Penny Stove - DIY

The following is some 'how to' notes for building an alcohol (meths) burning stove out of aluminium cans. Written from a New Zealand perspective and sufficient to boil water to feed two.

After a modest amount of experimentation, I made a stove that I have used for most of my tramping since 2016 or so - the only reason I don't still use the first one I built was that I had to go and fiddle with it.   The steps below are more complicated than you need for your first attempt so don’t be put off by the details; there are many, many ways to get a functioning stove and you will very quickly work out how you want to perfect your own design.

What is a penny stove?

A penny stove is a lightweight alcohol (methylated spirits or 'meths') burning stove that you can make yourself with three ingredients and a few basic tools. At its crudest; you cut the bottom off two soft drink cans, poke some holes in one of them and jam them together. The coin sits over the filler hole and acts as a regulator, i.e. as pressure rises in the stove it lifts the edge of the coin rather than blowing the stove apart. (I'm not convinced the coin is completely necessary but have assumed it is in the following)

Why bother? - pros and cons

Well, it is so simple and cheap the question should be; what possible reason is there not to give it a go? If this isn't enough for you, some other 'pros' are: it is ridiculously light, the fuel is less noxious then most other fuels and evaporates cleanly if spilled, it burns less fiercely and is less likely to take your eyebrows off, you only take as much fuel as you need (unlike butane), you can use the fuel as a disinfectant, and it's a great talking point in the hut at night. Did I mention cheap? $5 for a liter of meths at the supermarket and you only use a few capfuls each time.

There are some limitations of course. It's slower so not suitable if you are catering for a party (fine for two, I haven't tried it for three), there is a knack to using it, it's less robust, and doesn't have a volume control (although more on this later). I wouldn't use it on alpine trips and it's not as good in wind as other options. 

I use it routinely for light weight tramping or cycle trips when I am preparing dehy meals (i.e. just boiling water) for myself and maybe one other. 

Safety

If you need safety warnings spelled out for a project that involves knives, thin metal edges, flammable liquids and power drills then just approach this as a diverting read and please put the Stanley knife down. I will just make the point that sometimes the flame can be hard to see, so be sure the stove is out before pouring fuel anywhere near it (particularly if you have to run a second preheat; discussed further below).

There are safety considerations in operating the stove too of course.  Some of these are common for all stoves, some more relevant for the penny stove.  For example, carrying and handling flammable liquid, combustion by-products in enclosed spaces, heat shed downwards when the unit is in action, security of boiling liquids on whatever stand you bodge up. 

Operation

Summary: pour meths onto stove, place the penny, pour more meths, light.

I'll briefly outline how it operates which may help explain some of the design features (also see photos at end of article). The stove runs on methylated spirits (meths) which is basically ethanol with a few extras to make you sick if you are silly enough to drink it ('methylated spirits' refers to the now ceased practice of adding methanol to the ethanol (spirits) which had the undesirable characteristic of dissuading silly people from drinking it by poisoning them). There are various other products referred to on the internet, mostly American. I have never run a Penny on anything other than the meths you buy in the supermarket and would discourage experimentation unless you really know what you're doing or don't value your eyebrows.

Like many other stoves, the Penny requires a preheat phase before it settles down to business.  You first add meths to the body of the stove then place the coin over the fill holes and add more meths to create a pool on the top of the stove for the pre-heat. 

When lit, the pool of meths burns and heats the body of the stove (the theory is that the skirt of the stove conducts heat to the base), this heats the fuel in the stove which starts to evaporate increasing the pressure in the stove and forcing the evaporated spirits out through the jets to be ignited by the burning meths in the cup. When the jets get going, they maintain heat in the stove and the preheat stage is over.
When finished, a firm breath or two should blow the stove out, let it cool and tilt it to return unused fuel to your fuel bottle via one of the jet holes.  If you're nervous about blowing the stove out, you could devise a snuffer to slip over the top (e.g. a slightly bigger can base).  

Necessary extras

You will want a lightweight stand (trivet) for the billy and a wind shield.  Initially I bent a wire coat hanger for a stand and made a wind shield out of a tinfoil takeaway tray.  More recently I have made a more elegant alloy shield that doubles as the stand.  If you have a small billy, it gets a little tricky designing a trivet that fits inside the billy for transporting, is stable, and holds the billy at the right height above the flame.  My current stand, whilst elegant, falls down on the latter resulting in a sooty billy bottom which is a bit annoying. 

