Florence Stream Lakes

Tried this twice in late dec and been thwarted by NWers. There was still snow on the face climbing towards Lake Roe from between the top 2 lakes of the Florence. But nothing beyond the abilities if an ice axe & maybe crampons to deal with - ie no heavy snow loading by then. Wind then rain caused me to turn back on 2 attempts. I'd expect feb to be an improvement.

Went through there nearly 30 years ago in February. Don't recall any problems fording the Grebe. Good weather and snow free up past the lakes, but there were a few steepish sidles picking your way between the lakes that were not difficult but would have been with snow on them. Worth taking a lightweight ice axe for any of that steep snow grass country even if there is no snow on it.

Thanks guys. Axe and crampons would add a lot of weight being carried onward on the Dusky track, and maybe back through Percy Saddle. Since I don't have climbing experience, would probably try to go without them.

In February you should be fine without ice axe and crampons. My recollection was that a few of those faces between one tarn and the next one lower down looked a little craggy with a waterfall down them but when you got up close there was always a nice little ledge and a quite easy and sneaky little way up and through to next level. We didn't have any ice axes or any other climbing gear when we went through there. My point above was more that it's nice to have an ice axe on this kind of trip - I carry a short camp corsa all aluminium axe that only weighs about 200g on this sort of trip, it's great on those snow grass sidles where it can be wet and slippery and consequences of a slip are not going to be good.

Unbelievable: An ice axe that weighs like a mobile phone ! Maybe I'll get me one :-)

Consider the next one up; the Camp Nanotech. Only 250g, but with steel reinforced axe tip and point. I've got a very different axe at the moment. Folds down to the length of a ruler, but heavy. I will probably buy one of these Nanotechs before next winter....

Goung back to the Grebe crossing: I've spent 3 days on the wring side if the florence/grebe confluence after bailing from the tops, waiting for the river to drop. The florence is definately impassable after heavy rain anywhere between the Grebe forks & the forks in the main valley below the bottom lake. Travel from the Grebe to the outflow of lake 1 was all on the TL so just one crossing to worry about. There was a rough shack & some kero drums at the bushedge on the NW sude of the Grebe/Florence forks - good for emergency shelter (2007).

Found a good deal on ebay for a Petzl Literide. Hanging brand new on the living room wall, it would allow pretense that it took me up a mountain :-) An uncertain part of the journey for me would be from the Borland road to the bush line near the second lake, where finding the obvious deer trail, avoiding deep bogs, river crossings and outright bush-bashing would be difficult. Of course - the weather would play a crucial role. My best bet could be to either start from the Borland road when the forecast is dry and less windy for 3 days, or to walk the Dusky track from lake Hauroko, and hope for good weather on the two days following the stay in Lake Roe Hut. However, starting from Hauroko Burn Hut would take part of the adventure away.

It's a good solid Fiordland bush bash up the Florence, but straightforward enough as I recall. A different story if the weather was nasty, though bashing through thick bush and bogs in the rain is something you've got to get used to if you want to spend much time in the back of Fiordland. From the Grebe road I think you need a minimum of two days to get through to Lake Roe Hut, though it would be nice to have an extra day or so to camp up around those lakes and explore if the weather was co-operative. The problem with going the other way is if the weather gets wet after you get down into the Florence, you're trapped in there - can't get across the Grebe, can't get all the way back again over the tops. Another thing to get used to in Fiordland - camping for days in the rain on the wrong side of a flooded river, a cup of cold water and a gulp of fresh air for breakfast, lunch and dinner, listening to the boulders banging on the bottom of the riverbed and the sandflies drumming on the tent inner...