Arete via Waiopehu

A day walk and jog

Solo day trip

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The amended plans from last weekend meant a group of interesting looking tracks in a part of the Western Tararuas that I was expecting to get into but hadn't.  This sort of thing can prey on ones mind so to avoid prolonging such an unacceptable situation, the activity for this weekend was pretty much preordained.

With one day available it was always going to be a challenge to set a route that would meet the objectives, i.e.: check out as many of the tracks as possible, get up high for a view of the area, get out before dark (5pm) and all from the same road end.  That said, there was really only going to be one plan; up the long way (Waiopehu track), along to Te Matawai hut, as far up towards Arete as possible in the time available, back past Te Matawai and out the short way (Gable end track).  The routes down the Ohau river will have to wait for another day.

It's an hour 15 to the road end and 0720 by the time I head out across the dewy grass. A K or so later the track dives into the bush and heads up reasonably easily about 400m.  It's still dim but the track is pretty good. 45 minutes later at the top of the climb the track up from the Blackwater Stream Bridge joins from the left.

The leaf litter is dry and brown in comparison to the slippery, slimy black layer last weekend so the going is good and once on the ridge it's possible to trot along. The sun breaks through briefly on the way up but that's about the last of it for the day. Occasionally a window opens westwards showing an expanding view over the next ridge to the coastal plain.  There are a few tree falls where large trees have ripped up a plate of roots and soil. They are surprisingly thin, showing that there's not a lot of traction in the bony soil.

In recent months I've seen a lot of large animal sign on the tracks and often heard something moving off into the bush as I approach.  Only once or twice has the culprit been visible.  I suppose I would see a bit more if I wasn't intent on crashing along as fast as I could.  Today is no exception as there are frequent prints in the track.

The track passes the old hut site, now just a flat spot in the bush with a faded sign.  The bushline is low here possibly due to a vicious storm in 1936 that apparently dealt to a lot of trees.  Shortly after the old hut site and not too far before the new hut the path breaks into low scrub but just before it does I hear a large animal move off into the bush.


It's about 0915 when Waiopehu hut (960m) appears.  It's a tidy facility with great views; west to the Coast, north to a blue Ruapehu against a blue grey sky (Taranaki too if it's clear) and east to the Tararua Main Range.  An older family of three are in residence having arrived yesterday; they are just getting ready to depart. From Raumati they haven't been up here before; it's good to chat to people that are just starting to explore their fantastic backyard.  They're taking three days to do the same loop (minus the trip up to Arete) so I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing each other again today. 

Waiopehu Hut looking east to Dundas

The track continues up around Waiopehu (1094m) and on to twin peak (1097m) with the memorial to Ralph Wood, apparently killed in the same storm in 1936 that did so much damage to the bush.  The views are now panoramic and with bush cover being light there are many good viewing stops to divert the procrastinator. The Manawatu plains look huge, stretching to the coast and disappearing into haze in the North. Behind the main range more of the Tararua ridges and peaks are coming into view. And although there is high cloud, the peaks are all clear.

From Waiopehu hut; Arete and Pukematawai on the right (probably!)

;

man with a disreputable hat on the left

The track now becomes a bit of a switch back; dropping 200m and climbing 100m to Richards Knob (985m) where I will be turning off for Gable End Ridge before the end of the day.  Then dropping, rising and dropping to 690m at Butcher Saddle (where I hear a large animal moving off into the bush), climbing to the turn off down to South Ohau hut (810m - well signed) and eventually easing up to Te Matawai Hut (900m - a goat's bleating floats up from a gully).

By now it's 1120 and my turn around time of 1pm is far enough away that it looks like there is a reasonable chance of making Arete.  With the obligatory log entry and stop for a One Square Meal it's off for the climb up to Pukematawai; Arete is hidden behind.

About 500m from the hut the track I should have been on last weekend joins from the left.  There is now a small matter of 2-3km of track and a river crossing left untrod; it will keep.

As the track climbs the spur to the Main Range the wind becomes nippier and ice and snow starts appearing in sheltered spots.  The ground shows the signs of having been buried under a substantial dump in the last week or so.  For the last 100m or so the DoC sign on the ridge is visible providing a sense of scale to the target.

