Poads Road to Waiohine

Easter is looming and a few ideas are percolating around possible routes. Otaki Gorge being closed puts a dampener on a few plans, but eventually Plan A crystallises: Thursday arvo follow Te Araroa  into the north-western Tararuas (behind Levin), travel down the Main Range to exit via Waitewaewae, Otaki Forks and Waiotauru to Akatarawa Saddle. However, a number of Plan Bs are noted on the intentions sheet left with home command ... the main one being to connect at Waiohine with Mike, Angela and Toby who are over-nighting Saturday at Totara Flats. That is provided I can call-in the change - how did we ever tramp without cell phones?

Thursday 24th

We leave for the coast about 2pm smug in the knowledge that we will be beating the usual long weekend Kapiti traffic fiasco. Wrong; nose to tail until Waikanae and over an hour later than expected.

       

Kapiti traffic - Roll on the Express Way.

Much better at Poads Road Bridge
A little gloomy though.

Ready for action

At 5pm with sunset due around 7.30, the trip up to Te Matawai is looking ever more likely to end  in a bivvy beside the track. Te Araroa heads up Waiopehu Ridge giving the opportunity to stay at the hut at the bush line, but I'm taking the Ohau Gorge Track and up Gable End Ridge - so named (I assume) because it's a little like climbing the side of a house and wandering along the roof.

It's overcast and warm, so much so that at the bottom the shirt goes into the pack. The light gets dimmer until (7.15pm) the last gasp of evening sun angles in just under the cloud bank and just over the Waiopehu Ridge. The dim bush takes on the golden highlights for a few short minutes before fading into deeper gloom.

The track is reasonably easy to follow but eventually the fading light calls for the head torch. There's no signs of life from Waiopehu Hut across the valley as I come up and over Richard's Knob and join Te Araroa. The lights of Levin and possibly Palmerston North are briefly visible through the cloud.

It's quite a different proposition in the pitch black but I manage not to lose the track or fall off the edge. As it drops towards Butcher Saddle I'm concentrating on keeping upright on the slippery roots and only gradually notice the white noise of the river filtering up from the valley below. A couple of Morepork are exchanging calls from close by but not a chance of seeming them, otherwise it's a still and humid evening.

In the saddle the cloud filters through the trees scattering the headlight but finally there's a sign advising that left will take you to South Ohau Hut via Yeates Track or half an hour upwards to Te Matawai - and that's pretty much how long it takes, arriving a little before 10pm.

Judging by the log book, Te Matawai gets pretty good use and I'm lucky to have it to myself. The log is full of references to 'NOBO' and 'SOBO' - finally it clicks - it distinguishes between the NOrth BOund and SOuth BOund Te Araroa travellers.

Flashes and grumbles from a distant thunderstorm fail to materialise into anything more than some heavy drops on the roof and a bit of wind during a restful night.

Friday 25th

It looks pretty foul on the tops as I head away from the hut bright and early (well, 8.45). Pukematawai and the range to the north are invisible, but my route south down the main range intermittently peeks through. The view behind (norwest) however remains bright, with Te Matawai Hut gleaming in the sun staying visible most of the way up the ridge.  Beyond, Waiopehu Hut is just discernible if you know where to look.

Looking Back - Te Matawai Hut is the bright spec mid-left.     The near ridge runs down to Girdlestone Saddle, Gable End Ridge behind it and Waiopehu somewhere on the horizon

Looking up towards Pukematawai (obscured)

A little over an hour after leaving the hut, Pukematawai is inside a cloud with a decidedly cool and boisterous wind whipping over the ridge and trying to nick my cap. The sign at the top looms out of the clag with the cheerful advice that Dracophylum and Nichol Huts are a mere 3 to 7 hours away ... unspoken is the amount of exposed ridge between here and there.

Top of Pukematawai 200m away 

However the ridge drops away from Pukematawai and soon there is a reasonable view ahead with the Park River head waters below to the left and Te Matawai yet again visible in the distance - to the north now. I'm even thinking I might need to crack out the sunscreen. However, for the rest of the day there's more wind and clag and very little view to the east.

A more encouraging view south above Park Valley. 

The track is good going and easy to follow although the cloud soon closes in again. Across the valley a helicopter is operating - possibly on Carkeek Ridge - hopefully hunters and not a rescue.

