41The track to the North Branch starts
directly across the nearby stream.
There is no marked trail, but a track
through the grass leads north towards
the valley, which can clearly be seen
between the Humboldt and Serpen-
tine ranges.
After about 10 minutes, the track
goes through a patch of orchard-like
ribbonwood trees before joining a
marked track that enters beech forest
and becomes notably more rugged
compared to the Great Walk. It climbs
steadily through the forest before
descending into an open valley with
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mountain scenery. But don’t stop yet,
better is to come.
The track continues north through
the valley, marked by an occasional
pole or cairn, before entering another
small patch of forest and climbing
steeply beside the river. Within a few
minutes, the valley opens into a much
larger and more dramatic landscape.
A wall of granite rises almost vertically
WILDFILE
AccessRouteburnShelter
GradeEasy
Time2.5hr
Distance11km
Totalascent250m
MapCB09to the snow-capped and glaciated
peaks of the Humboldt Mountains,
which appear to loom above the val-
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point to the view. Waterfalls run down
a number of rugged gulches in the
rock and there were still remnants
of an avalanche when we visited in
late December, 2018.
To the north, at the head of the
valley, is the snow-covered Nereus
Peak (1962m), which sits above North
Col, a stepping stone to gain the tops
of the Serpentine Range. A family of
paradise ducks were swimming in the
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of kea played up and down the valley.
There is a number of good camp-
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up camp and explored the valley.
To the north, it narrows and becomes
strewn with seemingly impassable
boulders and scrub, but there’s a
number of pools which are good
for a quick icy dip.The next morning, we followed
the trail back, stealing glimpses of
the mountains now behind us and
were soon back on the Great Walk,
walking against the tide of trampers
that came in waves as tour buses
disgorged.- George Driver
Find the map and route notes for this trip at
http://www.wildernessmag.co.nz