Stewart Island, Tin Range - Doughboy Bay

Have plotted some way points on the GPS I will be taking based on info provided above. This should give us a general sense of direction. But we will be hoping to find the above mentioned trails. Will try to post this.... Also just occurred to me we are going in the middle of "The Roar" and hunting blocks surrounding the area are fully booked. Has anyone been tramping off track in Stewart Island during The Roar?? Is it a stupid thing to do.......makes me nervous.... I know I will go buy a orange blaze hat and a bright pack cover.....not that I resemble a deer. Thanks,

Yup, never been a problem so far. I think the tin range would be too remote for hunters. But as you get close to Doughboy, maybe. However the hunters might be concentrated more along the coastline. I understand deer like seaweed and broadleaf! I don't think hunters like to have to walk too far carrying their back steaks etc. It can feel a bit unnerving walking through areas where you know they're hunting. Maybe you could keep up a bit of a conversation...

I went back to Doughboy and found where the track starts. It is in the logical place really. It starts at the foot of that WNW spur that runs off Point 150. This is a very pretty wee place. A small stream tunnels under a rock bridge, near an overhang where people have place cut reeds and fern fronds for bedding. The overhang is not appealing though as it is a bit damp. We put some markers up to Point 150 and did a tiny bit of track clearing by hand. DoC workers suspect this may have been a wildlife smuggler's track and put motion activated cameras in about 5 years ago but only got images of themselves and deer on it, unfortunately. We went a wee bit beyond point 150. The south-east side of this summit where the track then goes has lightening strike scars. The bit we did was well-marked and easy to follow (in daylight) with the blue strapping tape tied to vegetation. While we were looking for the start of the track, I found a blue tarp/half teepee set-up in tall manuka by that creek - at the base of a slip which is about 100 metres north-east of where that track starts. There's some stuff stashed under fishery crates there e.g. a pruning saw - but it is rusted up. Amazing what you find when you poke around. Stewart Island is like that! We managed to cross Doughboy Creek 400 metres up from the mouth as it hadn't rained for a while regardless of the tide. The quicksand was no big deal either - maybe due to the recent lack of rain. Normally it is recommended to cross Doughboy Ck at the mouth up to 3 hours either side of low tide due to quicksand issues. Wonderful to be back there. This time we spent 3 days there in good weather.

Hi all. Just wondering if anyone has any more recent experience than the one @Honora has mentioned in the previous post or any experience with finding the start of the route to Doughboy from the Tin Range end? Heading down this way in early march and planning a Tin Range/Doughboy wander. Thanks, David

Yes, I'd be glad for some pointers on the Tin Range start of the track. We dropped down through heinous scrub and eventually encountered evidence of the track on the flatter scrubby wide area NW of Point 637. Hopefully someone has been back and marked it a bit more as the orange rope had faded to an identical shade as dead rimu and was hard to spot and the pink cruise tape had oxidised to white and was becoming brittle. Snip marks had rotted and were disappearing as well. The Doughboy end was in much better nick.

Thanks @Honora. Much appreciated. How long did it take you to get through to/from Doughboy? Any options for campsites once you drop off the Tin Range or all too scrubby down there?