There's no time to spare for Pukematawai (1432m) as Arete (1505m) is less than 30 minutes away to the West.  I'm glad I donned gloves at Te Matawai but it's decidedly cold now and my light top is no match for this environment.  At the top of Arete the first order is to don a heavier layer before taking photos and admiring the view.  There's quite a bit of snow about now and the higher peaks all have remnants from the Southerly storm.

Pukematawai on right, Kapiti Island upper left

Below to the South East is a plateau with the small Arete hut and loo; probably lashed securely to the ground.  The Main Range stretches North East past Dundas (1499m) and South West where it dips below the bushline.  The peaks around Mitre (1571m) in the SSE are lit by the sun and the route of the Northern crossing can be traced across the long expanse of tops travel required. 

Looking NE up main range, Dundas on left, Logan next

From Arete; Mitre mid frame behind Table Ridge in sun,
Pinnacle spur in shadow descending to left

Far to the South is Mt Hector and the Southern crossing.  I know that Mike is up there somewhere and I note that his is the only peak in the whole range in cloud.  I contemplate texting him but it's just too cold to take the gloves off again and I need to keep moving.  Later, I see his photos on Facebook and realise we may well have been on top of our particular peaks at the same time.

Mike in cloud on Hector on horizon

It's around 1230 so well within my window but once the photos are taken it's straight back for Pukematawai and the drop to warmer country.  The down hill pretty quickly ascertains that the knees have already been working quite hard.

Back at Te Matawai hut the male members of the family have just arrived and are waiting for mum to turn up.  It's a good excuse to stop for a chat about photography in the hills (I'm in the light school of thinking which means I have sporadic record shots taken on a substandard cell phone and pretty much none when it means I might have to dry my hands) and discover that the younger chap has just returned from the UK so can spend weekdays with his folks in the hills.

It's interesting to compare the different motivations for our trips; them to spend family time at a leisurely pace with evenings in the various huts; me to rocket through bagging a peak and checking out as much of the geography as I can cram in.  Both perfectly legit, the only difference being that I don't think they're crazy and they're too polite to voice an opinion.

Around 1320 just as mum turns up I leave them to their afternoon and head along the roller coaster for Richard's Knob.  It's a relief to get there and leave all the climbing (bar the odd modest rise) behind.

By now I'm conscious of how tired I'm getting and that it will be starting to get decidedly dim by the time I get out.  It seems to take a long time to travel the flatish couple of kilometers before the track starts to drop.  It is pretty good going despite the odd boggy section.  Again, there is a lack of large trees anywhere what you would consider the normal bush line so there are good views at the start but eventually the track drops into low goblin forest and then more usual bush.  Between the bogs it's dry underfoot and a reasonable trot is possible.

A couple of wee climbs to 690m and then to 600m serve as markers of progress as the track takes a very leisurely drop down a narrow ridge to the junction of two rivers at 200m.  Another marker of progress is when the sounds of water can be heard drifting out of the valleys to the left (Blackwater Stream) and right (Ohau River).

From the bottom it's 4.4km back to the road end and as you would expect this pretty much takes forever.  Although sidling along a gorge, the track is pretty well formed and despite more occasional boggy sections it is surprisingly level. However the steep hills sides above means it is getting very gloomy as 5pm rolls closer.  There is also a concert I need to be at this evening so try to keep a bit of pace on.

At last, the sign post at the edge of the farmland comes into view marking where I headed up almost 10 hours ago.  The last trot through the farmland and past inquisitive steers (one had to be dissuaded from trotting along behind me) gets me back to the car five minutes before 5pm and home in time for my evening out.

Post Mortem

Things went pretty much exactly to plan and although I had thought it was an outside chance, I was surprised and quite chuffed to reach Arete.  It might have been more sensible to bite off a little less ambitious trip by taking the more direct Gable End Ridge both coming and going but I was keen to get around the Waiopehu track as well; Arete was a bonus and I had worked out a time to turn back should it be getting too late.

The tracks were all pretty good and easy to follow.  The Main Range section is rougher and less travelled but the ridges are pretty clear and it was a relatively short distance.  The hardest stretch was between Richard's Knob and Te Matawai; it keeps dipping up and down and every time it drops you know you just have to climb it all again.


Arriving five minutes from my estimated time out was partly a fluke and partly keeping as much pace as tired legs could muster down Gable End (which wasn't very fast by that point).  I should add that I had a good head torch in my pack and the tail end of the track is quite navigable in the dark.  Almost 10 hours on the go was enough for me; god knows how I'll fare in summer when there's more daylight hours.