Tent

Tent - not a night under canvas but a nondescript knob in a neglected corner of the Tararua Forest Park.

A day skiing last weekend and beervana yesterday - no matter the forecast a day trip was always going to be on the cards.  A casual glance at the map has identified the intriguingly labelled 'Tent' just off the edge of the forest park in an area that gives all the appearances of having pretty much nothing going for it. Surely worth a visit.

What:     Day navigation trip
Who:      Solo
Where:   West of Otaki Forks
Why:      Because it's called Tent
When:    13 August 2017
Map:

It's a dull, very wet and somewhat late morning as I drive up the Otaki gorge. A brief pause on the bridge over Pukeatua Stream identifies that it is not particularly up despite the rain so I'm pretty comfortable that the headwaters will be ok in the next few hours.

My expectations for the trip are not very high. The area west of Otaki Forks towards the back of Waikanae was probably logged, and possibly some of it farmed before being allowed to drift into the slow process of reverting to bush.  I'm expecting some pretty difficult vegetation, a myriad of unmarked old logging trails, no views and challenging navigation.

It's an 8.15am departure in heavy rain from the carpark. The route starts up the nicely formed Fenceline Track to the turn-off to the Pukeatua track (part of Te Araroa) which climbs to the ridge. There's a bit of a view at the start across a soggy Otaki forks but there's little in the views to be seen for the rest of the day.

Across the terraces around Otaki forks towards Waitatapia

I figure out where to leave the ridge to Pt 476 and find a bit of a foot trail and eventually some very old detritus from a hunting camp. So far so good - I have a vague idea of following a spur down but the terrain looks pretty benign so I'm not perturbed when the spur fades out for a scramble down to the top of a wee waterfall. A bit more scrambling is required but pretty soon there are animal tracks and it's easy enough to get down to Pukeatua Stream arriving around 9.30.

Pukeatua Stream bed

The stream is a little up, but by shimmying along a log I manage to get across with dry feet.  It's a pleasant spot, even in the rain - the valley is steep on the bend but the spur I want leads relatively gently north east. There are a few big logs scattered around so I suspect the trip down river might have its moments but here the fall is gentle.

The spur climbs for 200 odd meters then rounds off to climb gently the rest of the way to a flat top. I'm expecting to see old logging trails soon which is exactly what happens - these are covered in saplings which require pushing through and are very efficient at transferring water onto the person.

This is the tricky navigation bit - it's hard to gauge speed and distance so I head past my destination until I start dropping off the other side and back track. I scramble onto a knob that can only be Tent and am still unenlighted as to why it is so named.

I have to say that with no visibility I'm not entirely convinced I am where I think I am. This is where one starts thinking - if I'm here and head in this direction what should I not be seeing? If you ask what you should be seeing then you will probably see it - even when it's not there - such is confirmation bias.

Long story short - I find a trail running in the rightish direction, and don't see a drop off where I shouldn't. So far so good. I drop a bit far down the trail missing a turn-off, bash up slope to find the correct trail which turns out to be another wrong one, then bash up to the top of the ridge finding the correct trail en route to Pt 550.

The trail is well overgrown but provides a good line to follow along the spur before it peters out for the final drop to the Pukeatua Stream again - bang on where I was aiming. I think.




Pukeatua Stream

The bottom end of the spur plummets steeply on a knife edge - the footing is secure though so the drops on either side are not unnerving.

It's around 12.15 and the stream is weak-tea-without-milk coloured and up a little but still no concerns. I hatch a plan to head up-stream and check a few landmarks to confirm where I am before heading onto my chosen spur back to the Pukeatua Track.

The stream shelves gently up and there is only one or two waist deep spots - all well within comfort zones.  I find the side stream I'm after and head straight up the opposite valley side - if I'm right I will hit the spur just short of a knob - I am and I do, which is gratifying.

There's a bit of animal trail which strengthens further up until a couple of old pink ribbons indicate someone has used this route before.  After that it is a steady climb in steady rain through pretty good forest.

I'm keeping an eye on the altimeter and compass so am not surprised as the spur swings around, climbs to Pt 710 and emerges onto a wide muddy track.

There's plenty of day left so I figure I'll try to find my way to Pt 692.  There's little indication at the start to find the spur line, but as it becomes distinct a bit of a foot trail develops.  Part way along the camel back line gets tangled in a tree and a few minutes later I realise the end has ripped off. Bugger! Still - the line has some interesting algal growths so it is probably past time for a replacement.

It's a little tedious there and back trip with no view in heavy rain - but good navigation practice. I reach the location and turn to back track. On the way back I'm sort of managing to follow the same line when something blue catches my eye - the end of my camel back.  Bugger again - now I'll have to keep using it!

Despite being a little before 3pm it is very dim under the canopy, the track is muddy - the bush and ground sodden. I trot where I can to make good time back along the ridge to the clearings that signal I'm approaching the point I departed the track.

After that it is steady work back down the spur (trying not to go A over K), onto the Fenceline Track where I pike out, eschewing the 3.1km option to complete the loop in favour of the 800m to retrace my steps to the car park.

The two rubbish sacks in the boot receive water logged gear while I hop around trying to don dry clothes without getting them covered in car park grit.  It's around 3.30pm and a little over 7 hours after setting out.

Driving back down the gorge I pause again at Pukeatua Stream - this time it's a raging torrent bearing no resemblance to the stream I was wading up just a few hours earlier.

 

Post Script

A fairly short and soggy day that lived up to the expectations that Tent would be in an area having pretty much nothing going for it. Definitely worth a visit and a good navigation test. Pukeatua stream is pretty and would bear more exploration.