Adventures in the Cobb River Valley, Kahurangi National Park
I spent last weekend exploring the
Cobb River Valley inland from Takaka in Kahurangi National Park. I had three days in the area and walked up to the end of the valley to Fenella Hut and did some day tramps to interesting spots there. Really beautiful country and interesting for its geology, history and natural beauty...well worth a visit.
The access road is bloody awful but more about that in my next post...
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| Looking up the Cobb River Valley from high on the Lake Peel Track |
To finish the weekend I walked up to
Myttons Hut which can be accessed from the Lake Peel Track as you head back towards the Cobb Dam and Reservoir. This is about a kilometer away from the Trilobite Hut at the end of Cobb Valley Road and is clearly sign posted.
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| The Lake Peel Track starts from the Cobb Valley Road... |
As you know I am a hut bagger and this particular hut is only 1 kilometer from the road. It was an obvious opportunity to bag the beastie...for a total of seven new huts bagged on this one trip. That takes my total of bagged huts up to nearly 230 and is the first step in my plan to try to bag at least 30 huts this tramping season....
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| The start of Lake Peel Track, Cobb Valley, Kahurangi NP |
The Lake Peel Track goes up to Myttons Hut and then continues up and over the Peel Range to Lake Peel, Balloon Hut, the Tablelands and the track down to Asbestos Cottage in the Upper Takaka River Valley.
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| View down to Peel Range and Trilobite Hut, Cobb Valley, Kahurangi NP |
It is a mixture of grassland, tussock fields and forest along this track with a bit of a steep grunt of a climb at the start before it settles down into a more even climb up to the hut site. I had been told that it was a 10 minute trip to the hut but it is much longer than that ...30 minutes to the hut and 20 minutes back to the car park.
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| Heading up the Lake Peel Track to Myttons Hut, Cobb Valley |
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| Map: Lake Peel Track to Myttons Hut |
After this you cross a number of open grassland areas all the while steadily climbing up towards the hut. Take a sun hat and water as it was hot work climbing up the track in the blazing sun. A walking or trekking pole is also useful for the uphill climbing...
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| Crossing a clearing on the way to Myttons Hut, Cobb Valley |
The next section of forest went for a couple of hundred meters and was a mixture of massive Beech, Totora, Rimu and other native trees. This is practically untouched forest as this area was always too inaccessible for commercial logging or farming. Before they built the dam up here in the 1950's it would have been a very difficult 3-4 day walk to even access the valley.
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| Lake Peel Track enters the forest on the Peel Range..... |
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| Mixed Beech, Totora, Rimu forest on the way to Myttons Hut |
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| There are areas of dense Manuka scrub on the Lake Peel Track |
After 30 odd minutes you will reenter the bush for the last time and find yourself at the track junction for Myttons Hut. You can just see the chimney of the hut peeking over the bush in the photo below...If you were heading for Lake Peel, the Tablelands or Balloon Hut you turn right and start the 1.5-2 hour slog up to the top of the Peel Range.
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| Track junction to Lake Peel and Myttons Hut...note the chimney... |
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| Lake Peel Track climbing up the Peel Range..... |
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| It is closer to 40 minutes to walk to Trilobite Hut from Myttons hut... |
Mytons Hut is an old deer cullers hut from the late 1950's used back when the government employed shooters to keep rampant deer numbers in check. I wont say hunters because they blasted 40-50 deer a day back then...there were so damn many of them.
That is why we have a hut network in New Zealand as the Department of Internal Affairs etc. built over 600 huts around the country for this purpose. After the deer were gone the huts were turned over to recreation users...
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| First view of the chimney of Myttons Hut, Kahurangi NP |
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| The rear of Myttons Hut, Cobb Valley, Kahurangi NP |
Myttons Hut sits in a lovely small clearing in the bush so it is sunny and open to the wind which blows down this valley. It is small with four bunks, a small table, open fire place and a couple of benches.
There was a massive pile of firewood there from a couple of fallen beech trees. Water for the hut is piped from a nearby stream..I do not know what you do in the height of summer as I imagine this stream dries out. Boil before use of course...
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| Myttons Hut (1957), Cobb Valley, Kahurangi NP |
Myttons Hut has been removed from the DOC hut rota and was due to be demolished but a local group the Friends of Myttons Hut have taken over the maintenance of the hut. They accept donations for ongoing work and if I was staying here I would certainly send them some cash. I have heard they have long term plans to fully restore the hut but money to do so is tight.
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| Myttons is maintained by the Friends of Myttons Hut |
It is a bit rough and ready inside but then what else would you expect from a 75 year old trampers hut. It would still be a cosy spot in a storm with a blazing fire in the hearth and good companions to pass the time with.
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| Interior of Myttons Hut, Cobb Valley..... |
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| Rustic interior of Myttons Hut, Cobb Valley, |
I spent about 10 minutes in and around the hut and then headed back towards the car-park following the same track back to the car. There are good views up and down the Cobb Valley from the clearings along the track. You can see the big peaks like Xenicus and Aorere up at the head of the valley and right along the Peel Range and Lockett Range which border it to south and north.