I had been thinking of stopping for lunch at Dracophylum Hut, which is a small cheerful looking two berther, but it's only 11.30 so elect to head on for Nichols.

One for the hut baggers.

Coming over Nichols it's getting more seriously unpleasant and I'm conscious that there's a good few kilometers of exposed tops ahead including the highest point of my trip at Mt Crawford. I'm looking forward to a bit of shelter and a chance to fill up and rug up at the hut, which proves to be in good nick.

Around 2pm, cheese, salami and pita bread feed the inner man and raincoat and other pieces of kit are relocated from pack to person. The forecast is for the weather to clear. I'm quite comfortable in the conditions as they stand, and have extra layers should it deteriorate, so am happy to leave the hut and head on.

Leaving a perfectly good hut - Nichols.

With little view there's little point hanging around the tops so I count off the spot heights to and past Mt Crawford. I also grumble at myself for bringing glasses instead of contact lenses - the east-most lens misting over rapidly after each abortive wipe. Things are going well and I'm feeling pretty good so fish out the cell phone and text my intentions to switch to Plan B and the Waiohine Road end. A confirmatory response means a short stint further along the ridge to Anderson's rather than the long plunge to Waitewaewae.

There's two sets of fresh foot prints on the track so I'm half expecting company when I arrive at Anderson's Memorial Hut at 4.30. However, the log book indicates that the owners of the feet are heading on to Aokaparangi Hut. Being a two bunker I figure I might be a little less than welcome if I follow them, so call it quits for the day, hoping for another night with a hut to myself.

Anderson's Memorial Hut.

I was taken with this hut the first time I passed through with its situation on the edge of an alpine terrace enfolded on three sides by the bush. It's pleasing to see it in good nick and with an intact log book including my entry from three years ago.  There's also one SOBO entry from a poor soul who missed the Te Araroa turn off at Junction knob and has a little back tracking to do.

I don't need the fire as I'm looking forward to an early dinner, bed and undisturbed sleep.

Saturday 26th

The clag is still drifting past the windows in the morning but it could be a bit thinner above, so I'm hopeful of some better weather today. The clothes are not noticeably drier than yesterday afternoon, but it's not cold enough to be unpleasant. 

Departure time

The track dives straight into mossy beech forest to dip and then climb. 35 minutes after leaving I'm looking back from the flanks of Kahiwiroa at a bank of cloud with Mt Crawford above in the distance.

Mount Crawford and the range disappearing to the North

An hour 45 after leaving (and having shed some kit) I'm enjoying changing cloudscapes from Aokaparangi. A lot of the ridge travel may be in clag but the wind is light and the breaks provide some beautifully typical Tararua views.

North from Aokaparangi

I'm still following the footprints from the party that came through yesterday afternoon with some occasional fresh deer prints. After the turn off to the hut, the prints re-appear fresh so they have clearly regained the trail after a nights rest.

The way forward and South - a little gloomy

Forty five minutes later - much better!

My recollection of the next section is of several steep clambers and losing track of the number of spot heights. I do a little better this time but it is quite lumpy and I'm still expecting one more when I realise I'm ascending Maungahuka. The clag drops away behind and more of the main range is visible north and south. The wind has also dropped to a most uncharacteristic calm.

North from the shoulder of Maungahuka ...

... looking up to the hut ...

... and southwest to the Tararua Peaks ...
I swear I could see the ladder when I took the photo but can't spot it now.

Just before 12 I stop in at the hut to find that the footprinters have left 45 minutes ago after noting in the log book their nervousness about tackling the ladder.

At the top of Maungahuka I see two figures angling up a steep face beyond the peaks and can hear their voices in the still air.  They have clearly overcome any nervousness about the clamber but are too far away to be able to exchange information.

The peaks scarcely register with climbers but they are a little daunting to trampers for the first time. I was a bit hesitant about tackling them on my own so follow their progress with proprietorial interest, imagining how they'll be feeling and expecting that their enjoyment will be all the sharper for the passing nerves.

Decisions

Although it's tempting to carry on along the range, about 1230 I turn my back to follow my ridge down into cloud and a thousand metre knee-curdling descent.  The sun is hot for a brief period but thins as the mists thicken long before the bushline (1100m).

