Rimutaka summit to Wairongomai

Sometimes you know that a trip will be a bit ... ambitious - the uncharitable may even say foolhardy. However, if you have the right contingency plans and are prepared to activate them, then at worst you will have a bit of a story and not too many enduring scars.

This weekend the plan is to see about getting from the summit of the Rimutaka hill road to Wainuiomata via Mt Climie, Mt Bawbaw, Wairongomai hut, Wairongomai Saddle, Papatahi and the Whakanui track. I figure it is a possible goer but prime the support team to standby for possible premature extraction from one of a number of potential points.

What:     Navigation trip
Why:      New territory - fill in some gaps along the range
Where:   Rimutaka Range
When:    11 February 2017
Who:      Solo
Map:      Map

Most people have little in the way of a mental picture of the landscape between the Hutt Valley and the Wairarapa. The higher ridges and peaks delineate the eastern horizon for many of the good valley dwellers and Wellingtonians, but the hills and catchments behind probably don't even register as a possibility. Driving over the Rimutaka hill road there are no views into the interior and even the incline never climbs high enough to hint at the land southwards.

Admittedly I'm guilty of the same level of ignorance but over the last year I've been picking off sections of the Rimutaka Range so here's my version of putting some structure to the landscape...

Ranges are defined by rivers so first think about four rivers: the Orongorongo River starts about two thirds of the way up the park and flows south west. The Pakuratahi River flows north draining the top third of the park (joining the Hutt River at the Kaitoki water works). The Wainuiomata River drains a chunk of the western side and the Wairongomai drains a little bit between the Orongorongo and Pakuratahi flowing east into the Wairarapa. Other water courses nibble around the edges.

This network creates a main range running north from Turakirae Heads to the Wairongomai river. It then sort of hiccups - a range runs north from Wairongomai via Bawbaw to the summit of the hill road in the east and in the west another one runs in parallel from Wairongomai Saddle via Orongorongo and Mt Climie to peter out in various spurs into the Pakuratahi River. Both called the Rimutaka range according to my map - go figure. Around this core structure are numerous ridges and spurs.

All a bit of a simplification of course but enough for what follows.

Summit to Mt Climie

Cups of coffee and a drive in the dark sees us at the lay-by short of the Rimutaka Summit at 5.40 am The near full moon is just behind the ridge. It's not the actual summit but the risk of walking down the road in the dark is not worth making the point.

The forestry track gives an easy gradient and surface to quickly reach the ridge and start the zig, zag and zig down the spur to the Pakuratahi river.  After 40 minutes there's a handy street sign just where I want to turn off to link to the incline road at Ladle Bend. It's also starting to get light.

Ladle bend is on the Rimutaka incline - the old fell railway route to the Wairarapa and a very popular family MTB trip. Today though I am just crossing it - and at a time of day that other users are unlikely to be about.

Back road to Ladle Bend

Pakuratahi - my spur ahead.  Incline comes out of valley to right and heads away on the left

The map shows an old access track on the other side of the river that starts up my target spur towards the Mt Climie road and the range. I cross the bridge, scramble down to the river and across.

Ladle Bend bridge from below

More mist in the pakuratahi

4WD track ?

There's no apparent path into the bush so it's a bit of a grovel but eventually I'm in pines on the terrace working up river. After a while there is a break that must be an old 4WD road but it is fairly overgrown. After a bit there is another old track that crosses the river (marked on the map).

At this point I figure there is little to be gained thrashing along the terrace to where the track starts up the hill so bash straight up through the pines to meet it. It's pretty overgrown but okay to navigate under the pines which is precisely not very long at all. Just as it turns sharply to climb the spur, it turns to hell.

Track up the hill under the pines

Morning sun just touching Kaumatua range
From elbow on marked track on spur in the middle of a gorse patch (7.10am)

The old track is covered in gorse, blackberry, cutty grass and 2m scrub. And the bush either side is not much different. I am soon regretting wearing shorts and short sleeve top. It's slow, painful and there's plenty of blood shed.

