With severe gale force winds forecast for the mountains on a sunny Saturday in late winter I thought it best we avoid exposed ground, and opted instead for this circuit walk to Woolshed Creek Hut near Mt Somers. Being at lower elevations I did not expect so much from the walk, but it very much exceeded expectations. We did the loop anti-clockwise and climbed up to 1100m on the Rhyolite Ridge and Bus Stop Tracks, with excellent views towards the distant but spectacular Arrowsmith Range, and also of the nearby Winterslow Range. Once near the hut there were narrow and rugged gorges with waterfalls and bluffs aplenty. Great stuff.
Track notes at the end.
Woolshed Creek Hut Circuit: The Scenery
Track Notes
All the tracks are obvious and marked. We walked the circuit anti-clockwise but I’d say walking it clockwise would be nice too. The outward leg of Rhyolite Ridge Track and Bus Stop Track (the track that links the Mt Somers Track with the Mount Somers South Face Track), is considered a bit harder than the return leg on the Miners Track. Neither are difficult for regular walkers; about 9-10km all up. There’s more information on these and the multi-day Mount Somers circuit on the DOC website.
Hi Edward,
This walk looks excellent & we want to tackle it on our next trip to NZ, just wondering what you would think is the average time it would take to do the loop & would you recommend going clockwise or anti clockwise? Love the photo’s.
Hi Tony. Yes, this one exceeded expectations for me. I checked the time stamp on my photos and I reckon 6-7 hours would be enough for the loop. That sounds long but it’s fairly easygoing by Canterbury standards. And since of that is stopping to enjoy the scenery and little side trips, plus lunch. I’ve thought about the direction and have decided the way we did it – anti-clockwise – is best, because this way you keep the sun behind you as you look at the views, which are mostly west on the rhyolite/bus stop tracks, and east towards the gorges on the miners track. I’ve always got photography on my mind and this way you can take nice pictures without the sun interfering.