Chucky's Adventures: Benmore Hut, Korowai/Torlesse Tussocklands Park

My flatmate Jodie was the only keen bean who was up for an adventure this weekend. After scanning the guidebooks for some inspiration, I settled on a trip to Benmore Hut in the Korowai/Torless Tussocklands Park.

The original plan was to use two cars and come over Ben More from the Lake Lyndon Rd, but in the end we just used the one car and came in from Benmore station.

30 mins on a 4wd track to the start of 13 Mile Bush

There was a spur just on the park side of the farm/public land boundary and this was where I was aiming for, but I got a little misplaced and ended up setting us off up a very long, very forested ridge instead.

Jodie with a grimace; we've just realised our mistake..

Identifying this error after nearly an hour of smashing uphill, We figured we were sorta 'committed' to this spur if we were going for the top, so kept failing upwards. There were some hideous sections of bushlawyer, scrub and regenerating beech to bash through and it was pretty trying. Jodie didn't complain once (to my surprise).

Jodie 'embracing the bush'

Eventually we popped out the top only to encounter some equally scratchy sub alpine shrubbery. Now we were beginning to get a bit fed up, so we plonked ourselves down on an open bit of ground to eat some lunch, drink some coke, enjoy the view and have a rest.

Out of the bush and into the scrub..

There was still 500m of vertical to go till we could reach the tops and traverse around to get back to the spur that would lead us back into the bush (yikes!) and Benmore Hut. Both of us were pretty exhausted from the bush bashing and had to dig pretty deep to make it up.

Not too far from the top now

No more up hill..

Rather relieved to be at the top, we paused for a break, looking over Ben More to Mt Hutt in the back ground. Out towards Banks Peninsula, a huge blanket of low stratus covered Christchurch. Foggy Peak and Castle hill attracted a few puffy cumulus and Mt Oxford stood clear and bathed in sunlight.

It was after 2pm and I was a little worried about the prospect of bush bashing in the dark, trying to reach a hut that was delicately placed on a subtle bush saddle… We made quick time across the tops and reaching the bushline again the compass, map and GPS were all made ready to ensure navigation was a priority.

Time for accurate navigation

However, we spied a plastic bag in the trees, then another and another. Following this make shift route through the storm damaged beech forest was actually rather easy. However once the bush began to thicken there was actually a good ground pad and clear track to follow. 2/3 the way down the hill, we rounded a corner and nearly tripped over a deer hunter on the track.

Getting over the shock of finding someone sitting in the bushes with a Gun, we made introductions and wandered down the hill with Phil on a good track to Benmore Hut. The dinner was welcome and plentiful and for me, sleep came easily.

Benmore Hut, NZDA, Built 1975 with 3 Bunks

Airborne Pancakes

On Sunday I woke shortly after dawn. I’d read the hut log book last night, especially the entries bemoaning the lack of ‘hut ettiqutte’ shown by some. So I spent 30 mins sawing and splitting firewood to add to the hut’s supply.

Jodie joined me for pancakes for breakfast, still half asleep after not getting much shut eye during the night. We placed a Geocache before leaving the hut and strolling the easy track back to the car under warm sunny skies.