Smack bang in the middle of the Hooker/Lansborough Wilderness area is the mighty Landsborough River, and mid-way up valley Baker Creek joins the Landsborough at about the confluence of Zora creek.

Hemmed in by 2500m peaks on either side of the Landsborough, and with a fairly serious river to negotiate, it’s a pretty inspiring place. Seldom travelled outside of the tahr rut but for a few tramping/climbing party’s coming from the Hopkins on the East or the Karangarua on the West.

Ryan Carr and Richie Williams crossing the Landsborough River, image @Shaun Monk

With the choice of two landing sites you can choose to set up camp at river level in the Landsborough, or almost 1000m higher up in Baker Creek itself. A few parties choose to land in the upper, then make their way down to the lower camp over a few days. Which is a good tactic but it does involve some interesting route finding in very steep terrain, and there’s certainly been a few people tripped up in doing so. Later ballot periods or if we have serious early snow like last rut might make the choice of landing site rather easy.

Baker Creek campsite, image @Luke Potts

The lower campsite is nice and sheltered and a good place to weather a storm, being in open bush and just back from the river. From here you have a bunch of creeks and slips visible that you can keep an eye on as the light starts to fade, then climbing early to be in prime position.

With so much bush and scrub it really is a patience game and being a bit strategic to make sure those daily climbs up the creeks or up through the bush are getting you into the right place at the right time. And with so much cover you never really know what you might stumble into.

Looking back up the Landsborough with Baker Creek on the right, Image @ Richie Williams/Luke Potts

Baker is a fairly sort after landing site and will generally have a party in there every week of the ballot that the weather allows. But generally, it’s the guys that are fit and strategic that will find those old bulls in this type of country. A good spotter and a bit of experience assessing bulls can mean a lot less wasted time and sweat in climbing to check out bulls only to realize they are in fact to young.

Richie Williams on the spotter, Image @ Shaun monk

Depending how far you go you may well bump into your downstream neighbours at Dechan Creek or upstream neighbours at Percy Creek, but with the numerous side creeks and slips to hunt there’s certainly more than enough room to keep everyone happy.

Save your pennies, as it’s a reasonably long flight from either Pleasant Flat or Karangarua. But well worth it, as the scenery is simply mind blowing.

Originally produced for NZHunter Magazine - Grab a Subscription HERE