Kapakapanui

I have ample time to speculate about the relative damage caused by various plants. Gorse is like a bunch of train bullies - basically pricks but you can push through without too much blood. Blackberry is the viscous street thugs that stand their ground and rip you to shreds. Bush lawyer is the stealth assassin that sneaks up and slits you with a shiv - that or vicious Velcro.

This continues to 525 when with much relief the canopy lifts and some animal tracks make going easier. Further along a couple of  'Up and go' containers indicate that someone has been this way - probably straight up from the river. It's a bit of a mixed bag up the spur. Tracks come and go, no marking that I can see until near the top, a bit of scrubby clearings to contend with and a few more knobs to get around than I was expecting.

Kapakapanui on horizon - looking down
through tunnel gully reserve

The sun gets hotter, the views get broader and towards 857 the trail gets stronger. 4.35 hr after kick off I am taking a breather in the moss on 857 before the saddle to 828.

Overall it's not the most efficient route. Doing it again I would probably aim for the saddle by 399 and gain the spur that way. Or preferably start near Goat Rock rather than the hill road. In any event it takes 5.10 hr to get to the Mt Climie road.

There's a trig at 831 - three MTBers are chatting as I wander up. The talker keeps droning as if I don't exist and only one of them acknowledges my greeting. I'm used to a bit of interchange with the people you meet and the casual rudeness sort of jars.




The views from Mt Climie are a bit of a consolation. Whiteman's Valley, the hills around the incline and southwards my route for the day with the scarred face of Mt Matthews in the distance. It's sunny and warm. After stopping for photos it's just after 11 and 5.40 hrs since starting. Mentally I tick this off as phase one of three for the day.

First glimpse of the Hutt Valley

Mt Climie looking north - 857 towards left, incline somewhere in the distance

North from Climie - little notch on horizon at left of centre is the destination

Mt Climie to Bawbaw

There's no obvious route into the bush but after crossing the low astelia covered top and ducking into the mossy trees a route pretty quickly develops. There are footprints and various types of markers. Someone has tied way too many green plastic bags to trees - we'll call him Mr Numpty. Ironically, they are recycling bags.

Looking back towards Mt Climie

It's mostly pretty straight forward - the ridge doesn't have very dramatic ups and downs so it is a little tricky keeping an eye on progress and there are patches of regrowth and scrub that are unpleasant. There are also grassy clearings with long dead tree skeletons - vertical and horizontal. A couple of spurs to the west look like they get traffic but keeping an eye on the compass these are easily avoided. I suspect the travel along this section is a little harder than I remember but the reason for such relatively rosy tinted hindsight will come clear soon.

A pause in a grassy clearing

Forest remnants 

 

Not as easy going as it looks

The Markers thin out and pretty much disappear, I think around 825.

Looking back to Mt Climie

825 ... probably. Spur runs down into Pakuratahi catchment

Looking south range around Bawbaw on left

Getting closer

The climb up to 791 is obvious.  The ridge then becomes quite flat and wide - at some point I have to strike east to find the saddle between the Pakuratahi and Wairongomai catchments - the link between the two arms of the Rimutaka Range. The canopy is high so there is no view and  I don't see anything to indicate a trail - after what seems like a suitable distance I take a punt and a compass bearing. Soon enough a strong trail develops into the saddle through open forest.

I'm running the sums now - it will be touch and go to reach the hut in daylight, I'm running low on water (although there are some streams marked near my route) and the cell phone is on the blink (I said I would check in at some of the high points).

The saddle is relatively gentle as are the head waters of the Pakuratahi, you could probably drop down to a stream relatively easily. There are a tonne of animal trails - I don't think many hunters bother coming in this far.

The climb up Bawbaw starts easily then for the last 100m becomes steepish, the trees more stunted and the trails fade away. Part way up the camel back runs dry.

On the east most knob on Bawbaw there's a break in the low tree canopy where I can just pop my head out and get a view of where I've been. End of phase 2 and about 11.45 hrs since starting. I don't bother heading across to the other knob.

From Bawbaw, saddle from 791 on left, Pakuratahi head waters in middle, range to Climie on horizon

North along eastern range from Bawbaw

Range south to Mt Matthews on left

I wonder briefly where the name Bawbaw comes from - later, all the internet can supply is that it's a mountain in Australia and could come from an aboriginal word meaning echo. 

