On the Dragon Teeth

The Dragon Teeth, a tramping for adventurous dentists: Miao, I need you! More than 60 Km in 3 days, 2000 m of gradient: that's the plan of Kevin... And I agree as enthusiastic as worried :-) We don't know much about this legendary path: all the trails marked in the map run around the mountain, but we were told of this alta-via that walks on the ridge, where it seams impossible. A twisted and labyrinthine path among slabs and ravines. We must find it!

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January, 2012
  • 2012-01-23_16-10-23_Matteo

    We start in the afternoon, our purpose is to get as far as possible to make the shorter the path of tomorrow.

  • 2012-01-23_20-30-36_Matteo

    In the evening we camp close to a little stream and cook the dinner on the fire.

  • In the morning we start to climb up, but the mountains here are still smooth.

  • 2012-01-24_12-47-22_Matteo

    In New Zealand spiders have rejected the classical concept of a radial and geometrical net. They express their art with deconstructionist and modern shapes: chaos as representation of complexity.

  • 2012-01-24_13-21-57_Matteo

    Manuka flowers. Bees makes the most famous honey of New Zealand from these flowers. This bush is quite common: the reason because the Manuka honey is very expensive is not the rarity of the source, but the Japaneses who buy it all :-)

  • 2012-01-24_14-57-50_Matteo

    All the way we did until now: the car is the farthest valley, the one that looks blue for the distance.

  • 2012-01-24_13-45-30_Matteo

    Let's go on!

  • 2012-01-24_13-26-56_Matteo

    Lichens make a bush of clouds.

  • 2012-01-24_15-42-31_Matteo-PAN2

    Finally, the Dragon Teeth!
    Our path of tomorrow should start in the wooded saddle in the middle, then goes to the left more or less on the same altitude. From here it seams impossible! (click "Full size" to see some more details).

  • 2012-01-24_15-06-09_Matteo

    Even if quite easy, the path of today is rewarding in terms of scenario.

  • 2012-01-24_15-49-46_Matteo

    Getting closer to the Dragon Teeth.

  • 2012-01-24_15-58-34_Matteo

    Kevin (can you see him in the middle?) looks to the Dragon Teeth and try to understand where the hell is going to pass the route... We will see tomorrow!

  • 2012-01-24_17-01-14_Matteo

    5 pm, we get to Adelaide Tarn, where we are going to camp, here there is a tiny hut (if you click "Full size" you'll see it on the opposite shore of the lake).
    In the background: the Dragon Teeth.

  • 2012-01-24_18-35-04_Matteo

    Adelaide Tarn.

  • 2012-01-25_07-26-50_Matteo

    I really love to sleep without tent, watching the stars. Here in New Zealand, with sand flies and mosquitoes, it's quite hard to get the opportunity to do it.
    Here, for the first time, I can... and I do. Even if the moisture makes my sleeping bag completely wet!

  • 2012-01-25_07-27-01_Matteo

    Kevin sleeps in the hut.

  • 2012-01-25_08-07-05_Matteo-PAN

    After one and a half day of walk, here we are, in front of the Dragon Teeth.
    We don't know where the route starts, but we know that walks on the top of the first saddle, so that will be our first target.

  • 2012-01-25_09-01-38_Matteo

    And as expected, after some bush-bashing, we find the path.

  • For what I have understood, the DOC considers this route "Above New Zealand tramping standard", so it is marked only by other trampers, with red signs and cairns.
    We get lot of fun climbing on rocks and trees, up and down, and walking on ledges.

  • 2012-01-25_10-08-37_Matteo

    On the ledge.

  • 2012-01-25_10-12-32_Matteo-PAN

    We went right, then up, then left, then on a ledge, then down, then up on the right... Then we found ourself in the middle of the ridge of the Dragon Teeth without understanding how we got there :-)

  • 2012-01-25_10-32-44_Matteo

    Let's go on to the next tooth. We are curious to see where the path will lead.

  • 2012-01-25_11-37-09_Matteo

    And here we are.

  • 2012-01-25_11-49-30_Matteo

    This is Zorring!! :-)

  • 2012-01-25_11-50-00_Matteo-PAN

    In the centre of the photo you can see the wooded saddle that was the beginning of the route. From there the path went on at the same altitude... How is it possible? I really don't know!

  • 2012-01-25_13-39-48_Matteo

    Lunch break.

  • 2012-01-25_12-34-32_Matteo

    When we got here we though that this was the end of our adventure: from now on just an easy walk...

  • 2012-01-25_14-29-41_Matteo

    ...Well it was all but an easy walk: the rocks look smooth from the distance, but when you get there it is a continual climb up, climb down and climb around!