Ingredients

• Two identical cans (375 ish ml). Scrounge through the recycling bins at work and get as many as you can get your hands on.  Try to get ones that have no dents and no embossed numbers on the bottom. Ideally, one can will have the drinking hole cover still attached.  I've made mini stoves with small cans, but these were novelty value only. 

• A coin. Small and smooth edged. I used a NZ 10c piece but now use a US 1c for no other reason than it's what the stove is named after, and I had one. You want a smooth edge because the coin is supposed to seal the filler holes well enough to form a pool of meths in the cup for the pre-burn.

Tools

Useful

Someone else's book
Craft blade
Clamps
Ruler and/or calipers
Drill and 1.5mm bit

Maybe useful

Drawing pin or scriber
Sharp nosed pliers
Marker pen
Someone else's scissors
You can actually manage with just a craft blade and a drawing pin.

Instructions

Summary:  Cut the bottom off one can to make the base of the burner, cut a shorter amount off the bottom off the other can to make the burner top, drill jet and filler holes in the top, jam the top into the bottom, cut the top off one can to make a base for the stove.

These instructions should give you a burner that will boil enough water for a dehy meal for two. 
Making the stove bottom

Create a jig to scour a line around the can at a precise height.  

Insert the blade into the book and clamp firmly to the table so the blade is at the desired height from the table (33mm here).  If you want to be very accurate you might need to have a couple of goes to get the height right due to compression of the book. It doesn't matter that much though.

The next step is like cutting glass. Roll the upright can against the tip of the blade so it scores a line on the can (without breaking through). Be careful to keep the can base firmly on the table and at an effective angle to the blade. You will get better at this; you may need to go around the can a few times to get a complete line but it's generally better if you only need to go around once - if you wander off line it will be harder to split, and you may get sharp slivers. Try not to deform the can too much as this will cause the line to wander and may interrupt the scored line.

When the line is completed, very gently increase the pressure to work the point of the blade through the can at one point on the line - try not to dent the can or get a ragged edge.

This next bit is quite cool when you nail it. Use your thumb to press on the can beside the cut which will magically grow and neatly split the can around the line. If you haven't scored the line cleanly it may require a bit more work (and leave burrs) and the last wee bit can be a little tricky.

That's the stove bottom done

Making the stove top

Repeat the above steps for the other can but set the blade lower than for the stove bottom - I used 17mm for this one.

Making the base

The base is optional but you may find you need it for a better preheat. However, it is also useful for packing the stove: put the coin on the burner, reverse the base and place it over the burner and coin, put a rubber band (or wrap your cleaning cloth) around to hold it all in place. I use a cloth as it also protects the stove.  

A downside of using a base is that it lifts the height of the stove which means you need a higher (harder to pack and more unstable) stand for the billy.  On balance, I would experiment until you have a stove that doesn't need to be insulated from the ground in order to preheat enough.  Note that this puts your flames closer to the surface you are cooking on.  

Take one of the cans and repeat the above steps to remove the top of the can rather than the bottom - the height doesn't matter - I try to make it as short as possible, but the height of the blade will probably be dictated by the shape of the shoulder on the can.

This step will be harder because the can will distort without its bottom and the wall maybe a bit thicker at this point. You could of course just get a third can if your budget stretches that far. Rip the tear tab off (superfluous weight) and fold the hole cover back into place.

The base is upside down at front

Jets and filler holes

Mark where you want to put the jets. The pattern of holes is up to you, this version has 8 jets on the shoulder of the burner and three filler holes.  My current stove has 6 jets on the ridge at the base of the can and three filler holes.  You can also try putting jets in the cup part of the burner. I've found the inner ones light faster but that model didn't burn so cleanly. 

I mark the positions by eye but to be neater you can wrap a strip of paper around the can, mark it where it reaches once around. Take it off, measure it, divide by 6 (or 8), mark the paper at that spacing, wrap it around the can again and mark the rim of the can at those points.

Marked up for drilling

Use the drawing pin (or a scribe) to put a small dent at each mark so that the drill will catch.  

