Western Hutt - a rescue

Just a road ride this past weekend. A loop of Lake Wairarapa, during which I learn that I'm not very bike fit, also that Angela's gym work and spin classes have phenomenally increased her bike strength.

The more interesting matter is a follow up from my recent Western Hutt River trip. During the week following I exchanged emails with one of the chaps from the party at Elder Hutt. It seems their adventures had only just begun when they made the hut late that Saturday evening. They have very kindly agreed to share the story here.

Recap

The party of four came in from Otaki Forks over Hector (1529). Weather on the tops was good with the sort of views you so often don't get on the Southern Crossing. With a clear forecast for the day and a less experienced member, they didn't push the pace. They slowed further as the member's knees started playing up.

The light was waning and torches were coming out by the time they reached Aston (1376) - this is the junction to depart the tops in a steep decent to Renata Ridge and Elder Hut.  By this time the group were sharing the injured member's pack. They made Elder hut after 8pm after almost 3 hours in the dark (with that little final indignity of a 100m climb to Elder (1110) just when you think the ridge has flattened).

Day of the rescue

A night in a warm hut and some pain killers mean that although the knees are still sore in the morning the party sets off for Renata Hut at 0820. Rain is forecast for the afternoon and they have a long walk in front of them (aiming for Otaki Forks). However, it soon becomes clear that the level of pain is slowing progress and there is no way the injured party will make it out of the ranges under his own steam.

By 1245 they are still half an hour from Renata Hut.  One member keeps the injured party moving to the hut while the other two review their options. The forecast rain starts coming through after this, but not heavily.

One option is a self rescue by 4WD: two of the party walk to Otaki forks, an hour drive up the Coast, pick up the 4WD, an hour plus drive to the top of the Akatarawa Road, then who knows how long to drive to Maymorn junction (about 1.5km from Renata Hut) - if that road is even passable.

They have four mobile phones - the one on the Skinny (Spark) network has cover (about 8 orange triangles up ridge of Renata Hut, 5-10 minutes), the Vodafone and 2 Degrees phones don't. At 1257 they call the Police and ask about a 4WD extraction from Maymorn Junction.  The Police say standby then call back to say they are exploring helicopter winch extraction from Renata Hut.

With the injured party ensconced in the hut in front of a fire (probably to keep the rats at bay) things are stable. They nip up and down the track to communicate with the Police, who at 1455 confirm that the Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter has been dispatched.

The chopper duly arrives, checks the site and returns in half an hour to drop a paramedic. The injured party is strapped into a harness while the chopper hovers a little way off then returns to winch him, then the paramedic out.

The three remaining party members depart the hut at 1600 making good time to Otaki Forks before 2200. On the way home they receive word of the invalid: Already home from the hospital; fluid on the knee, torn ligament, old knee fracture, damaged tendon, other leg the same accept for the fracture.

Comment

So, that's basically what happened (allowing for inaccuracies in my translation). What do you think about the decision making around this event?

It was a somewhat ambitious tramp with a newbie, but conditions were reasonably mild - forecast rain on Sunday afternoon came through but was not heavy.  All routes are well known and marked and the hardest work was completed on day one.

Should they have left Elder Hut? I guess that is up to how the injured party was feeling after a night's rest. The party knew that Renata Hut was not far down the ridge, providing good if not salubrious shelter.  The party was working together to share load and support the injured party.

Cell phones came into their own allowing discussion of options with Police (not possible with a PLB). They called while there was plenty of daylight so the Police had time to consider options, and having the injured party stabilised at a hut took the pressure off decision making. Given the nature of the injury, you can imagine how much worse it would have been if they didn't have the good sense to stay put and had tried to soldier on masking the pain with pain killers.

The event illustrates that cell phone coverage is patchy in the Tararuas and not all networks are born equal - even though the ridge is reasonably high. A smaller party or a solo may not have had cell phone as an option.

