Okuku Pass in winter -are fords crossable?

[CrazyFrog]

Just wondering if the fords thru the Okuku Pass/Ashley Gorge route in Canty are easily passable in springtime (Sept probably) or are the winter water levels too high. I've done it in summer no worries, but dont' fancy drowning me bike in freezing water. Anyone been thru there lately?

[cooneyr]

Okuku river (big ford) quickly rises and drops so dependent on weather preceding your ride though.

Ecan river flow web site (http://www.ecan.govt.nz/Our%20Environment/Water/Rivers/RiverFlows/river-flows.html?site_no=66213&Location=N&StageFlow=W) is a really good place to check river flow. Map of river flow sites here (http://www.ecan.govt.nz/Our+Environment/Water/Rivers/RiverFlows/midRiverFlow.htm). I cant remember how high is too high but Transalper has an idea about these things.

Cheers R

[Transalper]

I expect to go through there again myself sometime in the next month or so just because I haven't been for a while.
I'd expect the only one to give you trouble would be the big one as mentioned by cooneyr. It's called Okuku Fox Creek and it rises and falls so fast it might be passable one day at about 3 m3/s or less, then tomorrow if it's raining in the west could jump as it just has to 42 m3/s or a whole heap more. Actually it's been about 6 to 8 m3/s all week until yesterdays spike.
I wouldn't personally go at it unless it's about 3 m3/s or less. When it's nearer 3 m3/s I like to have a helping hand near by. I don't really know how much deeper you might be able to handle but I'd sure hope you bought some backup if you went when it's deeper.
Okuku Fox Creek is one I like to have a good look at maybe walking in first unless it's obviously low. It often has a bit of a deeper trough on the west side.
The rest of the water crossings between that one and the North Loburn end are normally slow flowing so their depth doesn't seem to be such an issue to me.
Check out this June 2006 trip I did with PLUG. It shows a couple of the fords including the big one which was way to swift and deep that day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbYjMP85pZE
Otherwise there are a heap of photos here somewhere if you search this forum for "Lees valley"
Cheers
TA.

[426crasher]

I expect to go through there again myself sometime in the next month or so

Hey there TA, i'm keen to go again.
Cheers Tony.

[CrazyFrog]

Thanks boys, I might play it safe and leave it to summer again, as I'd most likely be rolling it solo mid-week. Does the farmer ever close the farm access during lambing etc? Ya kinda gotta respect land access eh?

[Shadows]

Thanks boys, I might play it safe and leave it to summer again, as I'd most likely be rolling it solo mid-week. Does the farmer ever close the farm access during lambing etc? Ya kinda gotta respect land access eh?

I was out there just last weekend.
No snow. Quite muddy and slippery in places though, but a trail bike or dual purpose thing would piss all the way to, and through, the river. It was only about 2ft deep at the very worst and not particularly fast. I know for certain that a 4x4 or two had gone though it very recently.
This rain we're having right now will be having an impact which would probably write this weekend off but if we don't get much more I'd say next weekend would be just fine.
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[Patch]

pretty cool vid there Transalper - never seen so many 'rest stops' in 2 mins tho :niceone: hearing you laughing at ya buddy is a nice touch. :laugh:

[cooneyr]

Well I'll defiantly be up for a run in a bit over a month . I've just about sorted one half of the equation - the bike. Time is still and issue till the end of August.

Cheers R

[Transalper]

....but a trail bike or dual purpose thing would piss all the way to, and through, the river. It was only about 2ft deep at the very worst and not particularly fast. I know for certain that a 4x4 or two had gone though it very recently.......Humm lets think about that... it is listed as flowing about 5 m3/s last weekend, 2ft deep is 24inches, my 21inch front wheel is only about 26inches tall to the top of the tyre and the air intake so the water would be splashing about almost over that and my air intake isn't much higher, 3/4 of my engine would be submerged and I know from experience that it doesn't require much current when it's up that far to mess me up especially with the type of bottom in that river. A decent 4x4 can cross stuff that I will not go near on my Adv bike. Then again river crossings aren't exactly a strong point in my riding ability. Quite the opposite in fact. :brick:
I don't mind the other fords on that trip being up over the top of me wheels because they really are slow moving and don't feel like they want to take me away with them, but not Okuku Fox Creek.


pretty cool vid there Transalper - never seen so many 'rest stops' in 2 mins tho :niceone: hearing you laughing at ya buddy is a nice touch. :laugh:
:whistle::D

[Transalper]

Just watching this river at the moment.
Yesterday it peakes at 218m3/s. Today it's dropped back below 43m3/s and falling.
It would have been cool to pop over and take a photo at its peak, never seen it up that high on any of the graphs i've seen of it in the last 3 or 4 years.

[cooneyr]

......It would have been cool to pop over and take a photo at its peak......

Your not wrong it would have been awesome to see at that huge flow!

Cheers R

[Cary]

This is what a mate & I came across in mid Feb this year. Had been a lot of rain after a month long drought.

First one we pushed across (rode back) and no way were we gonna try the river on a Tiger & GS1150!

[redleader]

I was up that way last weekend the fords where fine but the rive was not fordable unless you had a tractor or a jet boat