Brian O’Lyn Route
Alerts
Check the DOC website for current alerts and conditions before you go. This site gets current alert info from DOC, but is not an official source of information.
A backcountry route that takes you above the bush-line and on to Lake Morgan hut.
Elevation
Cover mapped summer 2023/24.
Description
Follow the 4WD track on the true left of the Haupiri River upstream until you reach a car park, where the start of the route is marked by a sign.
It is approximately 3 hr to the bush line (2.4 km).
The route is extremely steep for the first half and care needs to be taken. The route ends a few hundred metres past the bush-line.
It is straightforward tops travel from this point. The usual option is over Mount O’Shanessy to Lake Morgan Hut and then either on to the Crooked River or a bush-bash to Cone Creek Hut.
From the bush line it is another 5 hr to Lake Morgan Hut (6 km).
Getting there
Drive north from Greymouth to Ngahere on SH7 and turn right on to Nelson Creek Road just past Ngahere (approximately 25 km).
Follow this road for approximately 30 km, then turn right on to Heaphy Road, just past Lake Haupiri.
The car park is signposted.
Know before you go
This route is accessed through private land. Contact the landowners for access: Gloriavale Christian Community, phone +64 3 738 0224.
Experience in the alpine environment is needed if you are going to travel through the tops and over Mount O’Shanessy. Mount O’Shanessy is 1462 m and the route is quite rugged.
Parties should be experienced and self-contained with cookers and a tent/tent fly in case of delays. Maps and a compass are essential.
Weather
Forecast at the start of the track