Otaki forks - 668

I thought I had explored the Otaki forks area as much as I ever would. That was until I noticed that on a previous trip up Rae Ridge to Dennan I missed a spot just off the ridgeline. It's ripe for a short day trip. And for taking the remaining tally down to 12.

I'm expecting fairly easy travel as there are lots of old logging trails buried in the bush around here - and Rae Ridge is a reasonably well known route. The only tricky bit might be the foot of the spur at the Waiotauru Forks - some of the faces are a bit steep around there.



The general vicinity




It's a hot sunny afternoon (1.50pm) as I leave the car and trot down to the river. It's at average flow so easily forded before a short jog across the flats on a reasonable foot trail to Sheridan Creek.

This time I will not make the mistake of following the markers up Sheridan Creek and bashing onto the spur - I cross the creek and find a clear trail with occasional ribbons leading onto the foot of the spur.

The humid air near the ground fills the lungs with the heavy smell of hot bracken. It's warm going until the scrub gives way to forest.

From spur - across Sheridan Creek and flats towards Otaki Forks

It's mostly good trails upwards although there's quite a bit of wind fall. Old tape markers of various colours are sporadically visible but it's pretty easy to lose the trail on the frequent wide sections of the ridge.

I'm scouting for the route when a patch of orange catches my eye - I make my way over and am surprised to see two hunters having a cuppa under a large tree.

This is only the second time ever that I have seen someone off a marked track (the other time was on the way up to Waitewaewae behind Manakau). We have a good chat and work out where each is going (them heading down after scouting up another spur) and ascertain that we both have some familiarity with the area. They are well spoken and relaxed that I've probably spooked anything they might have seen further down the spur (I hadn't heard anything).

I leave them to it and head on up to 668 with an unplanned diversion onto a side spur on the way. Although it's nice to have light footwear, the trail running shoes aren't really cutting it - they are too slippery on the hard stuff and provide no ability to edge into soft ground for purchase.

I hardly need the altimeter to confirm when to turn southwest leaving the ridge to head along a flat top towards 668.

There's a little bit of ground trail and on 668 the odd marker - I need the compass though to find the spur down. Once on it there is soon an old logging trial which comes and goes a bit but takes me mostly straight down. 

Pt 668

These are funny old relics - they are quite steep and the bush is only slowly reclaiming them. I assume because the soil was all scraped off. Animals and water have followed them in places and sometimes a marker indicates people have been through.

Old logging trail - believe it or not

The old trails have a habit of heading off in unexpected directions - a favourite trick being to dive steeply off the side of the spur and finish in a dead end. I assume these were side routes to rip the logs out of the gullies.

Towards the bottom the trail I'm following sidles left off the spur and angles down and into the Eastern Waiotauru (Snowy) River valley (i.e. heads east). I'm not sure how far up the valley it angles but I can't see a bench on the other side (there's one that you follow down to the river after crossing on the swing bridge).

Rather than follow trails that seem to want to drop down to the eastern branch river I find a bench that sidles back around the hill onto a large terrace near the forks. It's quite obvious on the map - almost circular so I wonder if there will be an old mill site - I don't see anything but only cover a fraction of it. 

I wander across the terrace heading in the general direction of down valley - not worrying too much about trails. There's a bit of a sharp drop off the foot of a spur and down to a lower terrace. From there I follow old trails and terraces before they run out. The marked track is somewhere on the other side but I'm not that keen on thrashing up through the lower slopes to find it, so continue on down the river bed. 

The slippery rocks in the frequent river crossings demand a bit of care in running shoes and eventually I reach a corner with a pool I'm not about to wade. A short mucky scramble up a steep bank through supplejack sees me on a spur and, in short order, the track.

Waiotauru River

After this it's plain sailing. I'm trotting across the grass flat with the old boiler when I see a couple of figures ahead - sure enough it's the hunters from earlier.  They've dropped down the spur and crossed the river to return down the track to the carpark.

We are walking back to the car park chatting a bit more about the local ridges and spurs when one asks if I'd done a blog - turns out they found some of my old posts when they were researching the area.

They have recently taken up hunting and have been coming in here - it's good to see the effort they're putting in and the enjoyment they're getting out. I'll have to remember that there are good examples of the breed next time I get grumpy at seeing hunters' rubbish on river terraces.

Around 6pm I'm back at the car, we chat for a bit longer then it's the long drive home.


All up a short and successful trip. There's plenty more day trips like this you could do in the area with the old trails giving something to explore. And after all's done - only 12 spots to go.