Carefully drill the holes in the can (and not your leg). Remove any burrs in or around the holes. I hold the can throughout this process, but you may prefer to be safer and clamp the can somehow without denting it.

With enough force you can punch the holes with a drawing pin. I did one with eight jets that worked OK.

 

The filler holes (or hole) need to be drilled in the bottom of the cup so that the coin will cover them. Mark the middle of the cup (a ball bearing can help find it) and three marks about equally spaced around it. Dent with the drawing pin and drill. I've seen variations in size and number of holes; three using the same bit as for the jets works for me (and that way I don’t have to change the drill bit).

Stretching (or crimping)

You need to fit the burner section with the holes inside the taller base section.  As the cans are the same size, they don't really want to fit inside each other. However, the aluminium will stretch enough provided you're not too rough and split it. 

Use the bottom of another can (preferably not one you have cut bits off - they tend to be sharpish) and push it into the bottom section of the stove. Roll it around firmly to stretch the top 5mm or so of the skirt. This should allow the top section to fit in neatly but don't start pushing it down yet.  It may take a few goes to get it in, if it isn't working you can try to stretch the bottom a little more or cut a piece off a discarded can to use as a shoehorn.

 

Top fitted into bottom - no force required

Some people crimp the cut edge of the top burner section to help fit it into the bottom - I no longer bother with this step having found it fiddly and prone to the folds causing lumps in the walls of the finished stove. The idea is to decrease the circumference of the burner section so that it just fits inside the bottom section - you can do this by running around the sharp edge judicially bending it inwards using needle nose pliers. 

Others have tried heating and cooling the respective sections to take advantage of thermal expansion - I found that the aluminium loses/gains heat so rapidly that any advantage pretty quickly vanishes leaving hot/cold fingers and a stubbornly unjoined burner. 

Another option is to drill holes a little way down from the top of the bottom section (5mm?) and use someone else's scissors to cut from the top of the skirt down to each hole (the holes stop the cuts extending). This should allow you to slide the burner into the base far enough to get started. This method can also sometimes create lumps in the sides of the finished stove though.

Assembly

Now you want to slide the top burner section down inside the bottom so that it forms a good seal and sits level. I use pistol grip clamps but they tend to be a bit jerky so you may prefer to try a G clamp and something to spread the load. You can also do without, e.g. tapping with a wooden spoon.
I get it started by clamping the book (to spread the load) onto the partially assembled stove and to the table - then gently tighten to ease the top gradually in 'til it's flush. Next I use two small pistol clamps to push it the rest of the way down -   You want to keep the load as even as possible - you can wreck it by pushing one side too far in.

It can be a bit tricky to know how far to push the burner in - when it starts to require more force it's time to ease up and just tweak so it is level (use a depth gauge if you are fussy). 

You should now be holding in your trembling hands a soon-to-be-functioning penny stove.

Stove and base

Stove, base and penny

When assembled it is possible that you will have leaks around the joint. Some people suggest a heat proof sealant, I have never bothered. The leaks point up towards the billy so the energy is not lost; I would only be bothered if it released so much pressure that the flames were too low or the preheat didn’t work, in which case I’d perform an interesting “test-to-destruction” experiment on it and build another.

Operation

Set the stove up on its base (if using one), pour some meths into the cup and let it drain into the base (you will get used to how much is needed).

Place the coin over the filler holes and pour some more meths into the cup.  
Check there is no meths on your fingers.
Light.

Put the shield up and billy in position to reflect the heat back into the burner.

The meths will burn down and drain under the coin - the flames may be hard to see in daylight and it can take a minute or two to pre-heat (no matter - it's still heating your water).

A flame should start forming above each burner hole.  If the meths in the cup burns out, make sure it really is out then add some more meths and repeat the pre-heat.  

Note:  relighting a stove that has been heated carries a risk that vapour in the stove ignites - I've found that the temperature of the meths quickly drops the temperature of the stove though.  However, if you find you have to repeat the reheat, you may not be getting enough meths in the pool above the penny.  See comments below for some solutions. 

As the stove gets up to heat you may hear the meths boiling and the flames will get stronger.

Just about at full noise

Whoosh!

