The Gladiator
Westland Tai Poutini NP ● 28 – 31 December 2022
Intended to be a New Years trip as we planned to take five days (and took food for seven just in case), we ended up completing this loop in four days, allowing us to celebrate New Years in the metropolis that is the Fox township. Up the Douglas and over The Gladiator to come down the Karangarua.
Times
- 28 December (3 hours 40 mins)
- Roadend → Cassel Flat hut 3 hours 40 mins
- 29 December (9 hours 25 mins)
- Cassel Flat hut → walkwire 1 hours 45 mins
- Walkwire → ridge 1 hours 55 mins
- Along ridge to 1400m contour 1 hours 20 mins
- Sidling along and dropping to Horace Walker hut 2 hrous 10 mins
- 30 December (9 hours 15 mins)
- Horace Walker hut → waterfall 1 hour
- Waterfall → The Gladiator 4 hours 10 mins
- The Gladiator → Christmas Flat hut 3 hours 10 mins
- 31 December (11 hours)
- Christmas Flat hut → Lame Duck hut 1 hours 40 mins
- Lame Duck hut → Cassel Flat hut 4 hours 10 mins
- Cassel Flat hut → roadend 3 hours 15 mins
Photos
Starting up the Karangarua
Cassel flat hut, shortly before one of the worst sleeps of my night (the hut is NOT mosquito proof)
Our first view of The Gladiator
Sidling along the Douglas Valley Route
Plenty of melt water to cross
Dropping down to the Horace Walker Glacier's old terminal moraine
Crossing the river just before Horace Walker hut
Horace Walker hut
heading up the Douglas from horace Walker hut. The Gladiator is just covered in some cloud.
Pushing through dense bush beside the waterfal
A small basin between the two bands of bluffs as we head up The Gladiator. There are planty of good camping spots around here.
Reaching snow near the top of The Gladiator
Just 1000m to drop to Christmas Flat hut...
Navigating the upper Karangarua, above Christmas Flat
A wild waterslide appears! On the track between Lame Duck hut and the lower Karangarua
A pleasant walk down the lower Karangarua (above Cassel Flat hut)