Thread: My South Island Trip

As a few of you know, I did a few weeks in the South Island kicking around hunting and stinking out hostel rooms. I flew into Christchurch late on a Thursday night (for the cheap fares) and met up with PerazziSC3 after he knocked off work on Friday. We were headed up the Rangitata/Havelock to Growler hut where we’d spend the weekend chasing Tahr. Unfortunately Saturday morning came with some very low cloud so we slept in and waited for it to burn off. We got to mouth of the catchment we planned to hunt by late morning only to find a few quads parked a couple hundred metres down it, bugger. Plan B. This catchment didn’t hold such good prospects but we gave it a good crack anyway. Climbing into a basin with a good bluff system to glass PerazziSC3 was quick to spot a Tahr in the distance. Unfortunately it walked off out of sight so we moved to reposition ourselves to catch it at what would be a closer range. All the while a young tahr had been watching us idiots; we were totally unaware until it made a bit of noise at us. No trophy but a good tasting young animal and nothing I would stick my nose up at for my first Tahr. An easy 120m shot and it was out for the count. Here it is:



Quick butchery job and we were back glassing. It didn’t take long for us to re-find PerazziSC3’s tahr from before. He ranged it at roughly 580m, found a good shooting position and took a shot. The shot was true but a big far back so he quickly adjusted his dials and shot another – BANG she was well and truly finished. I don’t have a pic of her but PerazziSC3 might chuck one up? We glassed for a bit longer and a couple more were spotted but with the day reaching its end, we headed back to the hut. We took it pretty easy on Sunday, not shooting anymore Tahr. I was on the board for my trip and had shot my first tahr – primo!

Monday morning had me sticking my thumb out to cross Arthur’s pass onto the west coast; my next hunt would be up the Whataroa River in search of Chamois. My plan was to walk in on Tuesday and either come out of Friday and meet up with JP100 to go up the Karangarua or stay on till Sunday and have him meet me in there. Here’s a pic I took early morning on my first hunt – beauty!



This sort of hunting was very new to me, all of my hunting up until then had been in bush where you stay out of the creeks because they are filled with windfall and crap. Well, as I learnt, the creeks on the west coast and more like the rivers we have up here, and the creeks we have up here, are probably not even marked on the maps down there ha ha. I was in big country and I was loving it. Back to the story: I spooked a doe on the other side of the creek bed that ran out and stopped to tempt fate. Staring right at me, I had only a neck shot on offer; I quickly snapped one off but I missed! Bugger! Oh well, this boded well for me I thought, hopefully I’d be able to get onto another.

That night I woke late thinking there was a nasty storm outside, only to realise it was the sound of the water crashing in the rapids just a stone’s throw from the hut. OId mother nature has a bit of a sense of humour and did the same thing each night to this townie trying to get a bit of kip.

I was up early next morning to climb a creek a bit further afield. Halfway there on the track I saw a bit of brown move through the bush as I descended off a little terrace. At first I actually thought it was a tramper wearing a brown backpack but it turned and I was soon looking eye-to-eye with a chammy. It didn’t hang around long enough though. I spooked another on the track again but never saw it, just heard it crash off in the bush. I stalked up my chosen creek and it was about 11am when I decided, having seen nothing, I’d put the wack on and get to the tops – the hunting gods had other ideas. A chammy burst out of the bush just 20m ahead of me on the same edge of the creek bed I was walking. For whatever reason, it decided to swing around and have a staring contest with me from the other side of the creek bed (which was only 20-30m wide). You won’t get away with that. Up with the rifle, neck in the scope, bang, it dropped where it was and didn’t need any encouragement to stay there. WAHOOOOO, my first chammy had hit the deck. As I walked up to it I thought “hell, that actually has an alright head on it”. Cocked its leg, yep, it’s a bull. Having no accurate way to measure it I made do with my 7mm08 case to do a rough estimate. It looked like it would go roughly 9.5”. HELL YEAH, latte-sip on that for your first Chamois all you 7mm08 haters!! Ha ha. Back at home I gave it a good measure and the slightly smaller horn was 9 3/8” – I’m very happy!



Back to the hut and I decided to walk out Friday morning. Had a quick feed and a beer at the local pub and found my way down the road to JP100’s place and we boiled the head up to send away.

Up early next morning we shot up the Karangarua valley for the weekend. We didn’t have any luck in there but here’s a panorama I took.



Next I hitch hiked from the west coast down to Queenstown and hit the Route burn track. The track goes from Glenorchy to halfway down the Te anau-Milford highway, so the plan was to walk that then get down to Te anau, where I’d go back into the bush to chase Reds for a week. We didn’t have the best weather so some of the views where’s as good as they could’ve been so on the second day I decide to put it into 5th gear and finish it a day early. It felt good to be building a bit of fitness – I don’t want to lose it when Uni starts back up! Here's a pic from on the track going over Harris Saddle



After a quick stay over in the hostel in Te anau, I headed down to Manapouri and into Back valley. My plan was to go Thursday-Thursday, then catch my bus back to Chch on Friday morning but I ended out running out of food so I had to walk out on Wednesday ha ha. I was eating a hell of a lot more than what I do when I’m back at home. Anyway, I took it pretty easy on this last hunt, even had a hut day (slept in till 10.30 and had a 2 hour nap in the middle of the day) and went for a fish with another guy who was staying at Hope Arm hut; managed to catch this nice sized Brown.



I got onto a few Reds, one of which I really should have got i.e. no one to blame but me for messing it up ha ha, can’t let that attention slip! Here’s a few photos




I worked out that on the day I walked out of Back valley I had spent 23 of the 50 days of the year so far in the bush (if you count days walking in and out) which I’m pretty stoked with – starting the year right!

As I write this now I’m back in the concrete and car fumes of Auckland city. Yesterday I even spent an hour in traffic. Feels good to be home… yeah, right.

Special thanks to JP100, PerazzSC3, Husky1600 and everyone else who helped me out with making this trip happen.
Hot barrels guys!

great stuff and beautiful cham mate, you mounting the cham?

Originally Posted by Bavarian_Hunter

great stuff and beautiful cham mate, you mounting the cham?

Thanks mate! Just like this

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Good stuff bro. That Chamois is awesome, makes me just a little bit jealous.

Very very nice chamois mate. Sorry I couldn't make it work to take you for a hunt, but it seems you managed to keep yourself busy enough eh!

Originally Posted by JoshC

Very very nice chamois mate. Sorry I couldn't make it work to take you for a hunt, but it seems you managed to keep yourself busy enough eh!

No worries mate, next time!

Good shit that's a bloody nice sham
you have been playing in some nice country :thumbup:

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Fantastic report and photos Phill

Its been great watching you develop as a hunter and outdoorsman, you have come a long way since you joined the forum

Also great to see a good keen young fulla out there doing it. Keep it up!.

Hey, hey....Phillip you beauty.....brill write up for what sounds an excellent trip, agree with VC your a quick learner and are really onto it now fellar....thats a cracker of a cham head for your trophy wall......there will be a wall, wont there mate........

Nice looking head, got a bit of character to it. Hopefully I can get one this weekend!

Fantastic young fella , congratulations on the nice Cham it's a cracker and well deserved . I like your style and sense of adventure. Keep it up

Yeahaa! Cracking it mate, two firsts in a trip aint too shabby! Nice hooks

Bloody ripper start to the year mate. Congrats on the firsts. Obviously well deserved.

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That's so cool Phillip, good on you for getting out there and doing it, rewarded too

Don't tell anyone but moonhunt hasn't even been out of the North island yet

Mint report, success and great results well done. Awesome pics of your journey.