Dragon Chasers

My friends Peter and Mary asked if I would take them across the Dragon’s Teeth High Route we travelled a couple of years ago……….

Peter and Bruce were planning to meet Mary and I at Adelaide Tarn so we could traverse the high section together. Unfortunately, Bruce had to turn back due to a health issue.

Mary and I were delayed due to my plane’s flat tyre. I finally arrived in Takaka 4 hours late and Sage drove us to the Quartz Road end so we could head in over the Lead Hills.

The Lead Hills is a shorter but more challenging route into Adelaide Tarn. There is some route finding required, the terrain is rough and slow.

We started at 3 pm and it took us 7 hours to get to the Hut. The last few hours were in the dark and wet clag which made it a bit yucky. Getting to the hut and seeing it looking so fresh after the recent work was great. It is a tiny hut, we put the mattress on the floor so we had a bit more room than in the bucks. Peter had put up his tent and left us the hut.

In the night the clag cleared and the stars were out. We woke to a perfectly clear day!!!! Just what we ordered for the traverse of the high route.

It was a bit easier the second time around, remembering the bits from last time and having the route on my watch to check if we were still on course.

We had a gnarly moment on the first crux when we got a bit off-route and needed to scramble across one of the exposed sections.

After the first tooth, Mary and I dropped our packs and walked up to the high point of the first tooth to admire the view, it is a crazy bit of country.

We spent the next few hours getting across the second half of the traverse, a long stretch down and around 1200m and then the final scramble up onto the spur. We had a rest at the Tarns and finished our day getting to Lonely Lake where I had a swim in the Lake.

Lonely Lake has a panic table in the perfect spot for enjoying the afternoon sun, we ate, drank and chatted about our amazing day chasing Dragons.

Day 3 was another perfect day, Mary and I were heading to Sylvester Hut, 25kms away with lots of hills along the way. It was a long hot day. I manufactured a sun hat out of my shirt (I dropped my hat on day 1 in the bush) we topped up with water from a puddle and a tarn on the Lockett range.

After 10 hours we made it to Iron Lake where the swimming was perfect, this was just what I needed. At the hut, we rehydrated and enjoyed the last of our food. Mary and I had been enjoying our dehy smorgasbords which gave a bit more variety to our dinner feasts.

It looked like we were in for another perfect sunrise (like two years ago) I sat on the deck and watched the sky change colour and the heat slowly remove me from my sleeping bag. A great way to start the day.

Quotes from Mary, Peter, and Andy

Mary

The reasons I wanted to reverse the Dragon’s Teeth were that I’d heard it talked about many times in reverential tones. It sounded thrilling, scary, and beautiful, and it was the path less traveled.

Peter

The route is an icon. I was incomplete without having made the high-route traverse of this iconic piece of landscape.

The Dragon’s Teeth really is an outstanding visual spectacle.

High Points

Setting off, finding the cairns and markers along the way, putting pieces of the puzzle together, looking out to where we’d been and across to where we were going. Enjoying the camaraderie, marveling at the beauty of our surroundings, and appreciating how lucky we are in NZ with our unique hut system.

Waking up to a perfect clear dawn at Adelaide Tarn, watching the sunrise from Sylvester Hut, and swimming in Lonely and Iron Lake—pure magic.

Reaching the ridge crest on the way up to Anitoki Peak because that meant the challenge and source of anxiety were now behind us. The other high point for me was finally reaching Lonely Lake Hut because it really had been a massive day.

Low Points

The uncertainty about whether it might happen.

Traveling in the clag and the dark on the first night to Adelaide Tarn because my flight had been delayed.

The night before we set off, Andy and Mary still had to reach Adelaide Tarn. It had clagged in and started to rain. Also, I’d developed chafing in an uncompromising spot on myself in the couple of days on my approach because it was so oppressively humid and hot.

Why I Love the Backcountry

I love the excitement of adventuring in the backcountry—setting off with everything you need in a tiny pack just feels like a great adventure.

What I love about adventuring in the backcountry is getting away from the city and its stressors. I love the remoteness, the birdlife, the wild beauty. I love not knowing what you might face and having to be self-reliant. I love getting up for a pee and seeing multitudinous stars above an unlit landscape.

In this magnificent country of Aotearoa, the landscapes are so stunning. As a landscape photographer, it’s just a fantastic place to be. It’s also a fantastic way to forge meaningful friendships—when you go in with other people, you share memorable moments and get to know them better than you often can in busy urban situations.

Really being in the moment. So much to love.