A two-week long tramping and pack-rafting trip in South-West Fiordland. Click here to see pictures of the wildlife in the Waitutu Forest and at Lake Mouat.

Day 1: We left Lake Hauroko car park nice and early and paddled Lake Hauroko to Teal Bay Hut and to the start of the Wairaurahiri River. We then followed the marked route to Lake Poteriteri past Rata Burn, and set up camp on the true right of the first major (unnamed) tributary two km further to the south-west.
Day 2: In steady rain, we walked on to Lake Poteriteri Hut. We were able to cross the unbridged stream 1km south of our campsite thanks to a fallen tree.
Day 3: We paddled a very rough Lake Poteriteri, then followed the true left of the unnamed river flowing through Lake Mouat to a splendid campsite 2.5km up from the lake. Sandflies here were the worst we experienced on our whole trip - hence we suggest the name 'Namu River' for this major unnamed water course.
Day 4: On to Lake Mouat, which we paddled the length of, and to a campsite in a swamp 1.5km up-valley. Lake Mouat has no beaches and no campsites.
Day 5: We followed an unnamed tributary of the Namu River to a lake, which we paddled, then climbed through steep scrub to a wonderful subalpine plateau above Lake Monk. Notice that there is a substantial waterfall, not shown on the map and not trivial to get past, in the elbow at CF06 355 893, and another beautiful waterfall at CF06 338 887. We found an abandoned food drop in a tarn at our campsite, and buried it, but not without eating the chocolate first.
Day 6: After some heinous scrub bashing down to the head of Lake Monk, we dropped our gear and climbed Rugged Mount to get views of Long Sound and Chalky Inlet. The whole valley above Lake Monk is a swamp, and does not have a single dry spot to camp, other than by tarns high up on Rugged Mount. We crashed in our bivvy bags among tussocks on the lake shore.
Day 7: An early start to paddle Lake Monk. From a rocky knoll near the outlet at CF06 347 852 we descended east through steep, thick scrub among bluffs, gradually veering left to avoid major bluffs at the toe of the spur. We then descended into the Big River East Branch to a camp opposite the first major true right tributary. Notice that the 10m waterfall shown on the topomaps below the outlet of Lake Monk is in fact a spectacular chataract 100m high.
Day 8: Much bush and swamp bashing down the Big River East Branch, with a short paddle through the swamp 2km upstream of the junction with the West Branch. Notice that the 22m waterfall shown on the topomaps is only 5m high. A 22m waterfall probably does exist, in the deep gorge about 800m further north. We could see the top of it, but did not go closer to investigate.
Day 9: Down Big River to the head of Lake Hakapoua. We were able to paddle the section around the large slip; anything above the junction of the East and West Branches was too clogged with log-jams for us to be able to do any progress on the water. We stayed on the true right below the slip, then paddled back to the true left just before the river mouth in Lake Hakapoua. We found a lovely campsite at the eastern end of the beach at the head of Lake Hakapoua.
Day 10: A pre-dawn start to paddle Lake Hakapoua meant we reached the mouth of Big River just after 9am. We then walked the South Coast Track to the wonderfully located Westies Hut in Prices Harbour. Notice that the location of Westies Hut is incorrectly shown on the topomaps. The hut is 1km further west at CG06 332 632.
Day 11: Along the South Coast Track from Westies Hut to Waitutu Hut, located on the true right of the Waitutu River.
Day 12: In heavy rain from Waitutu Hut to Wairaurahiri Hut, located on the true left of the Wairaurahiri River - 12km of wading through deep mud and flood waters, with two challenging river crossings just east of the Angus Burn. More importantly, we had troubles negotiating the ford at CG06 537 616, 800m west of the Wairaurahiri River - we would have not made it across had we not found a dodgy crossing on a rotting log. The topomap incorrectly shows a major stream flowing into the Wairaurahiri River at CG06 543 618. The whole lower course of this stream is about 500m further west than shown on the map, and the stream flows directly into the ocean at CG06 538 608, thus intersecting the South Coast Track.
Day 13: From Wairaurahiri Hut to Port Craig Schoolhouse via the historic viaducts. The Percy Burn Viaduct is currently closed, and a bypass track is in place that climbs into and out of the Percy Burn.
Day 14: From Port Craig along the South Coast Track to Rarakau car park.

Party: Hannah Joynt and Danilo Hegg.