Comments

You can (and indeed should) make several versions trying different hole positions, size of base, length of skirt, size and type of can etc. Some people put pink batts inside, I think to reduce risk of spillage and to wick the fuel; I don't bother. 
If you want to simmer (as opposed to bring to the boil) you can experiment with a simmer ring. This is just a strip of can that you slip inside the skirt once the stove is burning so as to extend the sides upwards. It restricts oxygen to the base of the flame meaning a cooler but still self-sustaining burn. Again, I don't bother as I generally just want to get water to the boil rather than keep it simmering.
Some stoves tend to go out in the transition from preheat to burn. Some possible solutions:

• Add more meths when you are initially pouring the pool above the penny

• Check the coin is sitting snugly (use a finger to scour the coin around on the aluminium to smooth the surfaces)

• Pre-heat with the wind shield in place and put the billy straight on top once lit

• Add more meths and repeat the preheat (see warning above about vapour in the stove)

• Hold a lighter against the side of the stove during preheat 

• Spill a little fuel around the stove before you light for the preheat (this idea offends my sensibilities somewhat and can alarm other hut users)

• I trialed a preheat dish under one stove

However, my current stove pre-heats fine so if you are having problems, I suggest making another stove with a different combination of skirt length and hole configuration.
 

Coal Stream, Tait Stream and Mt Dick

It's been a while since we've seen brother number one and Janne, so this weekend is designed around dinner at Salute on Saturday evening with a bit of day tripping either side.

Coal stream can be seen from the Waiohine Bridge and, for most people, is just a distant sound that fades rapidly as you climb the track over to Cone Saddle.  If you've followed the track from the bridge up to the Mt Reeves track you will have forded Coal Stream - probably without any trouble.

The plan for day trip one is to head up stream to a spur which climbs to the main ridge and Mt Reeves. From here potter along to just short of Tauherenikau then dive down into the Tait Stream catchment to the east. After crossing the stream there's a long flat spur leading to the Mt Reeves track and a few options for getting back down to the Waiohine Bridge.

Day trip two will depend on energy levels after a slap up meal - one of a couple of short jaunts to knock off a few spot heights near Mt Dick is in the offing.

What:    Two day trips
Where:  Coal Stream and Tait Stream - Eastern Tararuas around Waiohine
Why:      Navigation
When:     9 and 10 September 2017
Who:      Solo
Map:  

Heading in towards the Waiohine gorge road the morning sun creates a stunning, bright double rainbow. As promises go, this one looks good, but the weather forecast is probably going to prove more accurate.

Sure enough it's drizzling at the road end which turns out to be a K and a half earlier then previous trips. The reason becomes apparent up the road where one half has dropped down a bank - in a fairly terminal looking way.

The Waiohine is up but not muddy - looking down stream from the swing bridge the confluence with Coal Stream indicates the start of this trip is going to be challenging. The energy in the stream is apparent as soon as it is in earshot and I'm thinking of plan Bs. However, at the crossing I figure that although the main current is not to be trifled with, there is potential to work along the sides. 

The stream would be an enjoyable scramble in normal flows and fine weather - through bouldery cascades, short slot gorges and up wee waterfalls. In higher flows it is not for the faint hearted, demanding care and frequent scrambles up the precipitous sides. The force in the water often precludes crossing the main current so I make slow progress up the true right.

Not big but a bit of a scramble

In true Tararua fashion the steep sides are covered in moss, black humus, and generous complements of kiekie and supplejack. Forgetting about the clock I triple check every hand and foothold; clinging to roots and trying not to rely on the treacherous kiekie stems.

That grassy stuff is kiekie - it may be good for weaving,
but a pain in the neck for climbing through

Mostly it is fairly grovelly - there is only one climb that is actually nerve wracking, requiring a vertical climb higher than I would like, and made more dramatic by the sound of the stream rushing through a slot below. There are solid trees to hold though so it is basically a ladder climb with really big rungs.  The climb emerges on to a large erosion chute for a scree slide back to the stream. 

There's a short respite but it's soon waist deep pools and careful edging around outcrops followed inevitably by another scramble. At the bottom of the steep sided valley it's gloomy, wet, and cold - but it's enjoyable work despite the battering from the stream.  Just before my target spur the sun breaks briefly through at the precise angle to shine directly into the stream bed - the scene is transformed - it is now cheerful, wet, cold, and hazardous.  It's taken about an hour 45 to get about a kilometre upstream.

