Newton Biv
(Newton Biv looking along the tops to Mt. Newton: Photo Rob Owen 2005)
Maintenance Status
Newton Biv has been designated as minimal maintenance.
Location
Newton Range between the Styx and Arahura valleys. Altitude 1142m.
Grid Ref: 2368847E/ 5812783N (300m further East
from where it is marked on the Topo map). Map J33.
Newton Biv is located on a peat/ tussock bench on the crest of
the Newton range. It is generally infrequently visited
despite being accessible in a day
from the Styx
roadend. The location is serene and beautiful with unimpeded
views over the Arahura plain, and of the Browning,
Campbell
and McArthur ranges. A number of small, deep tarns provide water and
there are subsidences going
3-4 metres into the peat. A small troop of weka inhabit
the surrounds and provide entertaiment. Since the Biv was profiled on
the site visits have increased markedly. Prior to 2004 gaps of 2-3 years
weren't uncommon. In 2008 there were 18 visits, mostly hunters. In 2009
there were eight visits.
Access
Access to Newton Biv is via an unnamed side creek that
the main Styx valley track crosses 1/2 an hour below Grassy Flat,
around 2368940E/ 5811500N.
The creek blew out a few years back, is steep and unstable in a number
of places. An open area of active subsidance in its headwaters provide access
to the top section of an old Forest Service on a ridge on the TR. This
leads a short distance up through the alpine scrub to the tops.
The lower section of the track has not been maintained since the early 1970's
is unuseable. The top bit was recut
and marked in 2008.
Follow the creek up from the where the Grassy Flat track crosses it, taking
the TR fork where it
branches 400m upstream.
This fork is steep with eroding sides and a few small cataracts
that need be negotiated with a bit of scrambling.
The creek forks twice again further up. Take the TL fork in both instances
and continue climbing utill the water peters out and the scrub closes in.
Cruise tape leads you from here through patchy scrub to an open area of slippage
under the steep scrub faces below the crest of the Range.
Sidle West across
the slips following cruise tape and cairns toward the ridge on the TR of the
creek catchment. Some permolat crosses mark the point of connection
with the old tops track.
The track climbs steeply from the top of
the slips onto the ridge, then up through the
scrub to the tussock. Sidle
in a NE direction
onto the crest of the Range and head East along it for around 15 minutes to the
flat peaty area with tarns. The Biv is tucked in
against a bank at the western
end of this area and it's easy to walk past it.
Allow 4-6 hours to get to Newton Biv from the Styx roadend.
Type
Newton Biv is a standard
two-person NZFS 1960's design. It has two wooden sleeping benches.
Someone has kindly left one small thin mattresses behind. Water is from the tarns.
Use
the closest one for drinking and the more distant ones for washing or swimming.
There is no toilet.
Condition
DOC did some major repairs on Newton Biv in 2004. It was repiled and
had joists, bearers and some of its framing and floor replaced.
The exterior was painted and resealed, although in the case of the roof, this
was poorly done.
The contractors renailed the roofing iron in the troughs of the corrugations
and water is getting into the Biv through the nailholes. The roof was not
prepared prior to painting and rust is now showing through in most places.
I have resealed as much as I can, but the roof needs to be properly renailed
at some point.
There are some significant gaps between the roof and top plates
that would probably let water in during extreme weather.
The top plate at the NE end of the Biv is rotten and needs replacing, as do some of the
rafters and purlins. The paint has flaked off of the
window frame and sill, and the brackets holding the glass louvres in place are rusting.
Routes
There is an old tops track
100m down the main valley track from Lower Arahura Hut that
used to provide access to the eastern end of the Newton Range. OK in a few places
lower down, it gets increasingly overgrown with altitude and, unfortunately,
vanishes completely in
the alpine scrub zone. A steep, unpleasant
scrub-bash is required to reach the tussock. Once on the crest of the Range,
drop down in a westerly direction to a bench with large tarns.
Between here and the Biv the Range dips into the alpine
scrub zone, with several ups and downs through a mix
of scrub and open tussock patches before open country is reached again.
Travel through this section is better than it looks with
rough trails through the scrub patches. Allow 8-9 hours from Lower Arahura to Newton Biv,
or if heading in the other direction from Newton, 5-6 hours. There is a cairn in the
tussock around 237192E/ 581367N, which is roughly where the the track would have
emerged.
There is no extant track however, for at least 100 vertical metres, and
no well-defined ridge for 2-300 vertical metres below this, so locating
the remnants of
the track further down may be difficult.
It is possible to access Mudflats Hut from Newton Biv via Mt. Newton and
Visitors Creek. There are some nice
tarns and camping spots in the top basin of Visitors Creek.
A waterfall drops from the basin into a short vertical-sided gorge,
and below this the Creek is steep and rough. Drop from the
TL lip of the basin down a small steep gut. A small waterfall
at the top of this can be negotiated on the
TL. The gut becomes a small creek that enters Visitors Creek at the bottom end
of the gorge.
From here down it's steep, rough and slippery and it's
neccessary to wade down the middle of the Creek in places. Expect a wet backside!
There may be easier routes off Mt. Newton via one of the side creeks
upstream from Mudflats that would be worth checking out. Allow around 6 hours for
this trip in good conditions.
West of the Biv the Newton Range is relatively easy travel as far as spot height 1240m.
After this it dips down below scrubline, and from here
unti the 1200m mark on Mt. Brown is reached, it is a long, unpleasant grovel.
This is not a fun route. A Hut on Mt.
Brown was removed by DOC in 2006 and the track down from it down into Mt. Brown Creek
will be overgrown by now. A track on the other side of Mt. Brown down to Lake
Kaniere is likely to be in much better shape.
Repairs needed
The roofing
iron needs to be renailed on the ridges of the corrugations and the holes in the
hollows sealed.
Replacement of rotten portions of top plates, rafters and purlins is required. Additional
wood spacers could be inserted in the
gaps between the top plate and roof to make the Biv more weatherproof, and to provide
something more substantial to nail the roofing iron to. The roof and window frame and
sill need repainting.
A new louvre frame would be needed in the medium term. A small tube of sealant
has been left in the Biv. Please use it on any noticeable leaks.
Provisions on site
The standard DOC hand shovel and brush, one small frypan, and a shovel.