Gosling Hut, Marlborough: A Trip in the Raglan Range

After Tony and I finished the Lees-Hellfire Circuit, we discovered that our good-weather window was going to continue for a few more days. Naturally, we decided to make the most of it with a trip into Gosling Hut.

We decided to have another attempt at climbing Bounds Peak, which we had tried to climb earlier in our trip into Hidden Hut and Turkey’s Nest via the Wye Route. This time, we would approach from Stronvar Station, walking up Gosling Stream to Gosling Hut and then climbing into the basin from there.

Topographic map showing the tramping route along Gosling Stream from Stronvar Station to Gosling Hut and towards Bounds Peak in the Raglan Range. — Route to Gosling Hut

Fast Facts Planning Information

Location: Glazebrook Conservation Area, Marlborough
Topo50 Map: BR26 Mt Patriarch
Duration: 3 days, 9.8km to Gosling Hut from Stronvar Station with 458m climbing
Difficulty: Experienced due to off track navigation, river travel with multiple crossings of Gosling Stream required
Start / Finish: Stronvar Station on Waihopai Valley Road (off SH 63 west of Renwick)
Road Access: In good condition, last section of Waihopai Valley Road is unsealed but it is still suitable for 2WD.
Hut: Gosling Hut (basic, 6 bunks), Booking through Marlborough Tramping Club, no hut fees but donations are very much appreciated to assist with hut maintenance
Land Access: Access to Gosling Stream is across private land and permission must be gained before entering. Contact David Evans at Stronvar Station: 03 5724 809 or 021 439 964
Dogs: With DOC permit only AND approval of private landowners
Best Season: November – May
Other Tramps in Raglan Range: Lees-Hellfire Circuit, Hidden Hut & Turkeys Nest via Wye Route, Leatham-Molesworth Circuit, Silverstream Biv-Bull Paddock-Lost Stream-Siberia Hut Traverse

Our Route Overview

Section	Time (hours)	Elevation Gained (m)	Distance (km)
Stronvar Station → Gosling Hut	3.5 – 4	458	9.8
Gosling Hut →1,500m contour above Gosling Stream	6	759	4.6
Gosling Hut → Stronvar Station	3	40	9.8

Two horses next to matagouri on Stronvar Station farm at the start of the Gosling Hut Route — Curious horses at Stronvar Station

Walking up Gosling Stream to Gosling Hut

We started by walking through Stronvar Station on a 4WD road, passing the private hunting hut cleverly designed from a massive water tank before dropping down into Gosling Stream.

⚠️ Access warning for Gosling Hut: Access to Gosling Hut is across private land. Permission is required before entering Stronvar Station. Please contact the owners of Stronvar Station, David Evans, for permission and current access information: 03 5724 809 or 021 439 964

Wooden Stronvar Station Hunting Hut with corrugated iron siding and a large plastic water tank set in a grassy clearing on the route to Gosling Hut — The ‘watertank’ private hunting hut

The valley is initially very wide, but it gradually narrows as you head further up the valley. Gosling Stream needs to be crossed multiple times, and the route involves plenty of boulder hopping, broken up by the occasional relatively flat terrace.

There have also been a number of slips into the stream, leaving plenty of debris behind. Be prepared for the stream travel to become increasingly rough as you make your way towards Gosling hut. By the end of it, you may even feel qualified for the Boulder Olympics, like our friend Emily!

Rocky, dry bed of Gosling Stream surrounded by green native bush and steep mountain slopes in the Raglan Range, Marlborough. — Gosling Valley – No shortage of boulders here

There is an impressive waterfall and gorge in Gosling Stream just before the hut that needs to be bypassed. The route heads into the bush on the true right of the stream and is marked with orange ribbons and a rock cairn.

Scenic multi-tiered waterfall cascading down a rocky gorge along the Gosling Stream tramping route., Marlborough — The stunning waterfall just before Gosling Hut

Steep forest track with an orange marker ribbon marking the waterfall bypass route along Gosling Stream. — The gorge bypass route before the waterfall on the true right of Gosling Stream

Eventually, Gosling Hut comes into view. It sits on a lovely terrace above the stream and can easily be seen from below. The route up to the hut is marked with permolat and painted rocks, and there is a rope to assist with the steep climb onto the river terrace.

Gosling Hut

Gosling Hut is a cute little salmon pink coloured hut, and while we were there, we gave it a bit of love with a clean.

The hut also has a rather remarkable history.

In 1956, members of the Marlborough Tramping Club decided that a hut in the Gosling Valley would be useful for tramping and climbing trips into the Bounds Range. The timber for the hut was all pre-cut by a club member in his woolshed over winter.

