Huts

 

Rocky Creek Hut

Rocky Creek Hut

(Rocky Creek Hut: Photo Andrew Buglass 2004)

Maintenance Status

Rocky Creek Hut is designated as minimal maintenance. Although the access tracks to it from the Taipo River and Griffin Creek are no longer officially maintained, volunteers have managed to keep them reasonably open and useable over the past few years. Hopefully this will continue, although they are starting to overgrow again, along with additional wind damage from the winter storms of 2008.

Location

Taipo catchment: Grid Ref: 2379880E/ 5823550N. Map K33. Altitude 600m. Rocky Creek Hut is more an oversized biv than a hut. It is located on the TR of Rocky Creek, a small tributary of the Taipo River. The surrounding forest is predominantly rata-kamahi with a pleasant deep-bush ambience. Rocky has never had high levels of visitation and numbers dwindled to trickle over the 80's and 90's with deteriorating tracks. While no offical trackwork has been done for a couple of decades, remote hut enthusiasts have worked regularly at keeping the track marked and open.

Access

The track from the Taipo valley to Rocky Creek starts on the TL of the River around 1/2 an hour up from the Bridge on SH 73, the entrance just past a small creek at 2379550E/ 5826180N. it climbs up onto a terrace intially, then sidles above the Taipo and around into Rocky Creek. Volunteers worked on the first section of this in 2009. The trail descends towards Rocky Creek and after crossing an active slip it is drops into the creekbed. Boulderhop from here up to the where some cairns mark the entrance of the route up to the Hut. Follow up a small side creek here for around 50m. A permolat “T” marks the entrance of a short section of track that sidles around to the Hut. Allow 3-4 hours from the Taipo Bridge to Rocky Creek Hut.

The the other main route to Rocky Creek Hut is from the Griffin Creek catchment via a low bush saddle. From Griffin Creek Hut head downriver to the side creek that drains Scottys Saddle. Follow this up a short distance up to where permolat markers on the TR mark the start of a section of track leading over into the next catchment, which drains the Rocky Creek saddle. There is some windthrow on this bit from the 2008 storms. Follow Rocky Saddle Creek up to a fork in its mid-section. Take the TL branch for a short stretch to where a track exiting on the TR leads back over into the TR branch. This avoids a small waterfall just above the fork. The entrance here is getting harder to find, but the track itself is OK.

Once back in the TR fork continue upstream. Fresh windthrow and slips on this section may slow progress. Nearer the Saddle the scrub closes in and the creek becomes quite small. The track up to the Saddle starts on the TR near the creek's headwaters. It is a 10 minute climb to the Saddle and from here the track drops steeply down into Rocky Creek. An hour or so's boulderhopping downstream will get you to the Hut. Permolat and a cairn mark the entrance of a short section track leading up to it. Allow around 3.5 hours from Griffin Hut to Rocky Creek Hut.

There is an overgrowing clearing next to the Hut where a helicopter could probably still get in. It may need a trim however.

Type

Rocky Creek is a small two-bunk hut built by the NZFS in the mid-1970's. It is lined. There is no fireplace, woodburner, or toilet, and the water supply is the Creek.

Condition

Rocky Creek is well constructed and remained in good condition during a considerable period of zero maintenance during the 80's and 90's. In 2004 DOC resealed it and painted it inside and out. The door was replaced and other minor repairs made.

Routes

The saddle over to Griffin Creek is around an hour's boulderhopping up from the Hut. It is visible from the Creek and has a large open slip on its northern side. Don't go up the slip. The saddle track is 20 metres further up Rocky Creek, its entrance marked by a plastic bag in a tree.

There is a rough route to Scottys Biv from the headwaters of Rocky Creek. Continue past the turnoff to the Saddle following the Creek. It veers SE after a short distance and climbs steeply up the faces of Scottys Range. There are a number of small cataracts to negotiate, all fairly easy, and further up the creek peters out on a steep scree. Climb to the top of the scree and push through a narrow band of alpine scrub, mainly hebe and spaniard, and not too difficult going. This provides access a tussock face just below the crest of the range. It is a short steep climb from here onto the ridge followed by a straightforward 20 minute descent in a SE direction down to Scottys Biv (2-3 hours from Rocky Creek Hut to Scottys Biv).

Repairs needed

None at last report.

Provisions on Site

In January 2004 there was some paint (including roof paint and metal primer), billies, a slasher, an old hand saw, a shovel, crowbar, a grubber, some flat files, a box of small nails, some red and white permolat, a hammer head, two long pieces of tongue and groove, a broom, 2 aluminium buckets, some No 8 wire, and methylated spirits. It is quite probable that DOC removed some, or all of this stuff when they did their maintenance in 2004.