A little over half way to Waitewaewae Hut the track crosses a forest clad plateau hemmed by ridges. This marks the start of the 'interesting places' for the weekend. The ridge on the east of the plateau form the west flank of the upper part of Otaki Gorge and with some luck will provide views of the main range (not so much today as it turns out). Other potentially interesting places are a random series of spot-heights that will test navigation and bush-bashing skills at the very least.
What: Navigation and exploration of spot-heights near Waitewaewae hut
Where: Waitewaewae hut area and Otaki River
When: 9-10 December 2017
Who: Solo
Maps:
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| Large view - ignore the unconnected route at the top - that's another trip |
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| Day one (right side) and much of day two |
Leaving the car at 7:15 it's a familiar wander across the flats, the river and the sidle above saw mill flats. To add some interest to the trip in I decide to investigate the slip that has closed the old track, arriving at the edge just after 8:00. It has grown since I was here last and chewed up successive attempts for the track to bypass over the top. I end up hanging off dubious, dry supple jack to edge across the top, noting in passing a huge tree which will, before long, take the inevitable tumble.
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| Slip to Waitatapia Stream |
I miss the temporary track on the other side so just angle down through the bush knowing it will be turn up eventually.
The old track is still marked and takes me to first an old boiler then Saddle Creek.
The track follows the creek bed up to finally pop over the saddle on to the plateau (9:45). It's a sort of unexpected place - you don't really expect to climb up a stream to find such a large flat area. It wouldn't be a bad spot to camp.
I'm not sad to leave the path (all too well traveled) to follow Plateau Stream down. It's not what you would call pretty - moss and algae, slippery rocks and dim pools where fish flash out of sight as I round each corner. But it soon changes from meandering across the flats to cascading through rocky cuttings as it drops through its course towards the Otaki River.
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| Plateau Stream - starting to get rocky |
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| A bit dry |
There are a few scrambles and some interestingly slippery rocks but overall it's pretty easy going. I'm watching the map and counting side streams closely though as there is little to distinguish my intended departure point from any other bend. At 11:10 I arrive at what I figure is the spot.
It's a steep scramble (like many others) to the ridgeline and 668, taking about 40 minutes (12:00). The undergrowth is painfully dry with the small damp loving ground plants withered from the drought.
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| Pt 668 - quite warm - nice and open |
It looks like people have been along the ridge albeit infrequently. There are few view opportunities so naught to do but potter along. The going gets interesting at the first pt 860 - first with a diversion down to 590 (2:00) then through the saddle there is some challenging wind fall clearings to navigate. It's hard to tell what causes these clearings but they are common in the Tararuas (and ubiquitous in the Remutakas), and they are a bugger to navigate with bush lawyer and hidden gaps between rotting logs.
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| Pt 590 - note the leaves on the ground |
Soon after the second 860 I'm somewhat startled to run into a deer fence (3:00). It just doesn't make sense until I discover it is only about 20m across - evidently some old vegetation impact monitoring site or the worlds largest deer pen (given that they are kept on the outside). There are steel stakes inside and outside the fence perhaps indicating monitoring sites. It would have been some effort to helicopter the supplies in and build it.
The ridge line runs north and down now - there are sporadic pest monitoring markers but it is surprisingly easy to drop off line with plenty of treefall to contend with when you do. Lower, there is open beech with a high canopy. I manage to work a way down to pt 450 where, as anticipated, it gets interestingly steep. The last wee drop to the river being particularly interesting. As usual it's a question of trying to spot where the animals have gone (and get worried if they seem to have headed else where) ... and to test every hand and foot hold twice.
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| The Otaki River looking a shadow of itself |
At 4:30 the river bed is a chance to wind down a little and start managing a different set of hazards - finding the best crossing points and not having to backtrack around the deep bits. The river is at low flow and the surrounding rocks are dry so an easier proposition than normal. Some striking blood-red pools in scalloped rock depressions has me wondering if a careless hunter has processed an animal by the river but it seems to just be leaves in the water. It's surprising as it is under beech trees and I wouldn't think they would impart such a colour.
The two points I am after are a few hundred meters above the river on the true left (east). They are at the top end of a block of the park hemmed in by the Otaki River and the main range that seems to be relatively rarely visited.
There's a tidy spur leading steeply up to Pt 500 (5:25) through spindly saplings that prove hard to push through at times. From pt 500 the contours indicate a less steep basin on the valley wall - it is navigable but the usual profusion of moss covered rotten logs demands care and the high canopy means total reliance on the compass. The scramble out is similar - up a steep and crumbling trickle choked with rotting branches (honestly - I do enjoy this stuff).
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| Dense rigger growth on way to 500 |
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| Stream between 500 and 666 |
On the next spur there are more animal trails so it is easier going with the obligatory pause for a photo at (another) pt 666. Sidling between spurs in this sort of country is slow going - it has taken an hour to get across from Pt 500.