Would you have used a PLB in this event if cell coverage wasn't available? I'm inclined to say not given there were three fit party members, half a day to the road end and the injured party was stable, sheltered and had food. If two of the party had walked out to call for help the end result would still likely have been a helicopter extraction - however, Police would have the opportunity to decide on relative priority rather than being forced to send a helicopter in response to a beacon.

Anyway, those are my thoughts - others will likely have more astute observations.

Thanks to the guys for agreeing to share their story as these situations are always useful to think about and discuss.

Western Hutt River

The Tararuas aren't quite finished with me - a month away and apparently I was getting 'fretful.'

A bit of MTBing around Peppin Island (open one day a year), the Dunne Mt trail in Nelson, plus a relaxed jaunt up the Remutaka Incline just didn't cut the mustard. As the weekend approaches, the prospect of not getting out again becomes increasingly untenable.

It's the shortest day and rain is forecast on Sunday - I need (need!) something close to home, interesting and not involving rivers late on Sunday arvo.

I have always had the Western Hutt River tucked away for future reference. It's part of the Wellington drinking water catchment so it has been looked after and doesn't have formal tracks and huts. It's not part of the Forest Park but is contiguous with it.

When I first looked at it a few years back, the terrain looked too daunting - a steep sided river system, possibly requiring swimming. It was a well known tramping route but I wasn't game to tackle it on my own. With a little more experience though, I reckon I have a better idea of the likely size and disposition of the river, and am more confident about the proposition.

I check the Tararua Tramping Club's useful write up on the area and the Wellington Regional Council's river flow website.

Elder Hut is the obvious spot for Saturday night (on account of Renata Hut being rat infested) and to avoid a there-and-back trip, I work a diversion along Maymorn Ridge into the schedule.

Just to be clear, I am absolutely not chasing spot heights ... although pt 455 by Renata Stream was just too tempting to resist. 


What:      Navigation trip
Where:    Western Hutt River and Maymorn Ridge
When:      22-23 June 2019
Who:        Solo
Maps

The support crew waves good bye with the delicate parting suggestion that I be careful as I might not be at my physical peak given recent inactivity.

The sky is light enough not to need a torch as I leave the first carpark at Kaitoke water works at 7.20am.  It's cool with the merest suggestion of frost. I head past the camp facilities to the track across the stream and up the hill. The sky brightens during the steady plod up Clay Road.

View from top of Norbett Track

About 40 minutes later I'm at the top where the road disappears into a tunnel of trees before dropping steeply to the Eastern Hutt River.  Rather than get my feet wet I head up stream a few minutes to the swing bridge arriving 8.30. The foliage here is quite pretty with rimu and ferns as well as the usual other forest species - a caprosma beside the bridge is absolutely exploding with berries.

Eastern Hutt River

This is now new country for me. There's a good marked track that sidles down the true right to the junction between the Eastern and Western Hutt branches (8.40am). There's a catchment sign on my side and I get a good look at the Western branch that I will be coming down tomorrow.

Rather than have wet feet for the day I remove boots and pick my way across. By the time I've farfed about rebooting and filling up water 15 minutes have passed.

Western Hutt River on right - Hutt River ahead 

Looking back at the confluence

A short clamber sees me standing on the foot of the spur - there's a bit of a flat terrace before it starts climbing. The trail is generally pretty good but it's easy to lose when the spur widens. I don't notice any markers.


Towards the top there are a few clearings and I zigzag a bit to find the easiest way through. It gets quite flat towards the top but I know there is an old trig so don't worry too much about my exact location.

The trig is as I remember it - about 4m high, with the paint long gone and over topped by the bush. At 10.40 it's time for a pause, and a half-hearted look for geocaches.

There are sporadic trails along the ridge but it's wide and flat and many are overgrown so it's easy to wander off. I stick to the compass and make my way as best as I can.

I stumble on the trail I found last time - it's well marked and cut but it just seems to stop at the head of a wee creek.