The target forks are obvious - I head a short way up the true right branch to find a better line up the spur, it proves to be a good move; a clear understory with no kiekie. The noise of the stream serves to mask my movements so I'm less then 20m away when a deer crashes off down the hill. 

A nice day at the forks (momentarily)

As the noise of the stream drops below it becomes apparent how much it has dominated the senses. The rain, the bush and the occasional warbler re-establish their presence.

The spur is good travel and reasonably open. There's some pretty large beech trees and further up, dracophylum with moss underfoot. Animal trails come and go and I don't see any signs of people.

Up past 628 I eventually reach a wide flat top and a rocky outcrop which on a good day would give a good view.  At some point afterwards in quick succession there's an obvious ground trail then an old marker. I've joined the decommissioned track from Cone to Reeves. It's easy going now all the way to Reeves in the rain.

There is enough visibility under the cloud to spot the bottom parts of various hills and spurs (Bull mound, Cone ...). It's too cold to linger so a quick pause to empty river gravel our of the boots and it's on south towards Tauherenikau.

I've been along here a couple of times before so there's little call for compass and map. It should be fairly quick travel but there are a lot of branches down - attesting to a fairly tough winter.

At 1250 I'm at pt 855, time to turn east and south down to Tait Stream.

Tait stream drains a good chunk of land between the Tauherenikau ridge and the Wairarapa, it has cut deeply into the landscape, winding through its steep sided valley - and I didn't even know it existed.

It's a fine navigational challenge working down to the stream. It's reasonably easy down to 750 then becomes a bit indistinct as I head due east down to 540m requiring a bit of trust in the compass. I overshoot the turnoff to my target spur (running north) as the spur follows more naturally SSE and either my altimeter or the map is off.  Soon sorted though and I'm on a clear spur with plentiful pig rootings and beautiful beech forest.  At about 500m I take a bearing and drop through scrub with the occasional huge old forest giant in the hope of finding a steep spur down to just below a junction on Tait stream - it's gratifying to hit the spur bang on - and very lucky as the drops on either side are impressive. The spur drops steeply and despite threatening to bluff out it takes me all the way to the stream.

The spur in question running down from the high point
From Mt Reeves track

Tait stream is about twice the size of Coal stream and requires some respect - by keeping out of the main flow I work up to the junction and look for a place to cross and find a route up the other side.

It's been a fairly brief transit through the catchment and its dramatic bush, so it is with a bit of regret that I leave so quickly to scale the other side.  At some point the sun has come out but it's still pretty nippy so I stay rugged up despite the climb to pt 468.

The flat top ridge provides some respite and a brief view to snippets of fresh snow on the slopes of distant ridges - no wonder it's cold. There are pig rootings everywhere. It's easy navigation back towards the track over Mt Reeves. The closer I get the stronger the ground trail and even the odd tape marker.

At the track I'm aware that day light will be running out soon - but am hopeful that I might still stay on plan. At 745 there's a turn onto a yellow triangle track (I assume this means it is not an official DOC track) back down to Coal Stream and, in theory a point where I would depart for 668 but ... it's time to get all sensible and head back to the car.  I don't fancy crossing the stream in the dark.

Nippy on Mt Reeves track - Lake Wairarapa in the distance

It's a quick trot down the track to find that the stream hasn't dropped appreciably from the morning. A stick helps to cross the critical meter and a half through the worst of the current and it is the homeward stretch.

The road end is weird without cars or tents - now just the small matter of a K and a half walk along gravel back to the car.

There are some definite advantages of day walks. After a hot shower we're off to Salute in Greytown - under new management they have kept the old menu (so far) with an excellent selection of Tapas. A convivial evening followed by a warm bed with the sound of rain drumming on the roof.

Mt Dick

Brother number one is up bright early the next morning - I on the other hand ain't, choosing to sleep for a bit longer as the aches and pains from Saturday fade.

The plan today is to visit a few spot heights around Mt Dick, a hill in the foothills behind Carterton with unimpeded views across the plains and a public road to the top.  A lot of the area has been under pines and shows the associated devastation from logging tracks, haulage lines and clear felling. 

