Hopeless

You start heading up the Pinchgut track where Robert Ridge is soon reached and the amazing views which you will get for the next few hours of Nelson lakes and across to Kahaurangi. Robert Ridge is a marked track which undulates slowly upward for about 11km, getting rougher and more technical as you head towards Angelus hut.

From Angelus hut to Hopeless there are no more track markers. Head in a south west direction crossing Lake Angelus outlet creek. Soon after this you will see Hinapouri Tarns which can be sidled on either side. Once past the tarns head up to the obvious saddle on the ridge line. Once on the saddle it is definitely worth doing the short side trip up to the top of Angelus peak - this is quite a steep scree scramble to the top. Once back at the saddle head south into Hopeless Creek, the terrain here is quite rough with a few km of shattered rock of varying size.

Once down in Hopeless Creek you will reach 2 larger tarns - after passing the second tarn sidle across on to the true right of the valley where you stay high to get around a large waterfall. Stay high until you get on to a large scree slope which provides easy access back down to the creek. Once at the creek it is only about 1km to the hut. From Hopeless hut it is an easy descent through native beach forest to the Traverse Valley. Head down the valley to Coldwater hut, then around the western side of the lake. Towards the end of the lake the track starts climbing back up away from the lake - take the Paddy's track at the junction which climbs steeply then heads across to the road and the car park.