Castle River - Dark River, 21 - 30 January 2012

An exciting solo trip through some of Fiordland's most amazing wilderness. Highlights included pack-rafting up Lake Te Anau, exploring a route from the Castle River into the Dark River, finding a better route over Hunter Pass, and an ascent of Barrier Peak via the east ridge.
Day 1: I walked from the Eglinton River mouth to Camp Bay, Lake Te Anau. Day 2: Taking advantage of a calm lake, I paddled to Worsley Hut, then walked up Worsley Stream to the Castle River junction. Day 3: Up the Castle River to the head of the valley. Day 4: I climbed through bluffs out of the Castle River cirque, then scrambled up the east ridge of Barrier Peak (wonderful solid granite!) before descending into the head of the Dark River. Day 5: Down the Dark River and into Starvation Creek. Day 6: Wild weather, and a welcome pit day. Day 7: Over Hunter Pass and down into Prospect Creek. Day 8: Out Prospect Creek to Worsley Stream. Day 9: Down the true left of Worsley Stream to Holdaway Memorial Hut (Worsley Hut). Day 10: I paddled to Glade House

View north from the east ridge of Barrier Peak
Barrier Peak Castle Mount Castle River Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lady of the Snows Lake Te Anau Llawrenny Peaks Moffat Peak Mount Aspiring Mount Balloon Mount Danger Mount Earnslaw Mount Elliot Mount Grave Mount Head Mount Madeline Mount Pembroke Mount Pillans Mount Tutoko Mount Underwood Mountaineering New Zealand Nicholas Peaks Pyramid Peak The Remarkables Tramping Castle Dark 315a
View north from the east ridge of Barrier Peak
Barrier Peak Castle Mount Castle River Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lady of the Snows Lake Te Anau Llawrenny Peaks Moffat Peak Mount Aspiring Mount Balloon Mount Danger Mount Earnslaw Mount Elliot Mount Grave Mount Head Mount Madeline Mount Pembroke Mount Pillans Mount Tutoko Mount Underwood Mountaineering New Zealand Nicholas Peaks Pyramid Peak The Remarkables Tramping Castle Dark 315b
View of Hunter Pass and Starvation Creek from the summit ridge of Barrier Peak
Barrier Peak Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Hunter Pass Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Starvation Creek Tramping Castle Dark 322
The east ridge of Barrier Peak - a delightful scramble
Barrier Peak Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Castle Dark 331
Castle River and Castle Mount. The Nicholas Peaks on the far left
Barrier Peak Castle Mount Castle River Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Nicholas Peaks Tramping Castle Dark 340a
Route through the bluffs out of the Castle River cirque
Barrier Peak Castle River Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Nicholas Peaks Tramping route topo Castle Dark 344b
Couloir Peak and the lake at the head of the Dark River
Barrier Peak Climbing Couloir Peak Dark River Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Castle Dark 350
Unnamed peak 1682m and the lake at the head of the Dark River
Climbing Dark River Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Castle Dark 354
Dark River cirque. The descent route from the tops follows a diagonal line from top right to bottom left
Climbing Dark River Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Castle Dark 362
At the head of the Dark River
Barrier Peak Climbing Dark River Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Castle Dark 366
Campsite at the head of the Dark River
Climbing Dark River Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Tent fly Tramping camp campsite tent Castle Dark 374
Dark River
Climbing Dark River Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Castle Dark 379
Dark River
Climbing Dark River Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Castle Dark 388
Starvation Creek
Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Starvation Creek Tramping Castle Dark 399
Campsite in Starvation Creek, where I sat out a violent NW storm
Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Starvation Creek Tent fly Tramping camp campsite tent Castle Dark 417
Nature's art - leaf on canvas
Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Starvation Creek Tent fly Tramping camp campsite canvas leaf tent Castle Dark 424
View down Starvation Creek, from the slopes below Hunter Pass
Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Hunter Pass Lake Te Anau Mount Herbert Mountaineering New Zealand Starvation Creek Tramping Castle Dark 426
Hunter Pass - a fearsome climb
Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Hunter Pass Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Starvation Creek Tramping Castle Dark 436
Hunter Pass and Barrier Peak
Barrier Peak Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Hunter Pass Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Starvation Creek Tramping Castle Dark 447
Looking up to the ledge through the second band of bluffs below Hunter Pass
Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Hunter Pass Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Starvation Creek Tramping Castle Dark 449
Barrier Peak and Hunter Pass
Barrier Peak Castle Mount Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Hunter Pass Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Starvation Creek Tramping Castle Dark 459
View from the ledge south of Hunter Pass: Starvation Creek and Barrier Peak
Barrier Peak Castle Mount Climbing Dark River Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Hunter Pass Lake Te Anau Mount Herbert Mountaineering New Zealand Starvation Creek Tramping Twin Sisters Castle Dark 474a
View from the ledge south of Hunter Pass
Barrier Peak Castle Mount Climbing Dark River Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Hunter Pass Lake Te Anau Mount Herbert Mountaineering New Zealand Starvation Creek Tramping Twin Sisters Castle Dark 474b
Hunter Pass and Barrier Peak
Barrier Peak Castle Mount Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Hunter Pass Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Starvation Creek Tramping Castle Dark 475
View down the Dark River. Swan Mere (bottom) and Mt Herbert (top) at centre image
Climbing Dark River Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Hunter Pass Lake Te Anau Mount Herbert Mountaineering New Zealand Swan Mere Tramping Castle Dark 484
The bluffs below Hunter Pass. The route climbs the scrub and snow grass fan left of centre image, between the two rock steps
Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Hunter Pass Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Starvation Creek Tramping Castle Dark 489
Route through the bluffs below Hunter Pass
Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Hunter Pass Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Starvation Creek Tramping route topo Castle Dark 489b
Hunter Pass and Barrier Peak
Barrier Peak Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Hunter Pass Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Castle Dark 490
Snow showers over Swan Mere, Dark River. Mounte Herbert above
Climbing Dark River Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Hunter Pass Lake Te Anau Mount Herbert Mountaineering New Zealand Swan Mere Tramping Castle Dark 498
The bluffs guarding Hunter Pass at the head of Starvation Creek
Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Hunter Pass Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Starvation Creek Tramping Castle Dark 508a
The saddle between Prospect Creek and Terminus Creek from Hunter Pass
Castle Mount Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Hunter Pass Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Prospect Creek Terminus Creek Tramping Castle Dark 535
Barrier Peak and the Prospect - Terminus Saddle from Hunter Pass
Barrier Peak Castle Mount Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Hunter Pass Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Prospect Creek Terminus Creek Tramping Castle Dark 547a
The saddle between Prospect Creek and Terminus Creek from below Hunter Pass
Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Prospect Creek Terminus Creek Tramping Castle Dark 550
Prospect Creek valley head, with the small unnamed lake (bottom left) and Lake Sumor (right). The bluffs in the top left corner guard the Prospect - Terminus Saddle
Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Sumor Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Prospect Creek Terminus Creek Tramping Castle Dark 555
Lake Sumor, Prospect Creek
Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Sumor Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Prospect Creek Tramping Castle Dark 558
Worsley Stream after a day of steady rain
Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Prospect Creek Tramping Worsley Stream Castle Dark 566
The same view the next morning - but the river was still too big to cross!
Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Prospect Creek Tramping Worsley Stream Castle Dark 571
View across the Worsley from the Terminus Creek junction
Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Terminus Creek Tramping Worsley Stream Castle Dark 577
The Franklin Mountains from Lake Te Anau
Climbing Fiordland Franklin Mountains Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Castle Dark 580
View up the Clinton River. The North Branch is the main valley right of centre image, with the peaks above Marshall Pass on the skyline
Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Castle Dark 595
View up Worsley Stream, Lake Te Anau
Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Castle Dark 602
View up Indecision Creek from the Milford Track boat, Lake Te Anau
Climbing Fiordland Glaisnock Wilderness Lake Te Anau Mountaineering New Zealand Tramping Castle Dark 606

Southern Alps Photography

Castle River - Dark River, 21 - 30 January 2012

Gallery comments

Neil Sloan

Dennis Page