Mt Harper is a rounded peak near Lake Camp, Lake Clearwater and Lake Emma. In the landscape of surrounding majestic ranges, including the Aerosmith and Two Thumbs Ranges, it appears somewhat less grand but also more accessible. Don’t let it fool you, though – it’s still a solid day out to climb it.

We parked at the end of the campsite road by Lake Emma. It was a beautiful morning, and the forecast was promising: not too hot but not too cold either. I wouldn’t like to climb anything around there in the middle of the summer heat. This was Michael Drawbridge’s first trip as a leader, and after he laid out his plan, we began following a vague track across a few creeks towards the base of Mt Harper. I managed to keep my feet dry, but many others did not. Once at the base of Mt Harper, it’s pretty much a free-for-all. We took a faint animal track, following the ridge on the east side of an unnamed creek draining Pt1506 to the north. The travel was decent, and avoiding matagouri and speargrass was relatively straightforward. It’s a long slog, though – at times the “two steps up, half a step down on scree” kind of slog. After 600m of vertical gain, the ridge flattens out, even more so past Pt1506. There’s no exposure or scrambling; it’s all about pure effort.

At the top of Mt Harper, we took a well-earned break. The views were fantastic, even with partial cloud and mist coverage. After Mt Harper, we followed the flat ridges to Pt1644 and Pt1658, from where we descended along tussocky slopes to Balmacaan Saddle. From the saddle, there was one last short but steep section with more matagouri and speargrass; then, once across a creek, we followed a decent farm track all the way back to our cars.

It was a great day out. Michael did a terrific job as a new CTC leader, and I can’t wait to join one of his future adventures.

Stats: 17.9 km, 7 h 27 min, 1306 m ascent

Participants: Michael Drawbridge (leader), Michal Klajban (scribe, GPX), Joanna Buchajczyk, Michelle Samson, Kylie Dawson, Safka Dowding, Cage Cardon, Rachel Perkinson, Jason Bartlett, Alan Chapman, Janey Purvis, Alan Ross, William Steel, Igreta Sinanaj, Justin Loh

Tramped on 10th November 2024. The route on NZ Topomap (GPX download below)

Photos

Map

Download file: GPX-hikingisgood-com-nz-2024-Mt_Harper_CTC_trip.gpx