Mt Royal, Richmond Forest Park
Some mountain summits reward photographers with spectacular views, but reaching them often demands determination, careful planning, and plenty of hard work. In this issue, Peter Laurenson takes us to Mt Royal in the Richmond Range, where a steep climb through native bush leads to sweeping alpine vistas, a night under canvas, and a memorable sunrise above layers of ridges and valleys stretching to the horizon. Battling relentless gradients and fierce winds, Peter shares another inspiring backcountry adventure, proving that some of the best photographic opportunities are earned one step at a time.
I’m happy to report that since my last article, where I described being forced to resort to my OPPO Reno15 F5G smart phone after dunking myself and my Sony RX100 VII in Diamond Lake Stream on my approach to Mt Lockett, after a spell of R&R at a camera repair resort in Palmerston North, I’m $700 poorer but my Sony is now back in business.
In June I took it for a climb of Mt Royal in Richmond Forest Park.
Mt Royal is located at the eastern end of the Richmond Range. At 1365 metres it’s dwarfed by the range’s namesake 1760-metre Mt Richmond to the west, only just breaching the bush line for its last 70 metres or so. Nevertheless, this smaller peak still demands some sweat to reach, and because it still does breach the bush line, its rocky open top offers wonderful unimpeded panoramic views in all directions.
There are two main options for reaching Mt Royal. To the south the Quartz Creek Route climbs from 200 metres at Bartlett’s Creek Road. I chose the other option, approaching from the north via Wakamarina Road to near Butchers Flat Campsite, then swapping to foot power along the trail to Devils Creek Hut. This section takes less than two hours and only gains 100 metres to reach the hut. The real work begins from there.