Down into the gloom

There's not much to say about the rest of the descent - the 100m rise over Concertina knob prolongs the agony but is a good excuse to stop for lunch. I also pass through the territory of a couple of fantails who flick by to see what's up and three rifleman who just go about their business barely giving a glance to my pathetic attempts to imitate their high-pitched sounds.

Eventually there are glimpses of bush rather than cloud across the valley and river noise from below. After the final scramble down, the trees open to show the crystal clear Hector River flowing over clean grey boulders. Also the gleaming white form of a naked man gingerly easing himself into the frigid water. I pause briefly until he's fully committed then trot out onto the swing bridge calling a cheerful greeting and condolences about the cold (hmm, that could be misinterpreted).  I'm probably the first person down the tracks in days so his luck is not in. Kudos to him though for a full immersion in a cold river on a cloudy day.

Naked man just out of shot to the left

It's 2.20 and Neill Forks Hut is just across the bridge. It's also full with a party from the Hutt Tramping Club including Naked Man. There's a couple of semi-pointed remarks about my intentions and the number of bunks, so I accept a cup of tea and indicate that I will be heading on.

Half an hour later I'm on the way up Cone Ridge for the second time in as many weeks, but from a different direction.  The knees quite rightly grumble about a 600m climb after the mistreatment down from Maungahuka. However, an hour later the ridge provides for more relaxing travel south in recently familiar territory.

Phew.

It's a little before 5 when I reach the tops at Cone. The cloud keeps coming and going and it is a little different to a couple of weeks back ...

Cone

Then and now ...

I figure I can make the road end before it's too dark, and there's cell coverage, but Brother Number 1 is away from home so can't do a pick up, and I don't relish camping at the road end. Cone Hut it is then.

It's a pretty quick trip down the ridge to the saddle stopping briefly for (another) fruitless attempt to capture the magic of sunlight through goblin forest.

As good as I think I'll ever get on my phone

There's another pause when I run into the tail end of a party of seven. It's 5.30 and he's going pretty slow, so too is his wife five minutes further on, and two young woman another five minutes later. At 6pm at the Saddle the other three are not particularly concerned about the progress of the rest of the party and elect to follow me down to the hut - I'm figuring the rest will be hobbling in well after dark.

At 6.30 I'm first at the hut and get dibs on the sleeping platform. A solo chap soon turns up from Kaitoke having eschewed the crowded Tutuwai, despite which he's keen for a chat and a chain smoke.

A little later the two women from the saddle turn up having left the third chap behind. The mystery of the mixed party is resolved - four of them are from Marsden College doing a Duke of Ed. trip accompanied by the required adult supervision that they arranged via face book. The son of said adults makes up the party. The parents and the other two students eventually turn up just before 9pm - much to my relief as, very selfishly, I wasn't keen on being on a search party.

They are having a fairly eventful time - the trip from Totara Flats Hut via Cone Ridge has taken almost 10 hours; one of them has impressively bruised her ankle (and is pretty upbeat about it), and the father is going through all sorts of agony due to various health conditions including the aftermath of a broken back.

After a few days of my own company it's pretty full-on, but the students are quite competent with what they are setting about and considerate.

The sleeping arrangements resolve into six in the hut, parents under a fly (by preference), and the solo chap on the table outside. I thought this was a little mad but it didn't rain and he was adamant he didn't require floor space in the hut.

Sunday 27th

There's is absolutely no hurry for me in the morning so I let the mayhem clear a little before I exit pit and arrange breakfast. Solo chap is tossing up exiting via Marchant or Dobson Loop and the other party is aiming to exit over Mt Reeves. The lass with the injured ankle is strapped up and the father decants gear to his family to lighten his massive load. The Duke of Ed team are packed first and have remarkably economical packs. Eventually the last of them head off and the hut is suddenly quiet in the morning sun.

Built in 1946 Cone hut has survived some recent vandalism but shows signs of continuing graffiti assaults by the mindless. A rather nice slab woodshed has been built with a small water butt from the roof and the uneven dirt floor has been covered with tidy plywood. I remember being very relieved to reach this hut on a previous occasion and hope it serves for many more years.