There are a number of clearings that run across the ridge top - these seem to be in the process of being reclaimed by bracken and mosses.  One has more bare ground and I follow it north eastish down to the picnic table - still sitting incongruously below the ridge and in surprisingly good nick. I'm not quite sure how far along the ridge it is but I've put a jink on the map in the (very) approximate place.

After a spot of early lunch I make my way back to the ridge line. The sporadic open areas give views back and forward along the ridge. It's pretty featureless really.

Back towards Maymorn trig

Forward towards 770

Once the ridge drops into the wee saddle near 770 I finally leave the scrub behind. It's not bad as scrub goes, with lots of dracophyllum and not much leather wood - however it's nice to be able to potter along in goblin forest.

Nice but undistinguished forest

I'm surprised to find that I recognise the flat top of the knob past 770 - the same distinctive branch catches my eye as last time. This is the point to take a bearing and drop directly into the saddle.

The bearing branch

Past the saddle it's not quite so definitive gauging progress towards Pukeruru, but I find I needn't worry as there is a cut clearing with a survey pipe. It looks like someone has created a clearing for helicopters.

Pukeruru ... and foot

Pukeruru

Now comes the tricky bit. The ridges here are broad and flat and, I discover, have more than a little wetland. I find some signs of old cut trails but quickly lose them again. In the end I just follow my nose up the broad and gentle slope until there is no more 'up'. It's pretty open.

Coming off a broad top it is very easy to miss the target - I take a bearing slightly to the left of the spur I want, in order to traverse right and pick it up when it becomes better defined.  A pest control trail crosses my route and looks like it might drop in a vaguely useful direction - I'm momentarily tempted but a glance at the map suggests it will drop me into a side stream. In this country that means steep, slippery, and choked with rotten logs.

At 670m I dive off the spur to follow a bearing down a steep scramble to the junction opposite 455. I am quietly pleased when I arrive bang on target.

Renata Stream drains a fair chunk of real estate so is a good size. A little upstream some afternoon sun has found its way to the valley floor, hinting at open spaces just around the next corner (but probably not). It's 2.10pm so I have a wee break to top up water and get across the stream with dry feet.

It's a sharp wee scramble to Pt 455, which is a pleasant mossy spot to sit and check the map. I'm conscious that daylight is running out but I reckon I should make the Ridge Track before dark.

It's a climb like many others - steady and no problems under the canopy. Around Pt 830 there are patches of scrub/regenerating bush which slows things down, but it is not that bad. Higher up more clearings develop, separated by belts of regrowth. Once again, I find myself zigzagging to find the path of least resistance. The late afternoon sun is picking up the russets and golds in the foliage - but for the chill in the air, it could be a summer evening.

Somewhere around Pt 830

The vegetation is noticeably wetter towards the top - it hasn't rained so there must have been a frost that the sun hasn't touched for most of the day.

Just after 4.10pm the sun is still above the horizon as I emerge onto the track just before the saddle to Renata. The snowy tops of the Kaikouras hover above the horizon with Wellington and the Hutt Valley somewhere in the haze in between.

From Renata (I think)
Elder is the dark lump at centre just below horizon

I attempt to send a text to say I'm back in civilised territory but my cellphone throws a sulk and pretends that the 70% power remaining has somehow evaporated. I have a charger pack so can sort it out at the hut.

The track is a pretty one; through goblin forest, and occasionally breaking out for a view. There are no recent footprints in the sphagnum moss, which has the consistency of runny porridge.

It's about 5km along the ridge to the hut with a good bit of up and down. I plod on for as long as I can before cracking out the torch around 5.15pm. The last 200 vertical meters to the hut are somewhat slow.

I think it's a little after 6pm when the loo looms up on my right and then the hut. Candle light signals occupancy - I hope there's a bunk left.