We leave a car at the bottom and brother no.1 ferries me to the top.  There's a walker and a biker plus the odd vehicle about. In the west some pretty foul looking weather is lurking and a decidedly icy wind is slicing in but it's still a sunny day over here. 




There are a few tactical options for getting to the marked high point (553) - I choose the wrong one, heading north along the ridge from the lookout through dense scrub interspersed with old man gorse. It's a painful thrash with no discernible tracks apart from pig trails and the top is indistinguishable apart from the absence of any further up to be had.

Looking north east up Wairarapa
From the middle of a gorse patch

Looking South east across the Wairarapa
From the middle of a gorse patch

Standing in a small tree
In the middle of a gorse patch

Rather than struggle back along the ridge I drop to the road through slightly higher scrub which allows some sliding underneath. It's a slightly surprised driver that witnesses a scratched and dishevelled tramper stumble down a scrubby bank onto the road side just as he drives past.

From the public road logging tracks head down the ridge towards the plain. The post forestry carnage is slowly being recolonised by natives and wilding pines. The positive is that apart from the top of 489 it's an easy trot to the target spot heights then down a spur to the road. All up, about an hour from 553.

Looking back up at Mt Dick lookout
From a different gorse patch  

Mt Dick from Pt 315
This time not in a gorse patch

It's pleasant to be out in sunlight for a change and the views are good - but otherwise you'd have to say that beyond the prospect of regeneration there is not a lot going for this particular corner of the Tararuas.  Tait stream on the other hand - it was pretty stunning - a longer visit could be on the cards at some point.

Tauherenikau - West Bank

Between the long straight Marchant Ridge and the long straight Tauherenikau River 800 odd metres below, there's a south east facing valley wall. A couple of marked tracks plummet from the ridge (Block XVI and Omega) and there's a marked but fairly rough track down the true right - but most people hare along the ridge or valley bottom and pay little attention to the bits in between.  Ripe for a bit of an explore I reckon.

The weather forecast is wet and cold but not badly wet and cold so a good time to be fossicking around below the tops and (mostly) out of the rivers.  Rather than a random wander, the idea is to chart an efficient route and navigate to each of six spot heights marked on the Topo map.
 
What:  Navigation trip
Who:    Solo
Where: SE side of Marchant Ridge
When:   Weekend 2 September 2017
Why:     Nav practice - pick up some spot heights in interesting looking territory
Map:    

There's one van in the Kaitoke road end carpark, and one set of footprints in the mud heading up hill.  It's 0710, grey and drizzly - not likely that many others will be venturing out.

On the way up to Marchant ridge I pop off the track a couple of times to investigate some spot heights. 529 is hidden amidst pines, regenerating natives and some long overgrown vehicle tracks. 539 proves to be in a scrubby clearing with a broad flat top and probably reasonable access down to Dobson stream below, for those of a mind.

The track is muddy and slippery and the owner of the foot prints hasn't come this way. Climbing up to Marchant Ridge there is a lot of tree fall. It gets colder with altitude but fortunately not windy. There are no views to be had in the clag.

539 - moving on, nothing to see

Marchant Ridge is generally not talked about fondly - 'uphill in both directions' being the commonest reference. It's nice bush though and on a good day there are views spots. Today I'm paying more attention to the map as I need to find the right point to drop off and find my spur.

I get to the general area with a bit of reliance on the altimeter and take a bearing off track. This leads over lumpy mossy forest floor on the shoulders of 1060 and eventually safely down to where my spur forms - a little below the top necessitating some faith in the compass bearing.

It's a nicely turned spur that shadows the true right of the Omega Stream.  There are a couple of slightly tricky navigating moments on the way down but generally travel is good. There's a bit of ground trail but, judging by the amount of sign, probably more from deer than people.

The top of the spur is beautiful and mossy with occasional open patches. On a long flattish section approaching 853 a harsh screech and chatter announces a kaka in a nearby tree - it's my closest brush with them so far in the Tararuas. There's a reply from another tree and a bit of interchange before they both fly SE down valley.