The sun streams through the trees for the trip over to Walls Whare which is becoming quite familiar. I meet a man and woman with rifle and dog on the way up but no-one else until the swing bridge. About an hour and a half after leaving the hut I'm hunting out Mike and Angela's car on a hot sunny day. They turn up a couple of hours later with Toby having enjoyed camping out on Totara Flats. In the meantime I've had a wash, dried my gear and brewed my last coffee sachet.

Coda

I was happy with how all my kit performed and it was great to finally negotiate the territory from Pukematawai to Junction Knob. The route was interesting and varied, with the capacity to be significantly challenging in bad weather. I reckon it would be doable in two days by the fit, but two and a half to three allows a little more time to enjoy the views, take a few pics and not have to leap out of bed early.

All up, a mighty fine long weekend.

Gear notes

Mostly used standard kit. The penny stove performed fine inside and in the open at the Waiohine carpark. Still wouldn't want to rely on it for trips not involving huts. Macpac bivvy tent was carried but still remains to be rigorously tested. Zamberlan boots continue to impress with their comfort, lightness and (so far) durability.

Holdsworth Maungahuka loop

Solo weekend tramp

Click to access map in new window

There are one or two places in the Southern Tararuas that I've been meaning to get to, so with winter breathing down the neck it's a question of taking the first opportunity to string a trip together to knock a few of them off.  In particular, I have never quite got around to getting to the top of Holdsworth.  It's touted as being one of the great walks so normally quite busy but should be quiet at this time of year.  There's is also a bit of kit I'm wanting to test; my first experience tramping with daily disposable contact lenses and trialling off road running shoes instead of boots.

The trip is shaping up to be very up and down; tramp up to Powell hut, over Holdsworth, drop to Mid Waiohine hut, climb up to the Tararua range at Aokaparangi, travel along to Maungahuka, drop to Neill forks hut, climb onto Cone Ridge, drop to the top end of Totara Flats, up Totara Stream over and down the Gentle Annie to the Holdsworth Road end.

The weather forecast during the week settles on predicting a southerly causing a bit of rubbish weather on Friday, clearing with scattered showers on Saturday and a clear day Sunday.  Slightly marginal but not too bad.  Provided the Southerly doesn't stick around longer than expected.

The plan is to knock off most of the climb up Holdsworth on Friday night.  As this will be a torchlight exercise on a highway of a track it doesn't really matter whether arrival at Powell hut is 11pm or 1am.

In the end Friday is hectic and it's after 9pm by the time the car is parked at the Mt Holdsworth road end (having left the usual detailed intentions sheet at home of course).  Another car has just pulled in and the chap turns out to be heading up to Donnelly Flats where a party of Palmerston North pupils are doing time for their Duke of Edinburgh awards.

The stars are clear despite the forecast but it's chilly.  Passing through the gate at the start, a small felt pen sign catches my eye; apparently the Gentle Annie track is closed and you should use the Mountain House Shelter track.  WTF!! Travelling up a steepish spur on an unfamiliar track by torchlight is a somewhat different proposition to what I had signed up for.

It's twenty to ten so I decide to head up to the base of the Gentle Annie track and if there are no signs there I'll head up that way, it's not like they will be working after all.  However the sign is repeated at the base so they must be serious.  The other chap gives a few tips about the alternative track and studying the map it runs up a spur between two streams so would be pretty hard to get lost on. 

There must have been a bit of rain through as the bush is dripping wet.  The going is very easy up to Donnelly Flat where, judging by the tents and torches, half of Palmerston North have camped out.

The track narrows and becomes a bit lumpy but still pretty good and my turn off is signposted.  The track up the spur isn't too steep and although it's slippery underfoot the going is good.  You just have to get used to splitting your attention between the footing and searching for the way up between the ghostly trunks. And those orange triangles don't exactly stand out at night.

At the top of the spur the Powell Highway is marked with the same felt pen sign saying the track down is closed.  Mountain House shelter passes then it is up and into clag with the Southerly whistling in the tree tops.  The track is easy to follow and lovely wooden steps have been put up the steep bits.

Exiting the bushline I notice: this set of steps has a hand rail, the hand rail is very rough, and that this is due to a layer of ice.  Perhaps a bit colder up here then I was expecting.  The clouds are close in and the wind is on the boisterous side.  It's not far to the hut so I don't stop to put a coat on.

A break in the clag shows the lights of various Wairarapa towns strung out in the middle distance it's a bit too chilly to pause and try to label them and they are obscured by cloud before long.

