Mesopotamia to Neish Plateau, 23 - 30 December 2009

A straightforward tramp east of the Main Divide, in the barren country sheltered from the nor'west winds. Lots of gravel bashing, but the Neish Plateau is beautiful and well worth the effort. Murphy Stream and the glacier crossings over Mt Forbes and Terranova Pass were also highlights. Seven days of sunshine out of eight, we never got rained on! Day 1: Dunedin to Mesopotamia, and on to Growler Hut. Day 2: into the Forbes and over Easy Col into Murphy Stream. Day 3: over Mt Forbes and down Separation Stream to Godley Hut. Day 4: pit day. Day 5: around Godley Lake and up the Godley Glacier. Day 6: Neish Plateau and McKinnon Peak - stunning! - then more moraine bashing to Terranova Pass. Day 7: Saint Winifred Stream - finally a green valley! - then down Eric Stream and the Havelock River to John Curtis Memorial Hut. Day 8: out to Mesopotamia and home. Party: Annelies Inghelbrecht, Ben Hepp, Lara Wilcocks, Nina Dickerhof, Danilo Hegg.

Trip map. 1 grid square = 10km. Left click on map then select "Sizes -> Original" in bottom right corner of screen to view full size
Trip map - detail of alpine section. Left click on map then select "Sizes -> Original" in bottom right corner of screen to view full size
Fording a braid of the Rangitata River. McClure Peak (left) and the Cloudy Peak Range loom above
Climbing Cloudy Peak Range McClure Peak Mountaineering New Zealand Rangitata River River crossing Southern Alps Tramping
Black Mountain Hut interior
Black Mountain Hut Climbing Mountaineering New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping
Taking a break at Black Mountain Hut
Black Mountain Hut Climbing Mountaineering New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping
Havelock River and Cloudy Peak Range. Looking into Cloudy Stream to Cloudy Peak and Ferrar Peak
Climbing Cloudy Peak Cloudy Peak Range Cloudy Stream Ferrar Peak Havelock River Mountaineering New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping
Cloudy Peak from the south
Climbing Cloudy Peak Cloudy Peak Range Cloudy Stream Mountaineering New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping
Growler Hut, our home on the first night
Climbing Growler Hut Havelock River Mountaineering New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping
Ben in Growler Hut
Climbing Growler Hut Havelock River Mountaineering New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping
Walking up the Forbes River. Mt Coates, Separation Col and Mt D'Archiac in the back
Climbing Forbes River Mountaineering Mt Coates Mt D'Archiac New Zealand Separation Col Southern Alps Tramping Two Thumb Range
Walking up the Forbes River. Mt Coates, Separation Col and Mt D'Archiac in the back
Climbing Forbes River Mountaineering Mt Coates Mt D'Archiac New Zealand Separation Col Southern Alps Tramping Two Thumb Range
Murphy Stream headwaters from the ridge east of Easy Col. East Sentinel and Mt Earle.
Climbing East Sentinel Easy Col Mountaineering Mt Earle Murphy Glacier Murphy Stream New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping Two Thumb Range
Looking back down the route to Easy Col from the Forbes. The scree top at centre-right image is Mt McMillan.
Climbing Easy Col Forbes River Mountaineering Mt McMillan New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping Two Thumb Range
Murphy Stream river flats and Cloudy Peak range
Climbing Cloudy Peak Range Mountaineering Murphy Stream New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping Two Thumb Range
Mt D'Archiac, Revelation Col and The Onlooker from the Murphy Glacier
Climbing Mountaineering Mt D'Archiac Murphy Glacier New Zealand Revelation Col Southern Alps The Onlooker Tramping Two Thumb Range
The north ridge of Mt Forbes from the southern edge of the Murphy Glacier, with our route to the pass leading into Separation Stream
Climbing Mountaineering Mt Forbes Murphy Glacier New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping Two Thumb Range
The pass between the Macaulay River and Separation Stream, at 2400m just north of Mt Forbes
Climbing Mountaineering Mt Forbes Murphy Glacier New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping Two Thumb Range
The south face of Mt D'Archiac from the pass north of Mt Forbes
Climbing Mountaineering Mt D'Archiac Mt Forbes New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping Two Thumb Range
Looking west from the pass north of Mt Forbes. From left to right are Mt Elie De Beaumont, Mt Moffat, Mt Loughnan and Mt D'Archiac
Climbing Mountaineering Mt D'Archiac Mt Elie De Beaumont Mt Forbes Mt Loughnan Mt Moffat New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping Two Thumb Range
On the pass north of Mt Forbes
Climbing Mountaineering Mt Forbes New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping Two Thumb Range
Looking back into the Macaulay River and the Two Thumb Range from the pass north of Mt Forbes
Climbing Macaulay River Mountaineering Mt Forbes New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping Two Thumb Range
Approaching the pass north of Mt Forbes. The Macaulay River below.
Climbing Macaulay River Mountaineering Mt Forbes New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping Two Thumb Range
Mt D'Archiac and Separation Glacier from Mt Forbes
Climbing Mountaineering Mt D'Archiac Mt Forbes New Zealand Separation Glacier Southern Alps Tramping Two Thumb Range
