Asbestos Cottage

Great start to the day in Pohara, there was a light wind over night but as morning sun pop up over the horizon there was a indication of a very light frost but not a cloud in the sky. Today we are going to hike up to the Asbestos Cottage which is up the Cobb Valley Road and starts at a tight bend approximately 9 km back from the Cobb Reservoir. We first did this tramp on the 16th Jan 2018 so it was going to be interesting how it may have change over the past 8 years. The track climbs from 412m above sea level to 832m above sea level in a 5.3km grind, gradually for a start and then the last 1.7km is quite steep, narrow and very rocky (as we remember it from 8 years ago).

After a 48km drive from Pohara we park Jimny on the side of the road at the start of the track, the valley hill tops block out of the sun aided by the native trees making the start for us bloody cold, however we expect to warmup pretty quickly with the weight of our packs about to make us work on the climb. A bit disappointing to see a sign on the notice board dated June this year… “ALERT” in large red print indicating there is a new track from the Cobb Dam to the Asbestos Cottage as this one is “highly dangerous” because of the “old asbestos mine sight” which closed way back in 1963

Asbestos Mining History

(Copied from historical records)

Asbestos mining in the Cobb Valley officially ended in 1963 (with some sources citing final operations or closure wrapping up into 1964). Commercial extraction by the Hume Pipe Company stopped because the extracted asbestos fibers were too short for wide commercial use.

Mine History Timeline

• Late 1800s – 1917: Initial surveys and early intermittent prospecting took place in the area.
• 1930s – 1940s: Access improved with the construction of the Cobb Dam road, alongside local prospecting by reclusive residents Henry and Annie Chaffey (associated with the famous Asbestos Cottage
• 1941 – 1963: Sustained commercial mining operations operated under government backing and the Hume Pipe Company, producing roughly 5,000 tonnes of fiber.
• 1963 – 1964: Operations permanently shut down due to low fiber grade quality and limited market viability.

Anyhow… we looked at each other and thought fuck them, we’ve done this track before and it was a stinking hot day and we used our critical thinking and thought, it’s cold, it’s damp and possibly freezing up there so the dust if any wouldn’t lift, thousands of people have hiked this track and there’s been no recorded incidence of anyone getting Asbestosis from this track, and it’s DoC just covering their arse…. after all it did NOT say you couldn’t it just warned you of the hazard… so yeah they warned us and we were comfortable to continue. Because they had opened a track elsewhere to get to the Asbestos Cottage they had stopped maintaining this one which was obvious with large trees lying across the track where they had fallen which had to be climbed over or crawled under and it was obvious very few had walked this track in recent times.

We proceeded along the start a nice easy upward gradient, as I expected it was bloody cold walking along the track but I could feel my core temp warming nicely, I just wish my hands would hurry up and join my core temp, Jude cruising nicely as she doesn’t feel the cold or as she would say I just a soft cock! About two kilometers in we took a deter from the main track because the old had dropped down into the Takaka River 200m below well over eight years ago and we were aware of this as we used this same detour last time, except this time there were more knarly tree roots, slippery rocks and huge trees that had fallen across this already awkward section.

The most amazing thing on this part of the track was the bird song, I personally have never heard so much bird song, mainly Bell Birds. Jude and I just stood quietly and listened to it… so beautiful I could have sat there and had my brunch and returned with that being a highlight, but no we had already set our goal and must continue, I did record a clip which you can watch.

Once through the 500m detour it was back onto the main track and a comfortable walk upto the Gabbro Creek crossing which was also an indication we had reached the start of the old mine sight. About 40 meters after crossing we came across a collection of old relics like beer bottles, bits and pieces of machinery and some old timers boots that had rotted almost completely away.

While walking through the old sight and as it start to get steeper we came across a section where the light gravel was crunching under foot and on closer inspection ice had formed like blade of grass under the surface and lifted the small grains of stone… kept me intrigued for sometime (hope the pics show this) but also it was the start of the steepest climb for the next 1.7km

We wound our way up very narrow and rocky tracks having to use our hands a lot more for climbing, before crossing Asbestos Creek and once we got to Camp Creek we knew we were all but 50m from Asbestos Cottage, a finally we reached our brunch target.

Asbestos Cottage has an amazing history, a story of love, hardship and tragedy.

Built in 1897 by miners, it became famous as the rugged, isolated home of runaway lovers Henry Chaffey and Annie Fox, who lived there in self-imposed exile from 1914 to 1951.

The Runaways

• Escape from society: Annie fled an abusive husband in Timaru in 1913, leaving behind two sons. Henry was an Englishman healing from a failed marriage.
• Deep isolation: They retreated into the remote northwest Nelson mountains, eventually settling in the 2,700-foot-high Asbestos Cottage between the Takaka and Cobb valleys. 
• Rarely leaving: Annie left the mountains only once in nearly 40 years (for medical treatment), maintaining her dignity and Edwardian-style composure despite the wild surroundings.

Life in the Mountains

• Self-sufficiency: Henry hunted deer and goats while Annie grew a thriving vegetable and fruit garden.
• Odd jobs: They earned a small income by recording weekly rainfall and river measurements for the government.
• The asbestos link: Henry worked the local mineral deposits, advocating for asbestos mining in the rugged area.

The Tragic End

• Henry died in the snow in 1951 at age 83 while hauling supplies.
• Heartbroken, Annie tried to burn down the cottage and was forced back to civilization in Timaru, where she died by an overdose just two years later.

With brunch finish and a cup of coffee downed we packed up and started the 2 hour walk out… at least it was downhill for 95% of the return trip. Still it was steady as she goes because of the steepness, obstacles and slippery surfaces, stopping only for the occasional photo or to throw a rock down the slip face to demonstrate how steep the drop off were.

We did better than expected getting back to where we parked our Jimny and high five each other for a fantastic day trip. Overall a fantastic hike with great views. It was not a super hard hike but it wasn’t easy either… just enjoyable. In the short time we’ve been away and totaling our day hikes we have hiked 128 kilometers and climbed a vertical height of 2939 meters.