Butler Saddle, Hakatere Conservation Park For those wanting an even better viewpoint, a scramble up the rough cairned route to Mt Perry opens to vast views of New Zealand’s second-largest national park.ģ.
Takahē sometimes frequent the area, and nearby Perry Saddle Hut offers grand views over the Dragons Teeth. It’s reached on the first day for those heading westwards. Perry Saddle (900m) is the highest point of the Heaphy Track Great Walk. After a steep descent on the far side, blue duck, buttercups and koromiko lend the Waikamaka Valley plenty of charm, and the blue and orange Waikamaka Hut is also a charmer. From North Block Road, tramp up the gravelly Waipawa River, until picking up a track through the subalpine zone onto the saddle. Waipawa Saddle (1326m) offers a straightforward route over the Ruahine Range into the Kawhatau catchment and to the pleasantly situated Waikamaka Hut. Over the next three issues, I’ll be looking at saddles, passes and cols in turn and describing some well worth visiting. For example, Clarke Saddle, a Main Divide crossing point at Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park, is at 2978m and requires a high degree of mountaineering experience. Compare that with Trudge Col (1530m) in Arthur’s Pass which, while challenging, can be crossed by trampers usually without alpine equipment. In reality, this hierarchy shows little consistency when applied to the names actually used in New Zealand’s mountains. Generally speaking, a col might be alpine in nature, and require some mountaineering experience, a pass implies easier tramping and a saddle suggests an even simpler walking route over a broad breach in the range. Most trampers probably imagine there is some sort of order, with col, pass and saddle indicating (roughly) the level of difficulty required from harder to easier. Is there a recognised hierarchy of names associated with passes?
Naturally, there are names for those low points on a mountain range that can be walked through: saddle, pass, col, and the less common gap or notch. Obviously, enjoying views from the crest of the range rates highly, but there’s also the sense of accomplishment at having passed from one catchment to another, perhaps even over the Main Divide. Here are four saddles worth venturing to.Ĭrossing a mountain range from one side to another is a foundational experience in any tramper’s life. Crossing a saddle from one catchment to another is a highlight of any tramping trip.
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