Beeby's Hut

An 800m climb sounds daunting for a Saturday afternoon, but spread over 8km the walk up to Beeby's Hut was actually relatively gentle (relative to other tracks in the Richmond Ranges anyway). Meandering its way up through open beech forest Beeby's track is interesting both underfoot and around about, with road noise and farm sounds quickly dying away into the distance. Rich earthy-smelling brown humus, black honeydew-covered beech trunks, vibrant green leaves, melodic bellbirds; a soothing feast for the senses.

Intriguingly we came across a white post and a newly formed track marked with orange flagging tape leading off into the bush at 900m. Curiosity got the better of me so we dropped packs and followed the trail for 300m to investigate. From this junction up to the 4WD track there was fresh trail work and flagged deviations leading me to deduce (correctly) that a new mountain bike trail was being put in. There was one steep pinch two-thirds of the way up, gaining 100m altitude in about 300m, but after that it was a lovely gentle stroll through stunted, mossy beech.

Emerging onto the 4WD track the temperature plummeted as we were hit by the icy southwesterly wind. Wooly hats and extra jerseys were hurriedly donned before we briskly strode along the road, glad that the sun was shining. Turning around we were treated to panoramic views of Lake Rotoiti and the snow-capped peaks of Nelson Lakes; Mt Owen and Mt Arthur dominated the skyline to the west, while eastward lay the Red Hills and a cheeky glimpse of the Inland Kaikoura Range. The 3km of 4WD track to Beeby's Hut was pleasant enough despite the biting wind and the views were definitely well worth the walk. In terms of the Effort-to-Interest-to-Views ratio this track would have to rate pretty highly!

Beeby's Hut is a standard six bunk Forest Service hut but was recently refurbished so is nice and light inside. There are no views from the hut itself as it is tucked into the bush edge but it is only a minute up to the ridge. One little gripe is that the fireplace is extraordinarily smokey and unless both windows were open the hut filled up with smoke. At one point Brendan got smoked out from his perch on the top bunk, making a dash for the door with watering eyes.

It turned out to be "Local's Night" at Beeby's Hut. A few minutes after we arrived a group of four turned up, two of whom happened to live the next street over from us! They proved to be excellent company for the night. At 7:30pm a father and son turned up, and it turned out they they were also from Nelson. Despite having 8 people in a 6 bunk hut it wasn't crowded or chaotic at all. Merely pleasantly and courteously cosy.

One benefit of winter tramping is that you get to sleep in and yet still watch the sunrise. After a good sleep and surprisingly quiet night considering there were 8 potential snorers in the 6 bunk hut Brendan and I wandered up the hill to watch the dawn colour fade from the sky and the first rays of sunlight strike the mountains. First Mt Owen was lit up then Mount Arthur, soon followed by the Raglan Range. At 8:05am the sun peeped over the Red Hills. The breeze was still cool but had swung around to the east and was not quite so bitter as the day before. We were reluctant to leave this magnificent spot, but after a lazy breakfast of milo/coffee and half of a Chelsea bun each it was a quick stroll down to the car and out to Wakefield for a pie.

Solo to Starveall

It was 0°C when I set off mid-morning from the Aniseed Valley car park in the Richmond Ranges. Pretty cold for the first couple of kilometres along Hacket Creek! (Later I heard this section referred to as "Polar Mile"). I was wearing shorts and my quads were soon red and numb. It took 1 1/2 hours to reach Hacket Hut, which was serenely situated in a sunny clearing. After a quick break it was 30 minutes and 8 river crossings up Hacket Creek, all of which I managed to tiptoe across with dry feet, before beginning the relentless 900m climb. My pack felt pretty heavy! I chugged up the hill steadily; there was no rush and I had the world to myself.

I popped out at Starveall Hut after 4:40 hours and 1,140m of ascent. A hunter (Phil) and his dog (Molly) were already in residence but there was plenty of space to spare in the cosy 6 bunk hut. The tap had broken off the water tank so I had to climb up on top and scoop water out with a billy into a 20L container. Nearby Pt 1258 provided a spectacular vantage point with panoramic views of Mt Rintoul, Abel Tasman and the Arthur Range. There was not a breath of wind so I spent well over an hour soaking up the serenity. Returning to the hut for a hot soup, I was soon back out to watch the brilliant orange sun slowly sink behind the silhouetted shoulder of Mt Arthur. The evening was spent sitting in front of the fire spinning yarns. Phil regaled me with hunting stories and tales of his time trekking in Nepal.

Sunset behind Mt Arthur

Watched the sunrise then headed over Mt Starveall (1,511m) to Slaty Hut. There was a bit of powdery snow around on the tops which was good fun. There was no time pressure as I had all day to fill in so I took my time and had plenty of stops. Two hours through to Slaty Hut, and then I carried on along the track and popped up to Slaty Peak (1,544m). I lingered here in the sunshine for a while before deciding that it was time to get a move on as cloud was spilling over Starveall. Instead of backtracking I continued north then east along the ridge to pick up the track where it entered the bush. The temperature dropped a bit once I entered the cloud, but there was no wind so it was actually quite pleasant. Picking my way down rocks coming off Mt Starveall my foot slipped and I took a small chunk of skin off my hand - nothing a plaster couldn't fix. It was still early in the afternoon when I arrived back at Starveall Hut so I spent a while mucking around gathering firewood etc. There was a pile of logs where a tree had been cleared down the bank so I lugged those up to the wood shed. Cloud came in even thicker at 3:30pm with light showers and a few pellets of hail; the temperature plummeted to 4°C. I was alone for the night, basking in the warmth of the fire.

Slaty Peak

Woke up refreshed after a good long sleep. Packed up efficiently and lugged more firewood to the woodshed before setting off down the hill. The hut was in cloud but I soon dropped down below. I moved steadily, only stopping for photography. For over a kilometre a friendly fantail kept me company, darting around my legs and often approaching within a few inches. He left me at the second to last river crossing. It took 2 hours to reach Hacket Creek and then another half hour through to Hacket Hut. Once again I managed to tiptoe my way across all 8 stream crossings with dry feet. All that remained was a pleasant stroll out to the car park.

Starveall Hutt

Map


I couldn't trace the origin of the name Starveall in the region, but it seems to be a common English farm name implying poor land which is certainly apt.