Everything had to be carried into the valley on the backs of club members. This even included the chimney, which was carried in on two manuka poles!

That is some impressive dedication to building a hut in a remote valley.

Gosling Hut had its grand opening in October 1957, and the total cost of construction was just $157.59.

Gosling Hut nestled against the bush on a terrace above the Gosling River — Gosling Hut

A relaxing afternoon at Gosling Hut

After the walk in, we spent a lovely relaxing afternoon at the hut.

It was a hot day, so we both enjoyed going for swims in Gosling Stream. After the boulder hopping and rough stream travel, cooling off in the stream was pretty much perfect.

Sometimes the best part of a tramp is simply having nowhere else you need to be.

Another attempt at Bounds Peak

The next day we left Gosling Hut determined to finally summit Bounds Peak, after so many previous attempts.

Our most recent attempt had been from the Wye Route and Turkey’s Nest, complete with exploding mushrooms. This time we were hoping that approaching from Gosling Hut would finally be the winning strategy.

I had brought some dinosaur lollies with me, which provided essential climbing fuel as we headed upwards.

Three colorful gummy dinosaur lollies placed on a grey rock as hiking snack fuel during a climb. up Bounds Peak, Raglan Range, Marlborough

It was a very hot day, and before long we realised that we were still feeling the fatigue from the Lees-Hellfire Circuit we had just completed and made a mistake in climbing out of Gosling Stream too early reaching a deep, uncrossable gully. We simply didn’t have the motivation to back track and finish the climb towards Bounds Peak. I think there may also have been an element of learned helplessness involved after our previous failures to climb the elusive Bounds.

⚠️ Good to know: The route to Bounds Peak from Climb NZ – The stream forks about 1.2km upstream from the hut. The true right branch soon becomes rugged; bushbash past a waterfall on true right, following a cairned trail, into upper basins and on to the summit. The true left branch is easily followed through open forest and across large tussock and scree basins to the summit ridge.

Rocky scree slopes and steep mountain faces leading up toward Bounds Peak in the Raglan Range, Marlborough. — The basin where we needed to be to successfully climb Bounds

The Elusive Bounds

Tony had attempted Bounds nine times, with 39 different people including our friend Emily, while I had failed once with him. Most of these attempts had failed due to weather conditions (one attempt is A Restorative Retreat Weekend). The whole situation was rather hilarious when you consider that Tony climbed Aoraki/Mount Cook on his first attempt, yet this 2,000-metre peak in the Raglan Range appeared to be completely unclimbable!

Perhaps Bounds Peak simply has it in for us.

Scenic mountain view overlooking deep valleys in the Raglan Range with Snow dusted Tapuae-o-Uenuku Peak, Inland Kaikōura Range — Snow dusted Tapuae-o-Uenuku Peak, Inland Kaikōura Range

Hiker with a helmet, backpack, and trekking poles standing on a loose scree slope with the summit of Bounds Peak in the background, Marlborough — Sarah with the elusive Bounds Peaks in the background

The Busy Bumble Bees

We descended back towards Gosling Hut, keeping ourselves distracted during the bash bash with a game of alliteration based around the letter B.

This seemed particularly appropriate given the boulder hopping, Bounds Peak and, unfortunately, the bumble bees.

There was a swarm of them chasing us – or, more accurately, mostly chasing me. I had a blue pack, which seemed to be attracting every bumble bee in the valley.

At least we had plenty of B words to keep us entertained on the way down.

Handwritten logbook entry in the Gosling Hut intentions book detailing a tramping trip attempt up Bounds Peak, Glazebrook Conservation Area, Marlborough — My cheeky entry in Gosling Hut’s Intentions Book poking fun at our humorous situation with the elusive Bounds Peak

Panoramic view looking down the forested Gosling Valley towards rugged mountain peaks under a clear blue sky, Marlborough — View back down the valley from Gosling Hut

Will we ever climb Bounds?

Tony and I will be back to climb Bounds Peak.

Preferably before our friend Emily, who has also now had two attempts at climbing Bounds.

The race is on!

For now, though, Gosling Hut was another great little adventure in the Marlborough mountains. The combination of walking up a remote valley, boulder bashing Olympics of Gosling Stream, a historic backcountry hut and the challenge of Bounds Peak made it a memorable trip – even if we didn’t actually make it to the summit. It was another peak to add to my list of ‘The Mountains I have not climbed’ which includes Mt Tarahaka, Mt Princess, Mt Potts, Mt Morris, Scotts Knob…….

And perhaps that’s the thing about tramping: sometimes the failed attempts make the best stories.