Station Peak

Station Peak, Sunday 20th August 2023

01 Willow-tree-marker
02 Entrance-to-the-ascent-gully
03 Down-river
04 Looking-back-to-Kurow
05 Summit-of-Station-Peak_
06 Kirkliston-Range-Hunters-Hills
07 Station-Peak-trig
08 Lake-Waitaki-Aviemore-Ohau-Range
09 Looking-for-Nevs-track-tape
10 Finding-Nevs-tape
11 Nevs-tape
12 Final-steep-descent

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Station Peak is an impressive peak up the Waitaki Valley, over the river from Kurow, and can be accessed from various starting points along the Hakataramea highway. After a couple of reconnaissance trips, one with Karyl from Little Roderick, and one with John and Neville from a gully marked by a willow tree, we decided on the latter.

Four trampers from the club met up in Kurow, drove over the Waitaki River Bridge and headed southeast along the Hakataramea Highway for 512 km, parking in a layby off the main road.

We set off northwest at 9.08 am back along the line of the main road over the paddock for 1.6 km to the gully that would be our ascent route, marked by a large willow tree by the road.

After heading up through the gully for half an hour, we could see across the Waitaki river to Kurow with the St Mary’s Range peaks of Little Domett (1860m) and Kohurau (2009m) in the background.

After a morning tea break, we continued up the farm track until we reached the crest of the range, joining the Station Peak access road with views out to the Hakataramea Valley, bordered by the Kirkliston Range, and the Hunters Hills. Following the road, we reached Station Peak (885m) summit two and a half hours after leaving the carpark.

With a cold nor’west wind blowing off nearby snowy peaks, three of us huddled behind tussocks to eat lunch, while Rodney ventured into the wind to check out the trig and collection of masts and sheds that are scattered over the summit.

We didn’t linger for long in the freezing winds and set off down the access road to the top of the steep gullies heading back down towards the Waitaki River. We were searching for the orange tracking tape that Neville had tied to a Taranaki gate at 650m. Neville was determined we would not get lost, and we duly found three tapes fluttering in the wind, guiding us down a 4WD track and the steep descent to large groups of flowering kowhai trees growing in the gully, before coming out to the carpark. The trip down took one and a half hours.

Thanks to Wade Newlands for permission to access the farm, and to John and Neville for finding the route.

 

Jenny Kitchin and Rodney Meiklejohn