Levin to Otaki with dry feet

There is nothing quite like the pleasure of perusing a map, identifying unexplored corners and promising trips to be stored away for future reference. In my case, added to a list on my cell phone to be ticked off over time.

One such potential adventure was the result of idle speculation about a chunk of land in the western Tararuas with the most intriguing possibility being to follow the winding ridge lines from behind Levin to Otaki forks without dropping into any stream catchments in between.

It was somewhat beyond my meager navigational capabilities at the time but with a few trips under the belt and having nibbled at the edges of the route a few weeks back (link) it felt like it was worth a crack.

What:    Below bushline navigation trip along winding ridge lines

Where:  Poads Road Levin to Otaki Forks

Why:     Challenging navigation exercise under a bit of time pressure
Who:     Solo

When:   Friday evening 14 October 2016 to Sunday 16th

Map:      Link

To get a good head start I negotiate a drop off on Friday after work, with the intention of getting to Waiopehu hut for the night.

Tramp

A few chickens are moping about the car park as my ever patient support crew drops me off under lowering skies.

Rain is threatening and it's a bit cold, so I'm well dressed as I head out a little after 5.20pm. My route coincides with Te Araroa: crossing farmland to climb into the range via the Waiopehu Track.

The sun occasionally manages to slant in under the cloud and the going is pretty good, albeit on a fairly sodden track.  About 7.45 I'm at the clearing just past the old hut site and it's getting dark.

The bush is quite wet so I'm pretty soggy arriving at the hut in the dark with the lights of Levin hidden in the clouds. It's 8pm and has just passed the point where a head torch is necessary.

Mercifully the hut is empty, providing the opportunity to run through a few pieces of music I need to know my way around. I've been roped into an impromptu family choir for an aunt's birthday as the token representative of the less musically endowed corner of the gene pool. Okay, a bit weird but there's nobody to hear and the acoustics are good.

Momentary sun on Waiopehu Track

It's a quiet night and I've had a pretty good sleep when it comes to pulling on damp gear next morning. A brief gap in the clouds reveals a dusting of snow along the main range to the east but the cloud soon closes again.

Morning view from Waiopehu Hut

Waiopehu Hut

Around 7.15am it's a short climb from the hut to the top of the hill where I look for hints of a ground trail leading to Oriwa Ridge. This ridge is a major feature running south and west from Waiopehu and seems to be reasonably well traveled, although not officially tracked.  

There's a bit of a trace to follow down through the tussock off Waiopehu into the bush and sporadic tape markers. The trail itself is easy to lose amidst the ubiquitous game trails, and the ridge is fairly broad, so it is easy to wander. However, following a compass bearing sees me pottering along and eventually into the clearing below Oriwa around 8.45am.

There's snow in the air and I'm pretty wet. The clearing boasts a small roof, collecting water into a barrel, and people have stashed bivvy materials in the surrounding bush.  I make the mistake of trying to follow the clearing, which pretty quickly becomes a scrubby bog. Back under the shelter of the trees the going is much easier.

Water catchment - and a wee bit of snow

Oriwa marks where my route departs from the main ridge. I can't see any clues as to a route and there are a couple of possible spurs. I select one, take a bearing, and head down.  The saddle to the west of Oriwa is pretty broad so it's just a question of finding the path of least resistance. 

In the saddle there is a small stream then a bush bash up the hill to the ridge above 918m. I don't find any evidence of a track in the saddle, but towards the top a bit of a trail develops. On the ridge there is something to follow northwest, and even an occasional old marker.

The ridge system here is somewhat convoluted with some boggy patches to negotiate. Under the canopy and in the cloud it is easy to drift off line, so it's better to trust the compass then my sense of direction. In the end it's pretty straight forward getting on to the ridge to 955m and the ground trail is stronger, suggesting that a few people come through here on the way to Panatawaewae to the north.

Near the top of 955m there is apparently an old crashed aircraft. I find the location and cast about in the bush but don't find it - I haven't paid particular attention to the description of the site and although there was a prominent marker on a tree I didn't want to waste any more time. I take a bearing and find markers taking me in the direction of Waitewaewae.

It's quicker than expected through this section, given that there had been more traffic through, so I truck on to Waitewaewae.  Which is where things go a little astray.  In retrospect I was over-relying on the markers - I noted one that indicated a direction of travel that corresponded with my compass bearing and confirmation bias took over. Unfortunately I hadn't traveled quite far enough, so the spur I started down was heading in the right direction, and at a similar steepness to the real route, but soon dropped into a stream gully through steep, rotting bush. A gap in the canopy revealed a ridge to the north where I should have been. By now the quickest way out was to bash through a couple of stream gullies and up the steep side of the ridge. 

It's tough going and by the time I'm back on route well over an hour has been wasted in some fairly challenging terrain. A bit of a sit down and a bite is in order. Still, at least the weather has eased up - cold but not raining. I'm a bit more careful about navigating down the rest of the ridge - at one point a spur heads north and down and there are indications that a bit of traffic goes that way - possibly an exit via the old mill site on the Waikawa Stream.

Following the compass I don't have any problems getting on to the ridge running south from 730m. At one point there is suddenly an old but well formed 4WD track which I follow briefly, before it dives right and down, while I follow my compass south.

