Dominated by Mount Adams and the particularly jagged Adams range, the Poerua flows from its now marginally glacial Poerua Glacier in it’s head basin.

The head basin is stunning and further down the valley the travel is problematic, with a nasty lower gorge that few people bother to try and traverse on foot.

The upper basin, image @ Luke Potts

This valley has seen a fair bit Doc culling as well as the Zip operation to the South no doubt taking a few more animals, And when I was last in there a couple seasons after Eugene Sage’s siege began en-mass, we certainly noticed much lower animal numbers and less distinct tahr trails to follow than we had seen in previous years. That said it’s still a stunning place to hunt, with enough animals to certainly keep you interested.

There’s two landing sites, with the lower giving good access to the two unnamed creeks heading North and South. With the lower landing site situated at about 700m above sea level, you’ll be well sheltered and well positioned to climb to creeks daily to watch over the endless scrubby faces, and upper open country.

Upper camp, image @ Luke Potts

The upper landing site is at about 1150m above sea level, and is still relatively sheltered, but it is a touch limited for tussock free flat spots. If you’re sitting out a good amount of rain here a small shovel would be a must to help redirect the water that will flow around camp. Keep that campsite tidy but this time it’s not the kea but the camp Weka that will make off with whatever they can carry, but they do provide quite a fitting soundtrack once the sun has gone down.

The ridge behind camp gives good access to the centre of the head basin, giving you a great look into the steep country on either side. With plenty of unrecoverable country on both sides of the head basin, it becomes the usual tactic of getting closer and being there at the right time when that mature bull crosses through that terrain you can actually access.

The steep country in the head basin, image @Tom Overton

If you are lucky enough to get some stable weather, let alone lucky enough to draw this landing site. Bear in mind that in stable weather you’ll be dealing with that classic Westland clag that rolls in daily, it’s often frustrating waiting it out, but occasionally really helpful in helping you close the gap.

The daily clag, image @ Tom Overton

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