This time, it was just me and Carmela. We’ve been tramping together for a while, but it had never been just the two of us. We picked a tramp to Zampa Tops as the forecast wasn’t too bad, and after a rainy Easter weekend, we were keen to make the most of ANZAC weekend. We chose a route in via the Maruia River and out via Trovatore.
We started off at the Lewis Pass car park. From there, we followed the St James Walkway for about 1.2 km, and immediately after crossing a bridge over the Maruia River, we turned right onto a vague track leading us down to the river. It was clear that it would be impossible to keep our feet dry, so we crossed the river and followed it for another 800 m or so. Upon reaching a confluence with a steeply sloping creek joining from the north (on the true left of the Maruia River), we followed the creek. The creek actually starts in a tarn at around the 1570 m contour, about 400 m south of Zampa (1710).
We followed the creek for a good couple of hours before the forest finally opened up. The creek is quite rough in its upper reaches, with big slips and fallen trees blocking the way, making it easier to climb up on the true left and bash through the forest.
Once we were out of the forest, the easiest way up was along the true right of a scree slope on the eastern side. The scree isn’t visible from the creek, and we missed it, ending up climbing a steep ridge about 150 m further on. It involved quite a bit of unnecessary scrub-bashing on steep slopes, so I’d advise against that. Get on the edge of the scree instead. Once above the scrub, it was a pleasant walk to the saddle and Zampa Tarn. The tarn itself is huge, with a decent creek flowing out of it. The flattest camping spots are on an island in the middle of the tarn; otherwise, there are plenty of slightly sloping spots available.
The next day, we continued along the ridges and over pt1616 to Henry Saddle. From the saddle, we followed the true left of a prominent scree slope. The scree looks extremely steep from a distance, but once you’re on it, it’s not that bad at all. As is often the case, the most efficient way to climb a scree is right along its edge, where a mixture of tussocks and good-sized boulders can be found.
Once on the tops, it was a pleasant walk across pt1724, pt1755, and pt1723 to Trovatore. There are some epic tarn basins around for camping. From Trovatore, we decided to go for it and drop straight down to the cars instead of taking the longer route via Foleys Track, which would have led us a few kilometres down the road anyway. We picked a prominent ridge that was heading more or less where we wanted to go. It proved to be a good choice – the forest was fairly open with no nasty surprises. The bush-bash felt like a Sunday walk! I’d definitely recommend our descent route.
It was a great, epic trip at a relaxed pace, with plenty of time to admire the surrounding scenery.
Stats for the 1st day: 9.1 km, 5h 50min, 910 m ascent. The route on NZ Topo Map (download below).
Stats for the 2nd day: 8.5 km, 6h 05min, 850 m ascent. The route on NZ Topo Map. (download below).
Participants: Michal Klajban, Carmela Terrobias
Tramped on 25-26th April 2025.
Maps
Max elevation: 1520 m
Min elevation: 721 m
Max elevation: 1751 m
Min elevation: 842 m
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