Bawbaw to Wairongomai

My recollections of this section are a little disjointed - possibly a matter of psychological self protection. It takes a lot longer than expected owing to several varieties of nasty scrub. The map indicates that navigation is likely to be tricky with a complex ridgeline and large flat area.

The slope down off Bawbaw is broad with more surface features than the map suggests. I figure the idea is to cut across east far enough to drop down into the saddle before 640. In the event I drop down too soon and end up scrambling over a steep knob and pottering through a couple of wee gullies before finally finding dense bush around the saddle. The good news is a trickle to get a few mouth fulls of water.

Southern Wairarapa from south side of Bawbaw - spur up to 640 in mid ground

Looking back up towards Bawbaw - note mixed bush and scrub with windfall

From here on the bush is interspersed with areas of windfalls, tight regrowth or scrub and occasional open spaces to get a breath and a view.

Coming off 640 the navigation gets quite complicated. It's a flat shapeless ridge top with lots of scrub and a lovely swampy clearing full of cutty grass. There are some glimpses of 564 but little to give a hint of the best path of travel. It's also almost impossible to follow a straight line bearing. At least I find a stream to full up the camel back.

I can't find anything much in the way of tracks but suspect that I might have found easier going by dropping off the flat top into the bush in the east.

The bush opens up to give a view of the saddle before 564. Low scrub through the saddle rising to nasty looking taller scrub (2m) before there are any trees you might be able to walk through. It's going to be slow work. There are a number of goats browsing and the scrub is infested with pigs.

The rough scrub is like a pot scour on legs that have already taken a battering. It's a painful grovel up the ridge before finally gaining the trees. At 564 it's 9pm and dark so I crack out the head torch and have one final go at the cell - it's working. I figure that I'm not about to do another day like this so arrange to exit out the Wairongomai in the morning.

From ridge below 564 - back to Bawbaw showing twin knobs
scrubby saddle in foreground

Now is the small matter of navigating off the end of the ridge down to the river and the hut 400m plus below. In the dark.

I'm aiming to hit the track about 300m down stream of the hut. In summary, it's fine at the top but I can't see any ground trail and soon am taking bearing changes based on the altimeter. It's very slow stopping incessantly to check the compass but things go surprisingly well managing to thread between the two streams and get to the flat spot at 200m.

Weta motel with residents

Something that looks like a wooden pencil case nailed to a tree leaps out from the dark as an alien shape. On closer inspection it turns out to be a weta motel with a few in residence. Someone has been here before and there's a funnel on a tube nearby collecting some sort of fall out from the canopy. There's also a bit of a ground trail that I follow for a bit. I think I've lost it when another funnel emerges from the gloom - this one with a VUW tag on it. Soon after I lose the trail for good so just bash straight down, onto the flat, through a stand of Buddliar to stumble onto the track.

It's a little tricky finding the hut as the track markings are a bit ... economical but at 11.30 after 18 hours on the go it's a thorough relief to stumble through the door and wake up the two people inside.

In deference to the fact that they have been in bed for a couple of hours I exchange pleasantries, brush the worst of the rat droppings away and crawl quietly into my pit. I chew on some salami and cheese before letting fatigued muscles twitch into a solid sleep.

Wairongomai hut to the Wairarapa

With my revised plan there's no hurry in the morning. It's the right choice to pull the plug on the original day two plan. Once embarking on the section of range to the Papatahi Crossing track there are not really any exit options.

The morning light reveals the effects of scrub bashing on unprotected legs and the benefits of garters. My marino bike top, although comfortable, is not up to the punishment and has another large hole on the shoulder to match one earned last weekend (and corresponding hole in the skin beneath).

The perils of not wearing trousers when bush bashing

My hut companions are good company. He works for DOC locally so I pick his brains about the TTC suggestion of a track along the southern part of the Rimutaka range and we have a good yack over breakfast. They came up the river so can give me some pointers about what to expect (2 hours of wet feet). They have also studied the log book which indicates that the hut is not frequently used but that people take various adventurous routes to and from it.