Arriving at the hut about 1140 there is no one in. It is dark and cold but being late I'm not about to light a fire, so get into warm dry clothes and a sleeping bag in that order.  Not before a last trip outside to discover that it is lightly snowing.  There is also cell phone coverage so a text provides some comfort at home that I'm not staggering about in the cold wet bush somewhere.

The temperature in the hut dips during the night and it takes a little while to get warm.  I think it's time to put away the light weight bag.  It's about 2.5 degrees before I rise in the morning so still a bit of margin.

Saturday

If the weather is too foul the plan has me either twiddling thumbs in the hut or heading back to the valley to potter up to Atiwhakatu and around the Jumbo circuit the next day.  The weather looks wet and windy but not too bad so I rug up before heading out a little before 8.  It doesn't look like there will be any views today.

There's snow and ice on the ground which thickens as I head up.  However, the air temperature is above zero so it is rain that the Southerly throws against my cheek and the footing is secure with water beneath the light snow.  The runners are soon soaked through but although cold my feet are fine.  I head on up prepared to turn back if the weather deteriorates.

There's a survey trig at the top (1470m) and my intended route down is signposted (one side iced over) and easy to find.  Visibility is 50-100m and footing still quite secure so I'm comfortable to commit to the trip down over Isabella (1385) and on down to mid Waiohine hut (380m).

Dropping off the tops into the bush the greens are a rich verdant contrast to the white and black landscape above.  This band of vegetation in the Tararuas never fails to captivate; moss smothers the gnarled trunks and softens the ground into comfortable cushions and hummocks.

As expected the plummet down to Mid Waiohine hut is hot work and the first mouthful of water confirms that Powell hut most definitely has a fire.  Although surprising it's not unpleasant to have your water tasting like lapsang suchon.

The hut is a standard 6 bunker with a steel fire box.  It has a nice feel and today gives an opportunity to adjust kit under cover, have a bite to eat and leave a note in the log book before preparing to climb up the other side of the valley.  It's about 1030 when I slightly reluctantly close the door behind me.

The Waiohine river is up but not turbid, on a sunny day a swim would be irresistible. Pottering along one of the few flat spots for today I round a corner to see a couple of large stags about 10 metres away having a bit of a tussle with their antlers.  They amble off into the bush when I clap and I don't get a chance to count their points.   A few 100m from a deer stalkers hut is a little risky for them to be so engrossed in an argument I would have thought.

The wire bridge over the river is a signal that the climb up Aokaparangi (1354m) is about to start.  As expected it's a grind.  The track seems less travelled than the other side but is generally OK.  At some point the cloud layer closes about the spur and the wind picks up on my left shoulder and cheek. 

At the top there is (again) little to be seen.  There isn't much ice on the ground but the Southerly is pretty cold.  According to the map there are four high points to come, the last of which is my initial destination; Maungahuka.  Of course it isn't that easy to count them off.  It's all up and down and it's a bit hard to work out which is a marked peak and which isn't.

The Southerly piles through notches in the ridge and it's a question of just keeping going until the tarn at Maungahuka materialises, quickly followed by the hut.  A bit of a relief.

Although out of the wind, it is cold in the hut and as soon as I stop moving the body temperature starts to drop.  Being above the bushline (a bit below the top of Maungahuka at 1330m), there is no fire so if I stay here it will likely be in the sleeping bag for the next 18 hours before getting into freezing wet clothes.  There's some cell coverage so I text my intention to head down to Neill, fill in the log book (no visitors since last week) and head out the door at about 2:30.

All the fiddling about has left my hands bitterly cold and the Southerly is stinging.  It's not far to the top though and from there it will be a rapid dive for the bushline.  Sure enough, once going and off the main ridge I'm soon warm again.  It's a reminder though of how quickly the tops can become very inhospitable.  The wind is now on my right cheek.

With the cold weather and desire to keep moving I have not been eating as much as I should.  The trip down finds me moving slowly and requiring a lot more care to avoid slips.  It takes a lot longer than normal (including that additional little 100m climb over Concertina knob) and although the administration of a One Square Meal helps it is not quite sufficient as a pick me up.

After what seems a long time I check the altimeter: 650m, not too bad only about 300m to go.  After another good wee while I check again; still 650m, a closer check shows the setting has changed to the alarm.  The altimeter is in fact 725m.  Bugger.
 
