Date: August 5 - 7, 2024
Location: Eyre Mountains / Taka Rā Haka Conservation Park, Southland, New Zealand
Total Trip Distance: 15.04 mi / 24.2 km
Total Elevation Gain: 2,957 ft / 901 m
Trip Duration: 3 days
Team: Alessia Bertan
Field Notes: A super relaxing three day hut bagging trip in complete solitude. We walked in at sunset to Mansion Hut on day 1. The next morning we bush bashed up a spur to gain Mount Bee ridge and then headed to the Bunkrooms for an incredible day of relaxation. The next morning we walked back to the car feeling totally recharged.
Rating: Hiking / tramping, off trail
The Eyre Mountains have a bit of mystique about them. They are isolated, remote, and access can be tough. As one drives south past Kingston and enters the rural surroundings of Southland, the Eyre Mountains climb skyward from farm country. This was not the trip to go on a deep exploration, but rather to explore the foothills and bag a few huts along the way.
Alessia is flying back to Italy at the end of August, so we decided to plan a road trip and explore some new areas before she leaves. With an awesome weather forecast in the South it was the perfect opportunity to explore new corners of the map.
We arrived at the trailhead on Mulholland Road and set out with the sun making a rapid descent. Our plan was to walk a few short hours and spend the night at Mansion Hut - a two bunk bivy with an open fireplace. The walk up Irthing Stream was better than I thought with the track not being too hard to follow and only one stream crossing.
There are many fantastic feelings in the mountains. Arriving to an empty hut after dark with headlamps beaming is one of them. I jumped straight in to getting the fire going with Alessia on emotional support. Mansion Hut is exactly what I thought huts would be like in the Eyre Mountains. Old, small, open fireplace, a bit of rubbish left on the floor, names scribbled on the bed posts, the door handle broken but somehow functional. In a word: character. Irthing Stream gurgled outside and the beech forest whispered in the wind. The stars that night burned so brightly I wondered if they were trying to communicate a deeper message.
In the morning we woke to chirping birds and blue sky. What a perfect day to bush bash (Alessia's "first time"). Coffee was consumed and we started up the spur behind the hut towards Pt. 742. Although steep, this was the best part of the climb. After gaining Pt. 742 the long ridge up to Mount Bee ridge was slow and arduous. It felt like forever. Eventually we topped out, treated to fantastic views of the Eyre Mountains covered in a blanket of white with high-powered wind blasting the ridge tops.
We had intentions to head north along the ridge but decided to head to the Mount Bee Bunkrooms instead. An amazing decision, because, we had the hut to ourselves and it was fully stocked with firewood. Thank you firewood God.
We spent the rest of the day in a meditative state that would be difficult to put into words. Hot soup, crackling fire, warm hut, sun streaming through the windows, wind pounding the roof, minimal words spoken. The sunset put on a display that we felt we should've paid for and the stars had us wanting to leave behind a tip. It was one of the best days I've ever spent in a hut. That night we slept like pigs.
The following morning we walked the 4wd track back down to the van, celebrating an incredibly relaxing trip with coconut water and a cold plunge in Irthing Stream. That afternoon we headed south towards Riverton in search of waves. Happy days...
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