Worst Fords

Hi, Don't know about the Travers-Sabine or Dasler Pinnacles but I'd say all the others have ok fords in normal no rain/low snow melt conditions. Maybe what you want to know is; which routes have fords that are likely to become dangerous/unfordable the most quickly in adverse conditions? They all need respect! Tho the steeper & shorter the catchment & degree of ground cover will influence the speed of rise and fall. From the opposite perspective Welcome Flat has flood routes and bridges over all the significant waterways so you have the choice whether to ford a waterway or not. On the Inland Pack Track, Deception-Minga & Three Passes there are fords that can quickly become dangerous. On the latter route the Harman River ford has been bridged since 1972 but there are plenty of other fords that turn nasty quickly especially on the steep side creeks.

Travers Sabine poses no problems in normal flows either

all major rivers and side creeks are bridged on the travers sabine

I recall taking some time to find a good crossing point on the Wilkin near Kerin Hut when I wanted to go downriver to the Makarora via the track on the true left. That was 15 years ago though...I think we'd had a day's rain a couple of days before and it was autumn. I find one of the trickier rivers to cross is the Taipo. It's usually waist high. Fortunately there is a cable crossing but is beyond me as a solo operator!

It seemed that Travers-Sabine was the safest in normal conditions. I've heard Welcome Flat had a new slip that is causing issues? Thanks for the help!

The main thing with rivers anywahere and side streams for that mater is to treat them with respect. Rivers rise quickly but also go down quickly too. If a river is too high to cross easily and safely then it is just a mater of waiting until they go down again. Often the wait isn't long. A few hours or overnight cam make a huge difference.

So true, pmcke. I recall the Waiohine gorge where we waited for 2 hours in decreasing, light rain. Lisa Lee Johnson kept testing it and finally grabbed a pal and forged across. It was all on! 5 pack floats later, we arrived at the track to Carkeek Hut. Classic.