Lees Creek

Interim Trip
January 2009

Part #2, Party 3

Monday

In fine weather after a night’s rain, we left the Travers-Sabine Lodge in St Arnaud, farewelled Sue Webb and drove in Big Blue along the Rainbow Rd to the end of the Hamilton River track where we parked and walked a few metres to the start of the Lees Creek track on the other side of the road. Three hours, just as the sign said, through varied terrain and beech forest beside the river, brought us to the 4-bunk Lees Hut just after 2.00pm. After the customary wash, fetching of water, and brew, we sat in the sun and looked at hillsides of scree and waterfalls, while Chris painted. Mike volunteered to sleep on a mattress on the floor, as 5 into 4 didn’t quite go.

Tuesday

After a cold night, we set off after 8.30am into the sun, up the creek and through beech forest for 2 hrs 10 minutes to the forks where three streams join. We set up tents in a very pleasant site under trees - no sandflies but tenacious little flies which would not be shooed and sat there until squashed. After an early lunch, Keith and Jean wandered up through the bush above the campsite for 90 minutes, following the east branch of Lees Creek as it curved around and ended in a steep-sided basin. Lots of flowers, all sorts of hebes in flower and blue vegetable sheep on rocky slopes. We stopped at 2.00pm and were back in camp by 3.00 for a brew. Meanwhile, on a scree slope, Chris had found the ‘rare, threatened but locally common’ (work that out!) plant Lignocarpa, apparently quite a big deal to a botanist. The evening was chilly - we sat round the fire as long as possible then had our coldest night despite wearing a lot of clothes.

Wednesday

Another fine clear day. 9.00am, we were all off up the west branch of Lees Creek; up the stream-valley, across scree and tussock, up a rocky stream and finally up a ‘wall’ to reach two tarns at 11.30, where we had lunch in the sun. Keith and Noel continued up to the pass to look down on Coldwater Creek, then across to a patch of snow to build the obligatory mini-snowman; Chris painted and botanised, finding lots of Lignocarpa and Lobelia roughii; Jean had a dip in the tarn. We returned to camp by a slightly different route, becoming diverted by snow-caused slips and tree damage in the bush.

Thursday

After a much warmer night, we left at 8.45am and reached Lees Hut at 11.00am, expecting the other group to be there, but they strolled in after 12.30. We left the hut to them and a startled couple who had not anticipated company, and put our tents up in the bush. Here we were all visited by a robin - never worked out if it was several, or just one doing the rounds, hopping all over our gear, accepting small food offerings and putting up with being photographed repeatedly. After lunch a botanical party went up the scree slope opposite the hut while others explored up the stream.

Friday

2½ hrs down the track saw us all back at the bus and being driven by Keith to Nelson and cabins at the Tahunanui Holiday Park.

Party: Mike Heilbron, Chris & Noel Ashton (official botanist and leader respectively), Keith Ayton, Jean Barton (scribe).