First light at Wairongomai hut 

About 8.30 I head out and down river. I'm expecting a lot of river crossings, a few deepish pools to avoid and not brilliantly marked track exits from the river. And that's pretty much what I get. The track is well formed and fast apart from a bit of a scramble up the true right of the last gorge and the last kilometre or so is in the river bed. Dry feet are not an option.

The sun cracks through and a stiff wind whips water off the river and slashes it down the river bed. It pushes me around a bit and it's border line getting the rain coat out. It is a nice walk though and I would recommend it as a day or over-night trip (unless a slightly ratty hat puts you off). With any rain though the river might get dicey.

It takes about an hour twenty to get to the car park which is a large domain with access provided courtesy of the farmer. The support crew is waiting by the river after very decently disrupting a Sunday morning for the early extraction.

After a big breakfast in Featherston it's back over a windy Rimutaka hill for a lazy afternoon.

Postscript

The original weekend plan was too optimistic for me on the day but is doable. With a more sensible starting point in the north phase one would have been more straight forward; and better path finding south of Bawbaw would have made for a shorter day. Better clothing choice would have made things a bit more comfortable too.  A lot of new countryside ticked off though and I now have a far better understanding of the northern part of the park.

Only thing is that there is still a chunk of range unvisited - and we can't be having that.

Coming ....

Coming ....

Arrived - note the ventilation on the shoulderes

Navigating the Western Hutt ridges

If you are looking for a bit of a navigational challenge there is nothing quite like flat topped ridges below the bush line. And in the Wellington region it would be hard to find anywhere that is as close to this description as the ridges around Maymorn in the Western Hutt catchment.

This is another trip I'd been keeping up the sleeve for when I was feeling a little more confident about finding may way about with map and compass. The area in question is loosely confined by the Akatarawa Road, the Renata Ridge up to the Southern Crossing and the Hutt River. The plan is to head up the ridge running northwest from Pakuratahi forks to about point 536, head north past 572 then east along Maymorn Ridge for a bit of a look, retrace steps and then head northish to intersect the track Renata Ridge Track near Maymorn Junction and on to Renata Hut for the night. The following day, retrace the route without the side trip to Maymorn.

Nice theory - now let's see what happened.

What:   Navigation trip
Why:    Push the boundaries a little
Where: Western Hutt - Maymorn Ridge area
When:  29 October 2016
Who:    Solo
Map:    Map

The forecast is not great again so an intended trip to the tops around Mitre is postponed in favour of a trip that doesn't involve river crossings or open tops.

The Pakuratahi Forks carpark is empty at 6.45am, and damp. I figure there is likely to be a bit of a route up such an obvious ridge so, after crossing the swing bridge, keep a weather eye out as I potter along the loop track. A couple of possibilities present themselves but in the end I walk to the Flume Bridge to get a good look at the end of the ridge, then back track 100m or so to where the track levels out on an old terrace. Sure enough, a ground trail runs to the edge of the ridge, and a bouldery route leads up. After a bit it's clear I'm on a reasonably well used trail with some useful spray markers.

The ground trail becomes clearer once the track rises above the humus covered lower slopes into the mossy forest above. It's raining and the landscape is sodden but it's not windy, so once the initial climb is out of the way things proceed in a satisfactory manner, with little time spent casting about. There's a bit of wind fall to contend with but not too bad.

A bit of wind fall

An old vehicle track marked from 618m is quite overgrown initially but clears to give good travel. However, working out where to leave it proves to be not so easy, as there are a few well overgrown options. The first possibility starts well but then drops too far and peters out, so a quick backtrack and on to the next one. This one takes a little longer before turning out to be wrong, but I can't be bothered retracing, so just head through a stream and up the other side knowing I'll hit the ridge somewhere around 536m.

I emerge onto another overgrown vehicle track and follow it as long as it is going my way, then follow loose ground trails to the start (end) of Maymorn Ridge.

