A string of rocky summits rises above the roar of traffic on the Lewis Pass highway, their lofty peaks flanked by steep tussocky terrain and unstable scree. Reaching the summit of The Apprentice (1678m) and Mt Technical (1870m) requires two adventurous scrambles not more than four hours from the road.

The Lewis Tops Track is located opposite the St James Walkway car park on SH7, a stone’s throw from Lewis Pass itself. A stiff 90-minute climb through beech forest brings you to open tussock tops and breathtaking views of the surrounding peaks: Spenser Mountains in the north, the serrated tops of Victoria Forest Park in the northwest, and the crumbling profile of Mt Technical as it looms ever closer. 

Travel along the undulating, unmarked ridgeline is straightforward until you arrive at the base of The Apprentice, where a high climbing sidle across steep tussock leads to the saddle between this peak and Mt Technical. Cradled in a subalpine cirque, a sizable tarn offers idyllic camping in calm weather, as well as vital water, and the mix of water, light, rock and sky creates a majestical setting.

Intrepid parties may wish to visit shiny new Brass Monkey Bivouac, built and managed by the Backcountry Trust in the winter of 2025. This high-tech hut boasts a telemetry weather station and a clever ventilation system. Reaching this marvellous bolthole involves negotiating the blade-like ridge over Lucretia (1643m) to nameless 1600m knobs beyond, then losing a lot of hard-won altitude.

An alternative exit can be made down Lucretia Stream. From the saddle between Pts1602 and 1605, drop down a rough, cairned route between bluffs to join the well-marked stream-side track that leads to popular Nina Valley and SH7.