  • Cairns mark the only path that cross this mountain. Can you see the one on top of this rock? Well, we were a bit puzzled... But it was right: the flat grass was ending and the only way was to climb up the rock.
    Kiwis have a minimalistic concept of cairn: it is usually made of just two rocks; they add the third one if it has to be seen from a long distance :-)

  • 2012-01-25_15-23-26_Matteo

    End of the ridge, we did it! Now we have just to find the trail that leads down in the valley... Kevin is a bit surprised that the trail is not marked on the map.

  • 2012-01-25_15-29-26_Matteo

    Yes, that's the valley... But the trail? Where's the trail?

  • 2012-01-25_16-28-38_Matteo

    Surprise: there's no trail! ...And this could be the reason why it is not on the map.
    So at 3:30 pm we start an unrestrained climb down, half canyoning in the stream, half bush-bashing.
    We meet many deer, but I'm not fast enough to take photos.

  • 2012-01-25_17-02-29_Matteo

    Climbing down along the stream.

  • 2012-01-25_18-20-29_Matteo

    After 3 hours we are finally in the valley. A magic valley with an emerald green stream that runs among huge trees.

  • 2012-01-25_18-45-36_Matteo

    The forest in the valley.

  • 2012-01-25_19-02-22_Matteo

    It is 20:30 when we reach a hut: finally we can relax after 13 hours of restless walking!
    Tomorrow only 10 Km of flat trail: we will be at the car at lunch time.

Image Manager

2012-01-23_16-10-23_Matteo We start in the afternoon, our purpose is to get as far as possible to make the shorter the path of tomorrow. - - Cover 2012-01-23_20-30-36_Matteo In the evening we camp close to a little stream and cook the dinner on the fire. - - Cover In the morning we start to climb up, but the mountains here are still smooth. - - Cover 2012-01-24_12-47-22_Matteo In New Zealand spiders have rejected the classical concept of a radial and geometrical net. They express their art with deconstructionist and modern shapes: chaos as representation of complexity. - - Cover
2012-01-24_13-21-57_Matteo Manuka flowers. Bees makes the most famous honey of New Zealand from these flowers. This bush is quite common: the reason because the Manuka honey is very expensive is not the rarity of the source, but the Japaneses who buy it all :-) - - Cover 2012-01-24_14-57-50_Matteo All the way we did until now: the car is the farthest valley, the one that looks blue for the distance. - - Cover 2012-01-24_13-45-30_Matteo Let's go on! - - Cover 2012-01-24_13-26-56_Matteo Lichens make a bush of clouds. - - Cover
2012-01-24_15-42-31_Matteo-PAN2 Finally, the Dragon Teeth! Our path of tomorrow should start in the wooded saddle in the middle, then goes to the left more or less on the same altitude. From here it seams impossible! (click "Full size" to see some more details). - - Cover 2012-01-24_15-06-09_Matteo Even if quite easy, the path of today is rewarding in terms of scenario. - - Cover 2012-01-24_15-49-46_Matteo Getting closer to the Dragon Teeth. - - Cover 2012-01-24_15-58-34_Matteo Kevin (can you see him in the middle?) looks to the Dragon Teeth and try to understand where the hell is going to pass the route... We will see tomorrow! - - Cover
2012-01-24_17-01-14_Matteo 5 pm, we get to Adelaide Tarn, where we are going to camp, here there is a tiny hut (if you click "Full size" you'll see it on the opposite shore of the lake). In the background: the Dragon Teeth. - - Cover 2012-01-24_18-35-04_Matteo Adelaide Tarn. - - Cover 2012-01-25_07-26-50_Matteo I really love to sleep without tent, watching the stars. Here in New Zealand, with sand flies and mosquitoes, it's quite hard to get the opportunity to do it. Here, for the first time, I can... and I do. Even if the moisture makes my sleeping bag completely wet! - - Cover 2012-01-25_07-27-01_Matteo Kevin sleeps in the hut. - - Cover
2012-01-25_08-07-05_Matteo-PAN After one and a half day of walk, here we are, in front of the Dragon Teeth. We don't know where the route starts, but we know that walks on the top of the first saddle, so that will be our first target. - - Cover 2012-01-25_09-01-38_Matteo And as expected, after some bush-bashing, we find the path. - - Cover For what I have understood, the DOC considers this route "Above New Zealand tramping standard", so it is marked only by other trampers, with red signs and cairns. We get lot of fun climbing on rocks and trees, up and down, and walking on ledges. - - Cover 2012-01-25_10-08-37_Matteo On the ledge. - - Cover
2012-01-25_10-12-32_Matteo-PAN We went right, then up, then left, then on a ledge, then down, then up on the right... Then we found ourself in the middle of the ridge of the Dragon Teeth without understanding how we got there :-) - - Cover 2012-01-25_10-32-44_Matteo Let's go on to the next tooth. We are curious to see where the path will lead. - - Cover 2012-01-25_11-37-09_Matteo And here we are. - - Cover 2012-01-25_11-49-30_Matteo This is Zorring!! :-) - - Cover

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