz/places/central-otago-mahu-whenua/

Thanks Madpom. Yes some good possibilities in that whole Mahu Whenua area between the Shotover and Cardrona valleys for winter/shoulder season trips. I've been looking at a Motatapu variation, starting at the Fernburn in the usual way,possibly heading up the ridge directly south of Fernburn Hut, then staying on the ridge that goes Highland Saddle-Macdonalds Peak-Mt Cardrona-Mt Sale-Crown Peak. Looking at your route further north, it might be a goer to start on the Roys Peak track, continue on over Mt Alpha and stay high over Middle Peak, Highland Saddle and so on south to Crown Peak. A cheapish taxi ride to Mt Roy after catching the bus to Wanaka then the bus home from Arrowtown. Good to do when there's a little snow around to save having to head down into a creek for water, I assume it's quite dry up there in summer.

OK, think I've got photos sorted. Cardrona Skifield to Crown Peak and then down to Arrowtown last weekend. This was my campsite just on the side of Mt Sale, Little green tent on the far right: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50217650466_f01e3e5a5b_h.jpg Sunset from there: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50217874422_b623726616_c.jpg And sunrise: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50217874392_c53faa32e8_h.jpg Pictures show up bigger if you open them in a new window. Could have done as a day trip, but nice to camp up high on a clear and calm night. An annoying rattle was coming from my water bottle as I headed down the track to New Chums Gully in the morning.

Another good little midwinter trip was down to Jacksons Bay and a few nights camping at [Smoothwater Bay](https://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap?v=2&ll=-43.973561,168.590355&z=15) in early July. Took the surfcasting rod and caught a few fish for dinner. The young fellow hooked onto a big shark but it took off till it broke his line. Nice and frosty in the mornings so the sandflies were pretty quiet till after lunch. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50217908102_0d751e6b68_c.jpg Would have gone through to Stafford Hut, but didn't have the daylight left by the time we got underway, then once we had the tent up and a campfire on the beach, it was nice to stay there.