It's pretty good going now and my route suddenly comes across the marked track to Mick. The pace increases but evidently my attention declines as I meet some markers heading in an unexpected direction. After a deep breath and a sit down I realise that I've almost done a 180 - probably around a bit of a knob (which is precisely what I am feeling like). A bit of a talking-to and I continue in the correct direction with a little more care.

This is now territory I have traversed in the opposite direction but I have no illusions about the chances of drifting off route. Soon enough I pop out into the clearing below Tangata Maunga. The late afternoon sun is streaming across the ridge. It's cold but the open horizon and view out to sea is refreshing after a day under canopy and cloud. I'm completely out of water so top up at the tarn (it's been so wet recently I figure it must be pretty clean). 

The track through the scrub is reasonably easy to follow up to the small clearing with the trig.  From now on I'm on the look out for a spot to pitch the tent that is not too: exposed, wet, rooty, steep ... It's a very small tent so you'd think it would be easy. In the end I find a man-made clearing with a view and a only slightly sloping clump of grass, around 7.15pm.

Transferring self and dry gear into the small bush cocoon is challenging at the best of times and it is far easier to do it without rain. It's still light but I've been on the go for 12 hours now so I stash wet gear outside, crawl into my pit, pull on dry clothes and start chewing on something for dinner while I wait for my feet to thaw out. Progress for the day was not too bad despite getting ... mislaid.  I'm looking forward to a more relaxed day tomorrow.

Inside the Macpac bush cocoon

Last of the light

It's a quiet night, I get a bit of condensation dampness on the outside of my bag and discover my site is a little more sloped then I thought, but it's all good.

Next morning there is a little bit of cloud about but the sun is breaking through over the main range giving a cheerful prospect to the day. I'm looking forward to a wander down ridge with little time pressure. There's even cell phone reception so I call in my intentions, before heading out around 8.15am.

Packed and ready to go

There is some very good marking of the route on parts of the ridge but this is a two-edged sword. At one point the markers assertively head off down a spur which I gradually realise is not the main ridge. There are a few points where compass and map are required and it's often not immediately apparent how to stay on the main ridge.

At one point, within the space of a few minutes, I frighten first a family of black piglets that explode squealing off the ridge edge, then a family of white/grey piglets that follow suit. At this point I'm always a bit nervous about running into a cantankerous mother pig.

A little below 400m and at 12 noon, the trail breaks out on to grass land and the view across to the slip on the Otaki Forks access road. Based on the map I should be able to follow grassland down to my right, to a couple of terraces above the river separated by a spur.

View to the slip with the forks road running across it

Map and reality diverge somewhat: there's plenty of scrub, steep banks, streams and bushlawyer. After two trips I still haven't found the best route through the bottom section of this ridge. It takes a bit over 20 minutes to drop down to the grassy flat, then a nasty struggle through horrible scrub around the spur that separates the terraces. A steep erosion gully that plummets into the river forces a scramble up and away on rotten ground through disintegrating vegetation. Fortunately this puts me onto a lovely benched track somewhat above the level of the terrace - tip for anyone looking to travel through.

The trail joins the two terraces and part way along I note some pink tape and a trail heading up - this may be the best route up the ridge (certainly more promising then what I've just been through).  The second terrace has a bit of swamp on it, so I head to the edge above the river and follow it around to the scarp above the Waitatapia Sstream.

It's odd to be so close to Otaki Forks but seeing it from a completely different angle. And knowing that there's still a bit of tramping to do to get there.

Edge of terrace looking towards Otaki Forks
Judd Ridge on horizon at left

I'm hoping to see some tape to indicate a way off the terrace as the map shows it's all pretty precipitous - no such luck.  There's a gap in the bush edge and some old cut branches at one point before the end of the terrace but the map says it is still on the edge of the scarp so I continue to the end where there seems to be a bit of something that might once have been a trail. It quickly degenerates into a precipitous scramble down through supplejack.

At the bottom the Waitatapia Stream is up but easy going. I've heard there is an option to cross the Otaki River near here but I've not done it before and there's been a bit of rain. I turn left and wade up-stream 300m to where I dropped off the opposite terrace a few weeks back. Some train wheels I hadn't noticed in the grass last time through mark the spot.

"What's that?"  
"It's a bogey man!"

The spur I went up last time -
my advice is: don't

The scramble up through bracken is steep but straight forward and I decide to see if there is an easier way across the terrace than last time. Some tape markers follow east along the top of the scarp which feels like a sensible way to avoid the boggy flats. On the way there's a good view down to the Waitatapia Stream and the spur I grovelled up last time.


A bit later a moldering sign indicates the old route to the bridge. Any semblance of a track quickly disappears into dense scrub so I follow my nose up through bracken (avoiding some healthy bushlawyer) to the Waitewaewae Track.

At this point in the trip there's always a bit of impatience for the end. The adventure has been had and the last stroll across grassy flats to the carpark can't be over quickly enough. This probably explains why I am a little short of forbearance for the couple that are blocking the swing-bridge with their dog while they take leisurely photographs. Eventually I get past and at 2pm number one support team rouses herself from her kindle in the sun to greet the slightly battered and scratched figure shambling into the carpark.

I think this one can be chalked up as a successful trip with a few more lessons learned the hard way - now it's off to River Cottage Cafe in Otaki for a late lunch.

Someones else have been out and about this weekend