Info on Tapuae O Uenuku

Hi Amber....have done it a few times, always from the Hodder river side....you will need to get permission from Alan Pitts first as its on his land. The climb up is spent mostly in the Hodder river, that is, criss crossing it about 70+ times....no matter what, you're going to get wet. The Hodder huts are in good condition and can sleep (I think) 12 in one and 6 in the smaller one, just remember to close the doors when you leave. There's envelopes for payment, or you can pay in advance to the Marlborough Tramping Club, they're not DoC huts. It's a fair climb up to the huts, about 6-7 hours depending on your fitness, and it's a real calf strainer from the huts to the summit.......but the views are well worth the effort. Hope this helps a little....? Good luck and enjoy.

Sorry I should have included this link. http://marlboroughtrampingclub.webs.com/mttapuaeouenuku.htm

A cheap pair of sandshoes got me through the 80+ crossings. Kept my boots dry. I went in Sept and still the crossings were brief and never much over the belly button.

It's not a technically challenging climb. From the hut you climb up into the big basin below Tappy, Alarm and Mitre and then it's up the side of the basin towards Tappy and along the ridge at the end to the top. A bit of exposure once on the ridge, but not too bad. A good work-out and can be pretty hot in the basin. Famous for munting boots. lots of loose sharpish rock. In January the river crossings should be ankle to calf deep, unless there's been a lot of recent rain. Basically wandering up a rocky shallow stream.

Some people climb it from the Clarence. It's a big day with a 2400m height gain. Sir Ed kicked a hole in his boot and got frostbite descending this route then he had a 2 day walk out to the road. The station, Remuera, that gives permission for access have Branch Cottage that can be rented out. It has electricity and showers I believe. Yet to do it myself...

All good advice above. The peak is surprisingly prone to thick clag, which stopped us reaching the top, but otherwise the trip is straightforward. GPS useful in those conditions. Ed Hillary's 'Tappy' stories in his book 'Nothing Venture, Nothing Win' make great reading for anyone who has been in there. He was training at Woodbourne with the RNZAF during the war, and in top condition...after a couple of trips, none of his mates would travel with him! Access from the Clarence side sounds very hard, and my guess not often done. Probably people have read Ed's book!