Brass Monkey Biv
A 2 day hiking loop trip through the Lewis Pass Tops passing by the Brass Monkey Bivouac and over the summit of The Apprentice.
If you belong to a mountaineering club then maybe every now and then you think about actually climbing to the summit of a mountain. But one immediate problem is which summit do you choose from the thousands of named and unnamed peaks in NZ?
Some peaks look attractive, such as graceful Aspiring; some have unusual features, think Ngāuruhoe; some are spectacular viewpoints, like Earnslaw; while others have cool names, such as Mephistopheles and The Princess.
The Apprentice is a fairly non-descript peak above the Lewis Pass Tops, but it does have a cool name and it does offer grand views of the other Lewis Pass peaks including Faerie Queene and Gloriana.
You could climb it in a day from the St James carpark, but why not make the ascent part of a round trip taking in Lucretia Stream and a night at the Brass Monkey Bivouac? (however, note that the hut currently is in a sorry state, with mould throughout the interior – not a pleasant place to stay).
Start up the Nina River Track then follow the marked route up Lucretia Stream to the bivvy. This has been recently renovated by the Backcountry Trust volunteers who do so much amazing and unrecognised work on our mountain huts. The track above the bivvy to the bushline has been recut and is easy to follow. More easy travel takes you to the ridgeline at a saddle between Pt 1602 and Point 1605, and then a straightforward descent to the totally underwhelming and probably unhealthy Brass Monkey Bivouac.
Next morning happily leave the bivvy and climb back to yesterday’s saddle, then continue over the summit of Lucretia and on to The Apprentice. Goal achieved.
It’s then an easy romp over the wide grassy Lewis Pass Tops passing many tarns before meeting a track and a bush descent to the carpark and then wait for your chauffeur.
Tramp rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Brass Monkey Bivouac rating:
⭐
Rating: 0.5 out of 5.
‼️As at 9 February 2025 there are foundations for a new bivvy. The star rating is therefore soon likely to suddenly increase to 5.