The Gap is a prominent opening in the Torlesse Range, located between Castle Hill Peak and Red Peak. It resembles a missing tooth in a jaw of sharply pointed canines and flat molars, making it a striking feature. It also serves as a great reference point – when looking at the Torlesse Range, I always locate The Gap first, which helps me identify the rest of the peaks.

Our group of nine planned to approach The Gap from Porters Pass, the easiest route, and exit via the Kowhai River Valley. After a quick car shuffle in the morning (my car was left at the Kowhai River car park at -43.310721, 171.769137, and the other at the Porters Pass car park at -43.296667, 171.742058), we set off.

We climbed up to Foggy Peak fairly quickly – not because it’s an enjoyable climb, but quite the opposite. The wide scree slope ranks as one of my least favourite climbs in the area.

From Foggy Peak, we continued to Castle Hill Peak, which is a straightforward ascent along the ridge on a well-trodden track. At the summit, we had a quick lunch before pressing on toward Pt1941. This section of the route is always pretty cruisy.

After Pt1941, the route follows the ridge crest initially before descending toward the northwest base of The Gap. This section is straightforward, but I’d recommend wearing a helmet, especially when traveling in a group. When we reached The Gap, it was even more impressive than I had expected! The vertical cliffs on both sides were stunning, and I might include this trip among my regulars.

We met a couple of trampers from Dunedin there. They planned to return the same way they came, but I suggested they could join us for the descent through the Kowhai River Valley. If they’d known what lay ahead, they might have said, “No, thank you!”

The easiest way from The Gap would be to retrace your steps. However, there is also a route down to the Kowhai River. In my opinion, the most straightforward way would be to cross a rocky buttress about 1 km southeast of The Gap at approximately the 1400m contour (this rocky outcrop is even marked on NZ Topomap). We, however, chose to descend via a creek that drains a scree slope between The Gap and Pt1714. While this route is doable, I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s very steep for a tramping route, with a high risk of rockfall and several bluffs. These can be bypassed relatively easily, but the descent involves scrambling on loose rocks, making a helmet essential.

After navigating a couple of waterfalls, we finally reached the bottom of the creek. From there, it was mostly a long stretch of boulder hopping. While the creek can be followed all the way to the huts, it’s often more practical to climb onto the terraces surrounding the creek, which provide easier shortcuts through sparse matagouri scrub.

From the huts, Debz and I (as the drivers) led a small group of faster hikers along the Kowhai River bed and then a farm track back to the cars. We managed to retrieve the second car and return before the rest of the group caught up.

Please note that permission from the local farm is required to walk on the farm track.

Stats: 16.85 km, 7 h 50 min, 1410 m ascent. The route on NZ Topo Map (GPX download below)

Participants: David Sutton (leader), Michal Klajban (scribe, GPX, photos), Jacqui O’Neill , Eva Piskolti, Igreta Sinanaj, Diana Dolensky, James Killick, Jimmy Philpott, Deborah Keane, Daniel Ward

Tramped on 24th November 2024.

Photos

Map

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