The rest of the trip down is good apart from the steep lower slopes where the spur shape is less obvious.  At the bottom I find myself at the top of a scarp on the edge of an old terrace. There's a goat track down but a stumble at an inopportune time is a reminder to pay better attention to my footing - I reach the bottom safely but with some bruises as a memento.

So far so good. The next part of the plan is to head up valley then follow a spur up to pt 614 and return to the valley floor further up river via another spur.  There is precisely very little to be seen at 614, but time for a pause and a bite while I work the compass to pick up the slightly unformed spur down. The bush here is more mature then in some recent trips to the western part of the range - much nicer.

Back beside the river I can't find a track but the flats are easy travel and I pick up spot height 332 - or at least as near as makes no difference as it was pretty nondescript territory. 

With the tree fall and slightly slow navigation it's taken a little longer than expected but all according to plan.  The next stop is the foot of the Bull Mound track to see if my tree from a previous trip is still spanning the river.  Much to my delight it is, and as stable as ever - the river is a little high for my liking and this means I can walk (gingerly) across and stay the night in a comfortable hut rather than in a very small tent (aka the 'body bag') in the rain.

I pop up to Cone hut to make a note in the log book then head down river to Tutuwai hut for the night.  The going on the formed track is a lot quicker albeit very muddy.

It's about half past four and around 9 hours in the wet and cold so I'm thinking it's wishful thinking when I catch the tang of woodsmoke in the air some distance from the hut. It turns out to be real - Quaid is already in residence with a good fire going.  He's the owner of the foot prints this morning having come over the Puffer saddle with his dog and rifle. He's been ensconced for a good couple of hours.  With dry clothes I'm soon warming up by the fire.

We sit and chat for a bit - he's interested in where I've seen animal sign in my travels and I'm reminded how little I know about the behaviour of game animals. A thump from the varandah heralds two more trampers arrived from Kaitoke. A couple of Lower Hutt lads - proudly from NaeNae College (some years ago). They've brought in plenty of wine which they are happy to share while Quaid is content to polish off the tail end of a bottle of bourbon that some hunters had left him when they left by helicopter earlier in the day.

We sit around by candlelight (also left by the hunters) and yarn until after 10 - very late for a tramping night.

The next day is more of the same weatherwise.  I'm first out and head down valley - popping off the track regularly to see if there are any fordable sections of river.  I have a go at one point with the aid of a cut manuka pole someone has left, but get half way across and decide that at thigh deep and getting deeper the river is stronger than it looks and a strategic retreat is indicated.

I resign myself to travelling all the way down to the swing bridge and returning up river along the marked track on the true right.  It's pretty rough in places with some slips to work around and somewhat sporadic marking.  There are a lot of boggy sections and in one place I wander off track and find an old clearing with an ancient kettle and enamel pot. There's plenty of fresh pig sign on the flats.

I'm counting the streams to work out which ones are marked and which ones are just trickles swollen by rain. I'm pretty confident that I've reached Blue Rock Stream and cross to take a spur which rises sharply and steeply. Spot height 546, is also nondescript so I take a bearing and head off to follow another spur down - again mostly on animal trails. This deposits me on target near the mouth of Kotukutuku Stream.

There's still time left in the day so I head down river with the intention of reaching one last spot height for the day.  Crossing Boulder stream I miss the bottom of the spur so end up scrambling up a precipitous face to get onto the more gently shelving spur.  This climbs to a point where a very old cairn indicates people have been through before, although you wouldn't guess from the lack of ground trail. The spur drops to a saddle then climbs to a broad flat top.  It's cathedral like with magnificent old trees and a wide flat forest floor. It's also tricky to navigate - as I return from pt 586 I have to retrace my steps and start again when I'm a little too casual with my bearings and miss the saddle.

Back at the cairn I take a different spur down again. I'm not too fussed about sticking to it so just follow my nose and end up dropping down a very steep side spur to a bog among regrowth. A meandering course to avoid the supple jack eventually sees me back on the track.

The trip out is uneventful - foot prints on the track indicate that my hut companions are ahead and I meet one other tramper coming in.  It's another 9 hour day when I get to the car park a bit after 4.  A couple of cars are there including someone waiting for some runners coming through from Holdsworth.  Good on them - I'm off home for a good feed and a well earned sleep.