Yes | |
1399 m | 1245 m |
1397 m | 82 m |
Total | |||
---|---|---|---|
10.23 km | 10.05 km | 20.28 km | |
5h 5min 53s | 3h 57min 32s | 9h 3min 25s | |
2.01 km/h | 2.54 km/h | 2.24 km/h |
The Mt Bovis Route is an official track from the Department Of Conservation (DOC) in New Zealand.
Note that DOC rates this track as Expert: Route and describes it as "Suitable for fit, experienced and well-equipped people."
To get to the beginning of the track you need to follow Bullock Creek Road, which starts right off Highway 6, two kilometres north of the DOC Visitor Centre in Punakaiki.
At the start of this 6 kilometres long gravel road you will find two warning signs. The first one states "This road is subject to SEVERE FLOODINGS during and after periods of heavy rainfall. Use at your own risk". The other one states "Not suitable for caravans, campervans and towing vehicles".
About 600 metres before getting to the end of Bullock Creeck Road we find a couple of DOC signposts. The first one warns "Bridge closed ahead. No unauthorised vehicle access" and the second one "This area is prone to flash flooding. Leave the area promptly during rainfall events". A few metres ahead we find indeed a bridge with a closed and locked barrier.
If you have a 4WD car you could cross the river, I saw some tyre marks on the river bed, but I decided to leave the car just before the two signposts where there is an ample area to park the car. There is also another DOC signpost describing the area so it looks like the recommended spot for parking the car.
Before describing the track, it is worth mentioning another excerpt from the DOC website describing it because I find it quite appropriate: "Markings exist along the route, but it's easy to come off track, especially with numerous goat tracks following and crossing the route. Rescues of lost and bluffed people have happened on this track in the past. A high level of fitness, good equipment and navigation skills are essential."
The track is quite long, over 20 kilometres return, and it took me, being a fast walker, 9 hours. DOC says between 8 to 10 hours but keep in mind that we are starting 600 meters before so it's 1.2 extra kilometres.
The track can be divided into three parts:
To return to the car you follow the same exact route that took you to the summit. This means that you have to go down the steep last ascent, go over again the across section and up again to the fake summit. Due to this, going back took me 4 hours, almost as much as going up.
In summary, very long, hard, difficult but also beautiful track. I don't think I will ever come back to walk this track again due to how hard the last part was.