There's a reasonable trail leading up the ridge, with just a few spots where a bit of casting about and compass/map work is needed.  Once on Pukeruru it get's a little more tricky: travel south for about 500 metres (always further than you think) then east into a saddle (don't miss it) and up the other side. When you have an idea where you're going there are a few trails to follow that seem to be going in about the right direction.

Things progress fine to the scrub southeast of 770m. The cloud is high so the shape of the ridge can be seen which is an enormous help.  The going now promises to be tough. Trails come and go in the thick scrub. Periodically clearings run across the ridge so you follow them to find the next path of least resistance.  At one of these I come across some pink tape which mark a cleared track and progress speeds up markedly.

The view south off Maymorn Ridge - not so impressive today

I follow another clearing north to find, to my surprise, a picnic table. The spot has a panorama from Kapakapanui around to the shoulder of Aston on the Southern crossing disappearing into the murk. Somewhere directly ahead is Renata hut, my destination for the night.

North to Kapakapanui on left, Renata ridge ahead,
route up to Southern Crossing on right

Maymorn Trig

The pink taped route is nowhere to be found so I follow the compass, struggling through thick scrub and low forest, heading on and up until, suddenly; a trig.  Out-competed by the regenerating forest around it, it blends into the landscape into which it is slowly rotting.

Beyond, there is a route down to Hutt Forks. But for me at 2.45pm it's time for a bite to eat (not too long as it's pretty cool) before heading back through the scrub.  At least it hasn't been raining for a while.

The return trip is a different proposition. I have a bit of an idea about the landscape, but it's impossible to retrace the exact route. I find the pink tape again but somewhere along the way lose my long serving black Macpac cap. This is the cap that has been on my head through all the adventures this year; ever since I liberated it from the clutches of number one support crew, to fulfill a far nobler calling. I'm a bit put out.


I get a little carried away on the way back, considerably overshooting the high point after 770. I had thought it would be a potentially tricky spot so had marked the shape of a distinctive tree and a patch of bright green moss, but had whistled past them thinking it was too early. I back-track and find them and take a bearing west into the saddle. As with many descents, there's no clear shape to follow. From the map you just don't want to drop too far south, as that side of the saddle is quite steep. From the saddle it is plain sailing up to the next ridge and north to Pukeruru to a clearing I had marked on the way in.

The route seems more obvious on the way back so it's quick going until I figure it is time to start bearing NNE towards 642. I find it a bit tricky here and make a false start on a ridge I can't identify on the map before cutting across to something more promising. This turns out to be a problem area tomorrow also.

Some old vehicle tracks coincide with my direction and make for fast going for a while but they eventually peter out. The undulating top of the ridge is interminable and confounds any directional sense as the light wanes. I put off getting a head torch out in favour of retaining at least some peripheral vision.

The last steepish climb up to the track is what I am waiting for but the sun is well gone by the time the trail starts upwards. It is quite surprising how the trail although old is still more compacted than the surrounding forest floor so even in the dim light your feet tell you you're on track. However, at some point it breaks right and I miss it in the dark so I keep on struggling up over rotten logs and through moss and humus, eventually giving up and cracking out the light.

Inevitably there is hard track under foot again and the gleam of a track marker. It's a bit of a relief to be able to amble along the well cut ridge track on a firm surface. It's not supposed to be far to the hut, and after a bit an old sign informs me it is only 2 minutes away. Soon after the smell of smoke and disinfectant indicates it is close but then fades. It takes a few minutes to percolate through, but eventually I figure I have waltzed past it in the dark.

It's after 9pm and more than 14 hours on the go when I disturb two women who have just turned in for the night. I don't waste time: hang sopping gear to drip, identify where the loo is (a bit of a walk), grab some food, and climb into bed. There's a bit of rain during the night indicating what to expect tomorrow.

Renata is an old corrugated iron hut with an indifferent fire place. It's not as abused as I expected and there's good company - the women have done some interesting trips and are just completing a loop around Judd Ridge, Renata and back to the Forks via Waiotauru (not so pleasant). One of them is aiming to bag 50 huts this year and has only 10 to go. I only semi-envy them their coffee in the morning as I munch on a slice of fruit bread and salami, and listen to belts of rain battering the roof.

