Okuru and Ngatau River Valleys

Hi This may help you... but you are going to find the tracks overgrown in most instances. And over the last few years things have tended to change a tad. Its typical South Westland bush but is easier to travel through Access to start with is on the West side of the Okuru past Franklin Creek (cant be mistaken) and continues for some time till Emily Creek. Easy to ford here in average weather conditions. Stay on the East bank and continue right through to the headwaters. There is access to the Burke Valley via Princess Creek. At the low saddle/pass into the Burke is rather straight forward but its a bit of a slog getting down the Burke. The Burke Gorge is spectacular. The Okuru and its sister Ngatau offer several passes into other watersheds. Blue River Makarora Burke Turnbull Lake Douglas, Fording all these rivers creeks etc is rather straight forward. Have a happy trip hope this helps Peter Harker

I went down the Ngatau from Siberia Saddle in 1996. It took us a day from the head where we camped at the scrubline east of Ultima Creek to the confluence with the Okuru River. Towards the confluence, we sidled above the Ngatau for some distance. It took us another day to get from the confluence to Mueller Pass. Going up the Okuru was a bit hard going in places with large boulders. We avoided one tricky bit by ascending a classic little razorbacked spur on the true left for 100m or so and then dropping back to the river. Where Princes Creek becomes too hard to follow we sidled quite high on the true left. The rivers were quite low as it hadn't rained for about 4 days. We descended the Burke in a couple of days I think. There were old track markers but no track! We used the derelict Strachan Creek bridge which consisted of 2 intact wires but since then it's been removed. I believe you can find a crossing place further upstream but it would be very hairy as the entry points to and from the creek are very steep. My mates crossed it without using the bridge the previous year. Regarding Siberia Saddle: When we went over it from Siberia Creek we avoided steep snow by scrambling a couple of metres up a nasty chossy chimney on the right hand side as you look at the saddle. It would be good to hear what route you did and how you got on.

Thanks for the info Honora but the trip had to be abandoned only 1 day in as I developed quite severe gastroenteritis and needed to get out asap. Only got in as far as Franklin creek where we camped the night before heading out the next morning. Bummer. Conditions were ideal and river crossings easy. It will have to wait until next year.

I crossed from the Young into the Ngatau 31 Dec 1959. Pretty rugged descent involving many bluffs. travelled down the Ngatau to Okuru and then up Emily Creek and into Roaring Swine (more bluffs) and down to the Haast. Waikato Tramping Club has more detailed info

Emily Creek looks a bit gorged! Of course in those days you had the deer chewing highways for you. My sisters at the age of 6 and 7 went from Doubtful Sound to Dusky Sound with my Dad in a fair sized party. Don't think that would be a goer nowadays. Did you go over Governors Saddle or via that nice looking tarn east of Mt Doris?

How doable would that tramp be in wimter?

Hmm...short days, valleys that don't see the sun for months. Not sure about that! Maybe pmcke has been to Fiordland in the winter and could comment.