Eastern Tararuas Reccy

Ruamahanga river to Holdsworth via Jumbo

Solo weekend tramp

The plan is for a through trip in the Eastern Tararuas exploring some tracks I haven't been on; all on the Topo map and theoretically well marked.  During the week a southerly dumps cold air on Wellington. Daytime temperatures drop by 5+ degrees and black puffer jackets displace hoodies as the garment of choice amongst the younger contingent. The southerly blows through to give a clearish Friday but a promise of rain and a wintery weekend.

The weather forecast is for rubbish on the Saturday and wind on the Sunday so most of the trip sticks to river valleys and low saddles, with a review on Sunday for a possible dash across the Holdsworth-Jumbo tops.

Some complicated logistics to get a car at the Holdsworth Road end involves a very pleasant dinner at Salute in Greytown on Friday night and a comfortable night at Aidan and Janne's.

Saturday

It's an early start from Carterton and the rain starts on the way to the Mt Bruce Road end (just off SH2 before the bridge at the bottom of Mt Bruce).  It's a cold and blattery exit from the car, and quickly into rain gear, which stays on for the rest of the day.

The track at the road end doesn't have much to advertise its presence; a single orange triangle and faded poison warning, but it is exactly where its marked on the map. One car is parked already.

The route follows a farm track for about a km before briefly jumping 100m up the hill over a spur before dropping to a large farmed terrace high above the river.  Markers are sporadic but it's reasonably straight forward as a quad has been through.

A group of three youngsters are returning from a hunt but don't have much to say to a single tramper.  I can see why they might come here as fresh pig rootings start to become very common; at one point virtually destroying the 4WD track.

At the end of the flats, scrub and bush start and a single (what I presume is private) hut stands with smoke coming from the chimney; the quad is parked outside. 

Rounding a corner the sound of a pig squealing from up the hill slowly becomes louder. A little further on, a father and son with guns are standing looking up the hill. The occasional bark can now be heard. The hunters are just returning from a hunt and say the chap up the hill is not with them, but had just arrived and his dogs had got onto a pig immediately. The squealing comes closer and directly towards us, occasionally a tree shakes.  After this has gone on for 10 minutes I get bored and head on up the track. But not before the hunter mentions that he has "cleared out all the Parries". I assume he means paradise ducks, and wonder why he would think that this could be considered anything other than pretty sad.

The sidle track up the Ruamahanga is long but usually doesn't climb too much. Its pretty rough in places with the loose boulders off the slopes above and old river terraces together with tree roots, making for tricky footing. Although it keeps at a fairly consistent height I think it would be pretty tricky to find your way by torchlight.

Occasionally there are streams cut down into deep slots that require a bit of clambering. The river below keeps a constant background noise and, although its calm under the canopy, the wind can be seen driving rain down the valley. The bush is saturated and drips constantly, but it's pleasant travel.

A little over two thirds of the way to the Cow Creek turn off, a larger stream has the remains of what must have a two (or three) wire bridge. Its easy to cross today but it drains a large catchment running all the way up to Blue Range Hut so could probably come up pretty high.  An ageing sign marks a route up to Roaring Stag Hut (the route is not marked on my map) and then the turn up Cleft Creek to Cow Saddle.

The climb is reasonably straight forward at first but the track decides to follow the creek bed, and there is a singular lack of markers to indicate that this is the case. A bit of dithering and map checking and I decide to head up the stream, when I look back I see it is marked better for the trip down. Once my eye is in, the distance between markers becomes less of a worry. The point where the track leaves the stream bed and dives up the final 200m to the saddle isn't particularly well marked either. But if you keep your eye on your left (true right) a track inclining up out of the steepening stream gully takes you up and up to Cow Saddle.

In the saddle the track up to Waingawa is well marked and soon after, there is a sign and a short way into the bush a faint trail up to spot point 810 and eventually the Blue Range Track. Not today.

Descending from the saddle, the track follows a different line than the map, emerging on the right bank (not left!) of Cow Creek. Then it proceeds to climb away from the river, where the map says it sidles across a slip. I waste some time back tracking and having one of those moments where the tracks don't match the map. It turns out that the track now climbs over the slip, a reasonable change but, together with the track mysteriously migrating across the stream, the dissonance between the map and what I can see causes a bit of confusion. However it's not long to cross the bridge over the Waingawa River to Cow Creek Hut; a pretty standard facility.  A bite, drink, map check, log entry, break out gloves and balaclava and eventually depart at 1215.

