Hidden Biv – Ahuriri Valley, Sunday 13 July 2014

At 7.30am smartly, 5 intrepid members braved the winter chills to visit Hidden Biv in the Ahuriri Valley. A gloomy forecast and rain in the hills over the previous few days was the main topic of conversation as we drove west. After some searching for the right access point down to the Ahuriri River we wandered up and down the river looking for the best place to cross. The river was up at least 500mm and the bottom obscured- we decided to not attempt a crossing and so denied access to the scheduled trip, we chose for option 2 which was to walk up the zigzag near Ahuriri Base Hut which is the track to the Top Dingle Hut. It drizzled to start with but soon dried out and we were treated to sunshine and fantastic views as we climbed out of the valley towards the saddle at approximately 1400m. Not very much snow underfoot just the odd patch as we neared the top. Great views right on the edge of the SW front as it curled around us but it held off until we had had our lunch. It was decided to walk along the ridge south and the front caught up with us and it started to snow and the wind had a sharp edge to it, but it was quite pleasant all the same as we carried on. After an hour or so, about where the permanent tarn is we called it quits as it clagged in and the snow turned to wet sludge. We returned the same way and by the time we reached the top of the zigzag the worst of the blast was over and we were back to the vehicle at about 3pm. Compulsory icecreams were enjoyed at Kurow and we were back home by about 5.30pm declaring that it had been an enjoyable day’s walk and that Hidden Biv would be revealed on another day. Thanks to John, 2 Rosses and Linda for a good outing. Robbie