Elder Hut is a tidy wee four bunker. No heat source, but well built so a few bodies will warm it up. It's also nicely situated - on a clear evening the western horizon glows as the evening fades; the lights of Otaki break the gloom in the north and, beyond ranks of dark ridges, the Hutt Valley and Wellington blaze in the south west. Right now though it's a little claggy and downright chilly, so I don't hang about on the off chance of a view.

Dan is from Auckland - he is kicking around the Tararuas and has come up from Cone Hut today. He had thought I might be part of a group of four that he heard was heading this way - I'm thinking it's unlikely we'll see anyone else this time of night.

We get chatting as I doff wet kit and set about warming up. It turns out he takes decent blocks of leave and has developed the art of finding his way to interesting tramping territory around the country by public transport and thumb.

It's after 8pm when the other party show up. The four bunk hut suddenly feels very small.

Mark, Ben, Matt and Chris are from Tokomaru and turn out to be good company. They hooked up when their kids were at day care and have undertaken some challenging Tararua trips, although it's Chris' first. He's a bit quiet - I'm not surprised as they have come across the Southern Crossing from Otaki Forks. A fair old climb, followed by the tops, then the final insult of the knee trembling descent from Aston. With the last 2-3 hours in the dark.

Dan and I sit in awe as they unload impressive amounts of food and alcohol. It's a very convivial evening as they share cheese, crackers and salami washed down with a selection of RTDs.

It turns out that they've picked up this blog and appreciated some of the trip reports - it's good to think that they might have use beyond propping up my memory and worrying the family.

In the morning, Dan is planning a leisurely start and I wait in pit to give the party free run at getting up and out.

They plan to head down to Renata Hut, Waiotauru Hut and back out to Otaki Forks. I wouldn't be surprised if they finish in the dark again, as there is an awful lot of walking on old 4WD tracks that can be pretty hard on the body.

It must be around 9am by the time I've sorted my life out, said goodbye to Dan, and taken a bearing for the spur behind the hut. It turns out there is a cairn marking the start and a well cut track. This suddenly gets hard to follow around 1070m, then comes and goes.

The spur is generally pretty good and has clearly been traveled before but I find I have to keep an eye on the map and take bearings to avoid slipping off line.

I potter on down to 700m (9.30ish) where more blue triangles turn up - these must be Regional Council pest control markers as this is part of the Hutt water catchment.


At the bottom (10.10) it's trying to start to rain so the river bed gets steadily slicker as I head down valley. The water is clear though, and at normal flow.

Bottom of spur

It takes about an hour to work my way down river to Renata Forks. There are a few spots where it's a choice of either a short swim or a scramble - nothing problematic and I chose the scramble every time. I'm pretty happy with progress, although acutely aware there is a lot more river to navigate and the park gates close at 5pm.

There's more deep pools to get around and the river gets bigger. Towards the bottom some of the crossings start requiring a bit of care but mostly not over mid-thigh. It feels a bit slower going down to Hutt Forks - arriving 1.30pm.

Back at Hutt Forks

Last view of the Western Hutt

The rain has pretty much cleared - but I'm soaked from the waist down and damp from the waist up. I cross the Eastern Hutt rather than walk up to the bridge (there's a sign at the spot) and start the climb up the clay road. By 2.15 I'm at the top and at the car by 2.40 - ample time for the gates.

Postscript

This was a really enjoyable wee trip. Saturday morning had some beautiful bush, tricky navigation and a rewarding wee climb up to Renata Ridge. I know I bang on about being relieved when I find an empty hut, but the company was good and I learnt a thing or two. The spur from the hut was a nice route, as was the river trip. All up, it put me in a far better frame of mind for the coming week.

For future reference, the splits for the trip out were: bottom of Elder Hut spur to Renata Forks 1 hour, 2.20 more to Hutt Forks, 45 minutes from there to the top of the road and 25 more to the car.  I think I left the hut around 9am so all up - a bit under 6 hours.

A couple of new spot-heights visited but that's completely irrelevant.