Renata Hut

As expected all gear is still wet and cold but there ain't many options. At 7am I leave them to their preparations and, well wrapped up, ease tired muscles back into motion.

Although my route is no longer marked on the map it used to be well traveled and the departure point is still marked on some maps as Maymorn Junction. I expect to see some obvious indication of it but miss it. In the end I just pick a spot and bash around onto something resembling a spur and start down. Eventually I find something I decide to call a trail and follow it. An old marker eventually confirming the choice. It may as well be a completely different ridge - there's is little familiarity from yesterday and there are false trails all over the place. Even following a compass bearings is tricky as you are never sure whether you are dropping off the edge of the ridge or just traversing another undulation.

I find the old trail again, which turns into a vehicle track and everything is good for a while. Then it heads off down hill towards Frances Stream. Backtrack, another bearing, another bash along what is hopefully the right ridge. This continues for a while with no breaks in the canopy apart from tantalising glimpses of nearby slopes which can't quite be made to fit the map.

The 'ridge' turns into a spur which I follow to a stream to get a bearing - it's flowing in an unexpected direction which means it can be one of two possibilities. That means following that slope up will get me to here on the map ... or here. After a series of such decisions I'm pottering along a ridge at the correct altitude but in a slightly unlikely direction when I recognise a clump of epiphytes fallen onto the track. Oh. Turn around. Backtrack. Take other option at last decision point.

This all happens on the ridge somewhere around 632 to 646 and by the time I've sorted myself out again I work out that I have passed Maymorn Ridge and am navigating past 572. This also proves to be infernally tricky. I describe another loop trying to get onto an identifiable feature.

The canopy is thick and high so the only indication of the terrain is what you can see through the surrounding trees - this will be less than 100m so hardly much to go on. There's also no chance of getting high enough up a tree for a view. At one point I find a fresh pink ribbon on a tree. Clearly indicating something but absolutely no other clues as to what. It is completely frustrating to know that just one little clue is all that is needed to make everything snap into a frame of reference and suddenly make sense.

In the end, fed up, I drop into what I believe is the head waters of the Kerekere Stream - it is flowing in the correct direction and I know I can follow it up towards my ridge and that there are a couple of old vehicle tracks that I might intersect. This time everything goes to plan but there's a fair amount of untracked real-estate between.

Finally I hit the ridge to Pakuratahi and lope along the old vehicle track, promising myself a break and bite at a clearing I recall from the way in.

Feeling the strain - clearing a bit short of 618 

It's not all over yet but at least it feels like the home straight. I call home command from 638 as it's approaching 5pm and if I take a wrong spur I could be spending another night out. 

The trail is pretty good going and I recognise features. I'm also watching the map more closely and keep a good idea where I am as I bump over 641 and 642. Here I pause to take a bearing down the ridge and keep a weather eye out, as there are a few old markers about. At a bit over 500m the ridge splits and its a few minutes before I recognise and carefully backtrack. From here on I spend more time looking for spray markers and less time with the compass as I followed these on the way up.

Finally, with protesting knees I'm negotiating the spur steeply down to where it abruptly flattens to spit me blinking out onto the loop track. I wander along the delightfully flat and smooth surface and across the swing bridge; still a bit of daylight left but not a lot of leeway. There is one car left in the park as I leave about 6.45 pm - almost 11 hours on the go, that's quite enough for one weekend.

Pakuratahi Forks at last

Somewhat more cheerful than last selfie

Postscript

Quite an experience. The body took a bit of punishment - numerous scratches and bruises from thrashing about in scrub, skin on left thigh went sort of numb and still not quite back to normal two weeks later, weird skin rash on face from stumbling into God knows what, something like a stress fracture developing in right foot ... i.e. normal sort of stuff.

It was certainly a navigational challenge - I really can't say I nailed it. Best claim is I ended where intended but with a fair amount of wasted effort on the way (especially day two). 

Did I learn anything? I don't think I got much better at not getting lost but I think I got a little bit better at coping with being lost while working out how to get found again. After all, I spent a fair proportion of Sunday not knowing exactly where I was but not being particularly concerned about it.