Eventually a view up the Hector River opens with steep hillsides disappearing into cloud and soon after, a swift descent to the swing bridge giving a perfect view of the junction of Hector River and  Neill Creek (not so small today). 

It's a very tired and sore tramper that limps off the bridge and into the hut.  At a little before 5pm the trip down has taken somewhat longer than the DOC estimate of 2 hours. The hut is dry, perfectly comfortable and well provisioned with dry fire wood and a firebox.

The fire does it's magic, warming the hut, drying clothes and heating water for a cup of tea.  There is no one else in for the evening and the sounds of the river are a constant background.  After the experiences of the day a fair amount of sustenance is in order so a dehy meal for two is demolished.

Sunday

After a good nights sleep it's 6am and not yet light when I decide to get up.  It's not a long day today but I would like to get out in time to do a visit (and maybe cadge a good lunch) in Carterton. Heating water for a brew provides warm water for the muesli as well as a cuppa.  Clothes are only slightly damp and it feels cool but not cold out so the coat and leggings go into the pack.  The hut is tidy and the door closed about 7.15 when enough light is filtering down into the valley to see under the canopy.

Tired muscles are not looking forward to the 600m climb which is the first action of the day.  There is however plenty of cause to pause on the way up as the day is clear and glimpses appear through the trees of sunlit slopes and an expanding vista of distant peaks.

Neill catches the attention initially but as the track rises the view opens through Neill saddle to False Spur with the dress circle behind.  I think I can recognise Alpha.  Behind, Concertina Knob gives way to a view beyond to Maungahuka and the distinctive jagged outline of the Tararua peaks.

 

Tararua Peaks

At the top there's a chance to text home before heading left along Cone and eventually down to Totara Flats hut.

Top of the morning's climb

On the way there is a view up the Waiohine valley, flanked by the main range and Aokaparangi with the spur that had taken some energy to ascend yesterday.  A couple of times along the ridge something large disappears into the bush as I approach.

Tararua range on the left, Mid Waiohine behind the near spur

There are no people but some sleeping bags at Totara Flats hut.  The log book shows there have been a few people staying and at least one party is also heading over to Holdsworth today. It's about 10am when I head off after them.

This is familiar territory now.  The pause in the middle of the swing bridge to look up and down river then a brisk pace up the start of Totara Creek. The track is very clearly undergoing some considerable maintenance efforts.  A short way up the creek a brand new swing bridge is taped off.  This suggests two things; they are cutting the track up the other side of the creek and there will have been no maintenance on this side.  Sure enough it's back to the familiar wash outs and bogs but still, quite pleasant going on a cool, sunny morning.

At the creek crossing before the climb to Pig Flat I catch up with a couple of women and boys.  These are the first people I've seen since Friday night.   We chat for a bit, I suspect they will not be enjoying the climb, however they have all day so I leave them to it.  I pass a chap on his way down then a party of three on the way up; it's getting quite crowded.

One of the parties note that although posted as closed the Gentle Annie is completely passable.  I'm a bit annoyed that DOC didn't a) put it on the web site as closed if it in fact needed to be and b) just close it when work is underway and warn people that it's a bit muddy the rest of the time.  You're more inclined to follow such advice if you think it is sensible.

As the track levels to the top it's a chance to pick up the pace and eventually to jog down the other side to the car park.  The track is now positively seething.  Some of the Duke of Edinburgh trip are heading up to Rocky Lookout and various singles and doubles are pottering up for the day.

It's about five hours after leaving Neill Forks hut that I reverse out of the park and head of for a much anticipated feed of something other than dehy or One Square Meals.

Gear notes

I was a bit worried about handling contacts in the bush but they are so much better than glasses on the tops.  I could have my balaclava over my nose and still see without getting steamed up glasses and the Southerly rendering one lens opaque.

The trail shoes were fine for grip and even though saturated pretty much all the time, my feet didn't get too cold, even in the light snow.  They were fantastically light compared to boots which made a big difference considering the amount of up and down.  One of my feet felt a bit bruised by the end and I had a small blister which I hadn't noticed.  On balance, if it's not in the snow and ice or a lot of boulders (where a stiff sole is helpful) I think they are a good light weight option.