Looking across the Godley from Mt Forbes: Mt Cook, Mt Tasman and Mt Elie de Beaumont
Climbing Godley River Mountaineering Mt Cook Mt Elie De Beaumont Mt Forbes Mt Tasman New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping
Mt Sibbald from Mt Forbes
Climbing Mountaineering Mt Forbes Mt Sibbald New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping Two Thumb Range
Ben, Lara, Nina on Mt Forbes. Mt D'Archiac behind
Climbing Mountaineering Mt D'Archiac Mt Forbes New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping Two Thumb Range
Descending Separation Stream. The river disappears under the Separation Glacier where the latter flows across the valley floor
Climbing Mountaineering New Zealand Separation Glacier Separation Stream Southern Alps Tramping
Panorama, Gordon Peak, Mt Fletcher and lower Godley Lake.
Climbing Godley Lake Mountaineering Mt Fletcher Mt Gordon New Zealand Panorama Southern Alps Tramping
The Godley River between the lakes. Panorama, Gordon Peak and Mt Fletcher in the back. Cassino Peak, Alamein Peak and Takrouna Peak are just visible above the valley of the Grey Glacier.
Alamein Peak Cassino Peak Climbing Godley Lake Godley River Grey Glacier Mountaineering Mt Fletcher Mt Gordon New Zealand Panorama Southern Alps Takrouna Peak Tramping moraine
The Liebig Range and lower Godley Lake from near Godley Hut. Mt Acland and Mt Sydney King to the right.
Climbing Godley Lake Liebing Range Mountaineering Mt Acland Mt Sydney King New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping
Approaching Godley Hut. Fitzgerald Stream and unnamed peak 2120 to the right.
Climbing Fitzgerald Stream Godley Hut Mountaineering New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping
Godley Hut
Alamein Peak Cassino Peak Climbing Godley Hut Gordon Peak Grey Glacier Mountaineering New Zealand Southern Alps Takrouna Peak Tramping
Rainbow over Godley Hut
Climbing Godley Hut Gordon Peak Mountaineering New Zealand Panorama Rainbow Southern Alps Tramping
Rainbow over Panorama and Gordon Peak
Climbing Godley Hut Gordon Peak Mountaineering New Zealand Panorama Rainbow Southern Alps Tramping
Rainbow over Panorama and Gordon Peak
Climbing Godley Hut Godley Lake Gordon Peak Mountaineering New Zealand Panorama Rainbow Southern Alps Tramping
The Godley Lakes. Panorama is on the far left, Mt Moffat in cloud just to the right, Mt Fletcher at centre image and Mt Wolseley to the right.
Climbing Godley Glacier Godley Lake Mountaineering Mt Fletcher Mt Moffat Mt Wolseley New Zealand Panorama Southern Alps Tramping moraine
Godley River and Lakes, and the Liebig Range
Climbing Godley Lake Godley River Liebing Range Mountaineering Mt Acland Mt Moffat Mt Sydney King New Zealand Panorama Southern Alps Tramping
Mt Petermann, Mt Shyness and Malthus Peak at the head of the Godley Lake
Climbing Godley Glacier Godley Lake Malthus Peak Mountaineering Mt Petermann Mt Shyness New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping
Mt Petermann, Mt Shyness and Malthus Peak at the head of the Godley Lake
Climbing Godley Glacier Godley Lake Malthus Peak Mountaineering Mt Petermann Mt Shyness New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping
Descending the moraine to the Godley Lake. Panorama and Moffat Peak behind
Climbing Godley Glacier Godley Lake Grey Glacier Mountaineering Mt Moffat New Zealand Panorama Southern Alps Tramping moraine
On the Neish Plateau: Mt Wolseley, Mt Kennedy, Mt Victoire, and the south-east shoulder m2245 of McKinnon Peak
Climbing McKinnon Peak Mountaineering Mt Kennedy Mt Victoire Mt Wolseley Neish Plateau New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping
On the Neish Plateau, looking up to Mt Victoire
Climbing Mountaineering Mt Victoire Neish Plateau New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping
On the Neish Plateau, looking up to Mt Wolseley, Mt Kennedy and Mt Victoire
Climbing Mountaineering Mt Kennedy Mt Victoire Mt Wolseley Neish Plateau New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping
View from McKinnon Peak: Mt Wolseley (left, front) and Mt Cook (right, back)
Climbing McKinnon Peak Mountaineering Mt Cook Mt Elie De Beaumont Mt Kennedy Mt Tasman Mt Victoire Mt Wolseley Neish Plateau New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping
The Garden of Eden from McKinnon Peak
Climbing Garden of Eden Ice Plateau Louper Peak Malcolm Peak McKinnon Peak Mountaineering Mt Evans Mt Farrar Mt Goethe Mt Hulka Mt Kensington Mt Lambert Mt Nicholson Mt Tyndall Mt Whitcombe Neish Plateau New Zealand Newton Peak Park Dome Southern Alps Tramping Trireme Peak
The Garden of Eden from McKinnon Peak
Climbing Garden of Eden Ice Plateau Louper Peak Malcolm Peak McKinnon Peak Mountaineering Mt Evans Mt Farrar Mt Goethe Mt Hulka Mt Kensington Mt Lambert Mt Nicholson Mt Tyndall Mt Whitcombe Neish Plateau New Zealand Newton Peak Park Dome Southern Alps Tramping Trireme Peak
On the Neish Plateau. Mt D'Archiac, Mt Sibbald and Mt Wolseley in the back
Climbing McKinnon Peak Mountaineering Mt D'Archiac Mt Sibbald Mt Wolseley Neish Plateau New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping
Campsite on the Godley Glacier, at the foot of the Neish Plateau ice-fall.
Climbing Godley Glacier Mountaineering Neish Plateau New Zealand Southern Alps Tramping campsite ice fall tent

Southern Alps Photography

Mesopotamia to Neish Plateau, 23 - 30 December 2009

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