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| Heading back into the native forest from Myttons Hut |
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| Aorere Peak sits at the head of the Cobb River Valley, Kahurangi NP |
There are scores of birds in the forest around Myttons Hut...I stopped several times to just take it all in. The predominant bird seems to be Tui...there were dozens of them flying back and forth through the tree canopy. I also heard some distant Kaka calls and what I think were Kakariki screeching.
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| Fully mature forest between Myttons Hut and the car-park |
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| Dense undergrowth along the bush edge on Peel Lake Track, Cobb Valley |
It was getting a bit blustery as I made my way down to the road as the wind had started to howl down the valley from an oncoming Nor Wester front. I was keen to get out and over the Takaka Hill road before any bad weather arrived but in the event I had good weather the whole way home.
At one point on the track you have an excellent view right up the Cobb Valley and you could see the full range of terrain I covered on the track to Fenella Hut. I realised what a long way it is to Fenella Hut...14 kilometers doesn't sound like much but when you see it laid out before you...
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| Pt. 1619 and Iron Hill from the Peel Lake Track, Cobb Valley |
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| Head high Manuka scrub on the Peel Lake Track |
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| Fine view down the Cobb Valley, Kahurangi NP from the Peel Range |
I stopped in an area of thick forest about 10 minutes from the hut and sat and listened to the forest for a while. I really wish I had some kind of recording device as the sound of the wind in the trees and the birds calling and singing was wonderful. I like to do this from time to time because you hear, see and smell so much more if you take the time to stop every so often to take in your surroundings.
If you ever head into the valley to visit Mytttons Hut make sure to sit under a tree for a spell and listen to nature calling...
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| My serenity spot in the forest along the Lake Peel Track |
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| Typical dense undergrowth on the Peel Range, Cobb Valley |
I was sitting on this interesting rock when I realised what it was...it is a conglomerate or accretion type of stone made up of small rocks, pebbles and shells. This is a piece of ancient seabed uplifted over the eons to over 900 a.s.l. The rocks around the top north west corner of the South Island are some of the oldest in the country with many of them transported by tectonic shift from Fiordland over millions of years.
The whole Cobb Valley is a geologists dream with a profusion of rock types, rock formations and types of terrain. At various times this area has been subject to volcanic, tectonic uplift & subsidence and glacial/water erosive action. There is interesting stuff everywhere you look...
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| A conglomerate rock full of shells and small stones, Lake Peel Track, Cobb Valley |
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| Heading past the DOC intentions shelter, Lake Peel Track |
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| The last 100 meters of the Lake Peel Track, Cobb Valley |
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| The Lake Peel Track car-park is right next to Cobb Valley Road |
You can just make out Cobb Reservoir from the Lake Peel Track car-park about 5 kilometres down the valley. The gravel road to the start of these tracks goes along the southern edge of the reservoir on a rough track that needs some work.
I managed to get the Surfer up here but she didn't like it one bit. I think it is just on the edge of accessibility by a normal 2 W/D car. I would not come up here if it was raining or snowing...you are going to get stuck!!!
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| Cobb Reservoir is just visible from the Lake Peel Track car-park |
More interesting stuff...there are a series of Roche Moutannee's right next to the Lake Peel Track car-park. A Roche Moutannee is an area of eroded rock smoothed by glacial action in the distant past. The hard rock is polished by the glacier as it passes and leaves a distinctive smooth but also deeply scratched surface behind.
The Cobb Valley had a massive glacier in it over the last ice age and you can see the left over results everywhere you look. U shaped valleys, hanging valleys, moraine walls now covered in forest and massive glacial erratic rocks. Cobb Reservoir was a deep depression carved out by the glacier which extended almost out to Takaka on the coast.
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| A series of Roche Moutonnees next to the Cobb Valley Road |
The Lake Peel Track curves up into the center middle of the photo below before heading up the ridge to the top of the range. Myttons Hut is roughly located at the far right end of the plateau you can see in the middle of the photo and the dissecting ridge.
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| The Peel Range on the southern side of Cobb Valley, Kahurangi NP |
This was a nice wee walk and the numerous birds in the forest around Myttons Hut were an unexpected pleasure. It is well worth taking time to visit the site both to see this quaint hut from the cullers days and for the wonderful bird song. Add it to your "to do" list if ever visiting the Cobb River Valley.
Access: Turn off SH 60 at Upper Takaka. Drive 35 kms past the power station to the Cobb Resevoir. The Lake Peel car-park is located 500 meters to the east of Trilobite Hut.
Track Times: From the start of the track it takes approximately 20-30 minutes to walk to Myttons Hut (1 kilometer). The return trip takes 15-20 minutes.
Hut Details: Myttons Hut: (non DOC- maintained by the Friends of Myttons Hut group) free for use, 4 bunks, open fire, woodshed, toilet, water from stream, Trilobite Hut: Serviced, 12 bunks, water from tank, wood burner, woodshed, toilet
Miscellaneous:The Lake Peel Track is uphill from the car park...steep at the start then more gradual. It is a mixture of open grassland and thick mature native forest. The bird population along the track is numerous with Tui, Belbirds, Kaka, Kakariki and Fantails. Myttons Hut is not a DOC hut but is maintained by the Friends of Myttons Hut group.
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