The map shows a fairly straightforward track down valley close to the river and not climbing or dropping much. The start is easy going as is the odd flat or old river terrace, and the track is generally in better nick then the Ruamahanga leg. However, it ducks and dives over slips and the toes of spurs and skirts up streams to cross. In a number of places track marking is less than helpful so it's somewhat slower than expected.

About 1430 Mitre Flats Hut heaves into sight. Nobody is in residence and, according to the log book, have not been since 10 days ago. The 'new' hut looks well worn in but comfortable, with plenty of space.

This is my first scheduled assessment point; night-over here or continue over Barton track to Atiwhakatu Hut. Departing at 1445 I know it will be tight for light given a DoC time of 4 hours. However, I'm confident of trimming time off the estimate and that the track near the hut will be navigable by torchlight if necessary.

The track crosses Mitre South Stream via swing bridge and dives up Barton Track. A 200m climb up a well-formed track turns into an up and down sidle on a variable track. Again there are places where track markers are fine in the opposite direction but not the way I'm going. I wouldn't like to do this part of the track in the dark.

Eventually the track levels into and through the saddle a three way intersection marks the track up onto Baldy and through to the three Kings and beyond. I take the drop to the swing bridge over Atiwhakatu and on down the valley past the turn-off to Jumbo Hut. The track is better but it seems to take a long time to cover the 2 or so km to the hut.

About 15 minutes short of the hut, two youngish hunters are heading out taking their rifles for a walk. They report that it will be just the three of us in the hut for the night, which is welcome news.  It's pretty dim at 1710 when I finally sit on the hut verandah to remove soaking shoes. By the time the hunters return dinner is well underway, and we chat about various trips and experiences in the Tararuas.  They are friendly and good company.

Sunday

The hunters have a radio and report gale-force winds for Sunday.  The morning is clear and I decide to head up to Jumbo and assess; leaving about 0800.

It's about an hour to climb 700m, first into sunshine and then to the hut just above the bush-line. Jumbo Hut has a stunning view with the Wairarapa laid out in bright sunlight to the horizon, behind there is a bit of clag blowing over from the direction of MacGregor.  The wind is getting up and it is nippy.  I assume that the wind will be a lot stronger on the tops and the clag will likely come in from the West and North.  As I have the right gear, the map shows pretty straight forward navigation and it's a well travelled route I am comfortable to continue.

View from Jumbo Hut

Climbing the final 200m to Jumbo, the wind coming up the gullies from the top of the Atiwhakatu catchment is pretty boisterous.  And the peaks to the North and North West are hidden in cloud.  From the top, the base of the main range is visible across the Waiohine Valley but the tops are shrouded.  

Top of Jumbo - looking northwest

and looking southeast

The route along the ridge gets more interesting as the wind rises and the clag starts to close in. The view west disappears, then the view east.  At the top of the East Holdsworth Track (my intended descent) it is impossible to walk in a straight line.  However, it's not far to the top of Holdsworth and an alternative exit down to Powell Hut if necessary.  I decide to push on.

The wind through the low points in the ridge is now very strong, and it's hard to keep footing. 

The signpost then the trig are welcome sights in the clag but with nothing to see I am content to walk once around the trig, closing the link to the previously travelled track over Holdsworth a few weeks ago.

The return to East Holdsworth Track is even more exiting.  The wind is now smashing into the ridge and at times my feet slide sideways in the gravel as I stand braced, leaning into the wind unable to lift a foot.  At a couple of points hunching behind a lone tussock is the only way to avoid being knocked over; as it is, I narrowly avoid being thrown into a tarn and take a few minutes break hunkered behind a mound in the track donning a bit more kit.

At the turn off to my track, the wind dies to nothing as soon as the ridge top is a few paces behind.  The sound of it whistling across the tops stays in my ears as I descend to the peace of the bush.

The track is pleasant and easy to follow as it drops towards the Atiwhakatu Valley.  At one point there is an old track marker with "water" scratched on it.  I suspect this relates to where the track passes close to a stream at spot height 1093.  The cloud is also behind now and the sun filters through the beech trees.

I think I prefer this route to the Raingauge Track from the ascent earlier in the day (and nothing to do with the fact that I am now descending).  Shortly before the bottom the respectably sized Holdsworth Creek comes into earshot and then eye-shot on the right.

At the bottom the track joins the highway up the valley, 4km from the road end.  It's easy going through pretty bush with the lightest drifts of misting rain descending into the sunlight from the tops.

Having only seen the hunters during the trip so far I now pass 7 groups before finally throwing a damp pack into the car at 1235, about 4hr 40 since leaving Atiwhakatu.  I wonder what Aidan and Janne are having for lunch ...