raggles.kiwi

Cedar Flats - Yeates - Crystal Loop

For Waitangi weekend our group of three headed over to Cedar Flats to do a loop up to Yeats Hut and Crystal Biv.  We had intended to come in over the Pinnacle Tops but the night before a front came through dumping snow down to 1400m which we weren't prepared for. The walk up to Cedar flats follows the Toaroha River for the most part, with deviations into the bush every now and then.

We made good time to Cedar Flats, so we decided to head up for Yeats Hut for the night. The bridge upstream of Cedar Flats crosses over a spectacular gorge, then the track heads sharply up the Yeats Ridge.

The track is well maintained (by West Coast standards) by Permolat all the way to Yeats Hut. Despite not having a fireplace Yeats is a pleasant place to stay, with great views down the valley, and across to Adventure Biv.

The next day we went across to Crystal Biv, which is set in a spectacular location. The route down is steep but again well cut and marked thanks to Permolat.

When we returned to Cedar Flats the huts were full, plus a couple of tents. We set up camp and went for a look at the hot pools and the Wren Creek canyon. There are two sources of hot water, one is on the opposite side of the creek to where the track finished. This was the warmer of the two, with the other one further up the river possibly being affected by the recent rain was only luke warm. A paddle in the pools with whiskey and cider finished off a good days tramping.