In the foothills of the Tararuas somewhere north and west of Masterton is Blue Range. At various times I have wandered down it, past the top end of it (along the Ruamahanga River) and parallel with it (down the 'SK Valleys'). It's a great place for those with a compass and a bent to leave the path well trod (although sufficient people have done so to form some pretty well worn grooves in places). In the course of these excursions I have always noted the unnamed stream running north from Blue Range hut to the Ruamahanga River and thought that it and its eastern ridge would be well worth an explore.
I can't find much on the intranet apart from a trip report on Windy Hill tops traversing part of the eastern ridge, but I find no reference to the stream. Casting a calibrated eye across the map I figure that a loop to the hut is easily done in a day followed by a wander back to the road end via Rovers Hill (TTC did a nice wee day trip to Blue Range hut and exiting this way). All going well it might even be achievable in a day (finishing under lights). To make things a little more challenging I'll head clockwise; i.e. down the ridge and up the stream - the trickier direction of travel for both.
What: Navigation trip
Where: The stream north of Blue Range Hut that really should have a name
Why: New territory and a bit of a challenge navigating down a ridge and up a stream
Who: Solo
When: 30 April 2017
Map: See below, small bit missed off in the north, near the mouth of the stream
At 7am the clag is low on the hills and there is one large camper van in the car-park. I've not come in at Kiriwhakapapa before and am impressed with the pretty wee valley and tidy camp spot. The tracks are also well formed.
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| Kiriwhakapapa Road end |
About 7.20am I head into the quiet, damp bush along a wide track that follows an old tramway. Shortly, my route heads off to follow Reef Creek north passing through an impressive grove of Redwood.
There's been a bit of rain but the track surface is very good. After a while the wide track changes to a more familiar tramping track and climbs a spur about 600 vertical meters to an intersection. Right to Blue Range Hut or left to the Waingawa River. It's taken about an hour of very pleasant walking.
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| Blue Range near spot height 978 |
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| The 'view' probably the base of spurs leading up towards Mitre and other peaks |
Along the ridge from 910m there is a loud whirring as a flock of birds explode from the canopy above. I can't tell what they are but there are large groups forming and coursing through the tree tops. Possibly preparatory for migration? - although it seems somewhat late in the season.
Otherwise there's not much in the way of bird life for the rest of the day apart from the odd Kereru noisily lumbering off, the high pitched twit of a rifleman and a far off tui. Possibly a kaka too but I'm not so sure what they sound like.
I'm leaving the formed track just as it starts to drop towards the Waingawa River so reckon it will be pretty easy to find the right spot. Sure enough it's hard to miss - there's a DOC sign making sure you don't accidentally continue to wander along the ridge.
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| Waingawa left - unmarked ridge track continues to right |
The ridge route is a common way to get to Cow Saddle so there's a good ground trail for the 0.3km to 970. After that it gets a bit less clear. I note a couple of old markers and someone has numbered some trees but little else.
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| Tree H 171, what ever that's about |
There's a few spots where the trail wanders away from me, particularly approaching 790 but nothing too dramatic. I potter along happily to 595 checking the compass periodically. The toe of the ridge doesn't have a well defined line so I just follow the compass and choose the path of least resistance. There's a few scrambly bits but nothing difficult. There's a bit of a soggy area on the flat at the bottom but about 11.40 I'm on the Ruamahanga River track pretty much where I was aiming for - about five minutes from the stream.
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| Tiny wee toadstools of the decidedly blue variety |
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| Thoroughly unremarkable piece of track but a welcome sight none-the-less |
The track drops to the stream which is tea coloured with beer foam in the eddies. I stop for a bite to eat during which no-one passes - hardly surprising given the forecast. The rain gently starts to set in.
The stream is up but not formidable however the navigation promises to be tricky. The stream flows in a reasonably straight north east direction with lots of tributaries. The trick will be telling which side streams are marked on the map and which aren't. There's little chances of any views to surrounding landmarks, and average speed will be hard to judge (stream travel is generally slow).
I'm planning to try to count side streams, take bearings on the longer stretches, note the directions of bends and alignment of stream confluences, and guess that rate of travel is likely to be between 1 to 2 km/h. Good theory but a fair amount of the way I'm not 100% sure whether I'm here or there on the map.
Despite the rain the stream valley is pretty. It shelves gently up with occasional terraces. There's a few log jambs and boulders to clamber over but nothing difficult. The biggest risk is injury from slipping on the slick rocks. After an hour I am nursing a wee collection of bruises - I'd have to say this type of travel probably carries a higher risk of injury than most others.
There are a few areas where I think there is a ground trail on a terrace but it's pretty hard to tell as there is a lot of animal sign and I see no markers.
I work out where I am near my target spur but mistake an unmarked stream for one on the map so end up heading up one spur early. There's no worries though as it will either reach the hut or Blue Range - either way I'm relaxed. The lower slopes are typically manky with the trees opening out further up. It's not too steep and around 300m to the top.
At the top I follow the range briefly south west then take a bearing and strike across to the spur with the hut, arriving a bit after 3.10pm (there was just one scrubby bit on the traverse).
It's a great wee hut with a nice feel to it but I figure there is enough daylight left to get me close enough to my destination to be able to finish by torchlight. I stay long enough for food, water top-up and fill out the log book (including a comment on my previous entry).
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| A bit soggy at Blue Range hut |
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| View from outside the hut |
It's raining steadily now and pretty much keeps it up for the rest of the afternoon. I check my head-torch is handy and take a bearing back to Blue Range.
There's a good ground trail along the ridge with just a bit of kanuka and totara that has a tendency to poke you in the face or be tougher then expected to push through.
I don't notice any markings between 810 and 927 to indicate the spur towards Rovers Hill but don't have any real trouble finding it - electing to over shoot slightly and pick it up on back tracking.
A ground trail becomes apparent as my route drops to a saddle then winds over 810 and onto Rovers Hill (with one very old marker noted en route). It's getting decidedly dim so I pause to form a plan of attack for when I inevitably lose the ground trail. The land form is simple but I don't want to drop into Reef Creek any higher up than necessary.
Just past Rovers Hill a morepork (and the inability to see the ground) signals that it is time to break out the torch. I manage to follow the trail for a surprisingly long time, then lose it, find it again, before losing it permanently around 650m, about 300m vertical to the creek on a not too steep slope.
Bashing down, supple jack is a constant irritation and the ground is periodically loose and rocky. I trend left across the slope aiming to hook up with a marked creek. This provides slightly firmer footing and periodically the sight of a cray fish scuttling away from the light.
It's a relief to reach Reef Creek but it doesn't provide pleasant travel. The rocks and logs are slippery in the rain and tricky to clamber around in the dark. Eventually a stream joins from the right - if I am where I think then the track should cross it quite close to Reef Creek. It feels like a long scramble before I see some old boards in the stream bed and shortly after, a track marker.
The wide and beautiful track allows bruised and weary legs to swing along at a better clip than has been possible for a good wee while. The rain drifts through the torch light. It's not long before the huge trunks of the redwood grove emerge from the gloom glowing pale in the light. Wide and straight they are an improbably orderly sight after the chaos of the native bush.
A sign announces that it is 0.1 km and 10 minutes to the car park - that's pretty slow travel!
At about 7.15pm and almost 12 hours after leaving, I squelch across the car park to chuck wet gear into the car. The camper van has been replaced by a caravan - I leave them for the prospect of hot soup and a hot bath at home.
Despite the rain, a great wee day trip - the rain was no great hardship but I could be tempted to head back up the stream in better weather.
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