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| Pt 666 |
The forest floor is absolutely carpeted with dry, yellow leaves, probably a result of the arid conditions recently. They tend to accumulate in the trails which is helpful and I manage to navigate down to the stream confluence as intended. It's 7pm and it finally feels like the last leg of the day.
The river has a few little scrambles and wades but soon I'm at the edge of the narrow terrace described by a long U in the river near the hut. I follow my nose across but end up a little upstream of where I want to be (the river can be quite deep along the bank here). Safely across, it is a short wander back to the hut arriving at 8:00.
Arriving at the hut reminds me of another reason I am less than keen on this part of the Park. It's just about full. I snaffle one of the last few mattresses and a few TA walkers arrive a little later to claim the remainder. The accumulation of the small casual indifferences of lots of people living in their own little worlds makes the evening and night noisy. Turning in at 9 guarantees no more sleep than the last two punters that crawl noisily into their pits after everyone else (oddly, it is often older trampers that can be a bit guilty of this). Ah well, it's only one night.
In the morning I am second up and quietly sort my life out. There are bodies spread over the verandah requiring some care in retrieving my boots but I am heading off before they rouse (6:20). The bush is damp from a bit of light rain during the night. But the ground is again carpeted with dry, yellow leaves.
The plan is to wander over the lump behind the hut then head up river way to pick up a spot-height on the valley side. I'm hoping to find an old trail on the valley floor. All going well I'll take a deviation on the way back to pick up the last couple of odd spots around the plateau.
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| Day two (top and left) and much of day one |
The lump behind the hut is uneventful - I potter over and drop to the swing bridge. Following the river up I miss a crossing point and have to backtrack as the river deepens against the east bank - (mental note to pay more attention). It's drizzling, if enough falls it will be very welcome for the bush (and the fire risk), it also makes the stones around the river slippery. I'm hoping not to need to follow the river though as around the corner there is a large terrace marked on the map (opposite the Waitewaewae confluence) - I've heard there is an old track on it so cross the river as soon as I can and keep an eye peeled for markers.
Sure enough some blue DOC markers indicate a way in - I follow them briefly but don't have my eye in and follow a false trail. Never mind - it's reasonable going even off track. I manage to hook up with it a bit later and note that the ground trail is variable, the blue marks sometimes not that close together and very occasionally there is an old tin marker. This is evidently a very old track that DOC has adopted but not developed for public use.
The trick with this morning's spot-height is finding where to start the climb. The canopy is high and the terrain indistinguishable. The first marked stream is easily identified but there are some trickles after this and I'm not sure which is the one on the map. In the end I back track and follow a stream up for a bit before picking a spot and striking out. All the way up I am working on the possibilities that I am in two different places. Quantum tramping perhaps?
In the end, when the quantum state finally collapses I am in the universe where I had hoped to be and have a short hop across a gully to pt 635. There are almost views of the hills across the valley but mostly just views up trees. Rather than following the contours around the ridge to Te Araroa trail I bash down to a stream and follow it back to the DOC track - finding a faint ground trail with sporadic markers from the side is a little tricky but at the worst I can just drop to the river. However a blue marker catches the eye and this time I manage to follow the trail all the way back to the start.
A young chap catches up with me just as I'm approaching Waitewaewae Hut. He has been having fun following a spur up to Dracophyllum hut yesterday and is now on his way out. It's good to yarn with someone that has explored some of the lesser visited parts of the park.
Rather than follow the track I cross the river and the terrace and work back to Arapito Creek. Just where the track crosses the creek there's a fork - I take the dividing spur to the ridge line (no trails) at 712 (possibly some trails on the ridge) before curving around to drop through tricky bush to the plateau and a wee ridge with pt 530 on it. The ridge is the only feature on the plateau and could be a better place to camp then the plateau itself which can be boggy.
This all goes surprisingly close to plan but the first orange triangle after dropping off 530 is a signal that the interesting bits are over and it's now just the grind out along the track. The day has been drizzling on and off but despite this the track is mercifully firm under foot.
On the way out I discover that the irritating itch on my calves is my newish gaiters rubbing holes in my legs. They look good and work well but this is another amongst a list of design faults - (I may be soft but my old gaiters never rubbed holes in the back of my legs!).
I meet a couple of lasses on the way into the hut but otherwise it's a quiet trip out arriving at the car at 3:20 to chuck wet gear into a rubbish bag and head for home.
The convoluted route required to knock of the 11 spot-heights has seen some interesting territory - I'm particularly pleased with the degree to which I've avoided the main tracks. I reckon I've seen enough of the ridges around plateau and Waitewaewae but will definitely be back to explore more of valley on the true left of the Otaki River.
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