Te Araroa passes through here and there are certainly some interesting corners - there are also some physical challenges, particularly if scrub is your thing. Overall this isn't my favourite part of the range but Island Ridge has caught my eye and (of course) there is a small matter of a bunch of spot-heights that require seeing to.
What: Navigation, scrub bashing and spot-heighting
Where: Island ridge (Mangahao)
When: 28-29 April
Who: Solo
Maps:
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| Deep in the hills behind Shannon ... |
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| Most of Saturday |
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| Sunday (and start of Saturday) |
Island Ridge is just that - a wee lump defined by a the Mangahao River, Baber Creek and connected to Ngapuketurua by a low saddle. Most people whistle up the river valley hardly glancing at it. A few others head up College Creek passing the north end of the ridge. After wandering around it and looking down on it I figure it's about time to pay a visit.
An 0445 start sees me bumping up the Mangahao Road after 0700. It seems like a while since the grader has been through. I park by the warning sign in the small carpark by the dam for reservoir two, and sort my life out. This includes donning flak jacket (flouro vest to try to discourage hunters from shooting me).
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| It still has the typo - hope they never change it |
The lake is showing a muddy rim indicating it's down a bit, and the spill way isn't doing much, so there's little flow in the Mangahao River. At 0730 the sky is grey but not threatening as I head off for the 4 km (ish) walk to reservoir one - mildly tedious but not unpleasant.
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| Not much happening in the Mangahao river |
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| Reservoir two - showing a bit of mud |
I'm less than half way when a ute offers a lift. Perched on the tray it's a far more satisfactory method of travel. The chap and friends are shuttling a car to be ready when they complete the loop walk from reservoir two via Burn Hut.
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| The evocatively named Pt 512 |
The upper reservoir is also showing a bit of mud. The track to College Stream crosses the dam and across the water the base of Island Ridge comes down to the water.
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| Reservoir One - Island Ridge ahead |
At the first opportunity I drop off the track and out of the bush to find a way across the stream mouth. Someone plus dog has already been through this morning but the footprints return so I'm less concerned about a hunter on the loose.
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| Tide's out |
At the foot of the spur the shore is steep and there's a bank to scale to get into the bush. It takes a bit of fossicking to find a place to haul myself up. There are no signs of a track.
The scramble up starts as a steep clamber on a crumbling slope. There's a reasonable canopy with a few tangled clear patches on the way up.
At the ridge top, things look great - the canopy is high enough and the trees open enough that I can potter along at a good rate. It doesn't last. Soon it's tight saplings and then scrub. Generally not the worst type of scrub but slow nonetheless.
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| North back along Island Ridge - 'Peak' on the horizon |
The scrub does mean lots of chances to look across towards the Camelbacks and Tawirikohukohu, and up to the ridge north of Ngapuketurua which, as the day wears on, starts to gather clag about its shoulders.
Towards the end of the ridge I can make out the saddle - it has a bit of a complex shape. Towards pt 870 and the end of the ridge the scrub gets more dense. At 1145 it has taken me 3 hours to get from the dam to pt 870.
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| Approaching south end of Island Ridge Ngapuketurua in cloud on left - Saddle in middle |
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| From 870 (south end of Island Ridge) SW up Mangahao valley Tawirikohukohu on right |
I keep hoping that people will have worn a trail up to here from the mouth of Dick Creek but can find no evidence. So, it's scrub bashing down until there's enough canopy to duck underneath.
I drift a little left onto a side spur but cut across to find an erosion scar that points to the saddle. Once in the saddle the bush is more open and, as expected, there are plenty of animal trails with the understory pretty much cleaned out (a common sight in low saddles). The wind in the trees almost drowns out the occasional roar drifting up from the Dick Creek side.
I pause for a bite and to regroup - things are much slower than expected so I figure I will only be going as far as the hut tonight - I'm still hoping to divert to two spot heights off the side of the range near Ngapuketurua.
Climbing out of the saddle is the reverse of climbing in - forest gives way to low canopy then, inevitably to scrub - still no trails. A handy rock gives a nice wee view back into the saddle but otherwise it's just a long grind up taking well over an hour to get through the saddle from 870. I'm hoping for a trail coming up the major spur to Ngapuketurua from Harris Creek - nope. More and worse scrub. Some game trails higher up but these wander off and disappear. The cloud comes and everything gets progressively damper.
This may all sound a little depressing but there's a certain mindless satisfaction in rolling out of the scrub to the top with bleeding knees having unequivocally 'knocked the bugger off.' The scrub is also very healthy with the usual suspects present - leatherwood being the most annoying (slippery, contorted and prone to breaking suddenly), totara (much harder and springier than the rest of the shrubbery and surprisingly spikey), and around here; mountain cedar (dense to push through with low branches - but smells nice), and mountain toatoa (just gets in the way). Dracophyllum filifolium can be tricky when thick but at least you can grab hold to haul your way up without it splintering. Higher up the grasses and tussocks add their own little tripping hazard as they tangle into the leatherwood.
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| Looking west across the saddle at 870 |
There's a wee cairn tucked into the tussock at the top of Ngapuketurua but still not a lot in the way of trails. It's not cold although there's a bit of wind moving the clag about.
It's a bit after 1500 - I figure it will be tight but I should be able to knock of at least one of the two spot-heights that someone has carelessly placed off the east side of the main ridge. After thrashing through more scrub and popping a short way down a dead end spur, the clag shifts enough to show that I'll not be sleeping in a hut if I continue. So ... back to the top - a compass bearing into the featureless gloom and off we go - it's now 1540.
Last time I was through there was a trail running diagonally SE up the north face of Puketurua - I manage to find it but then lose it again. It's pretty easy to pick up though once on the ridge.
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| Finding the way off Ngapuketurua |
From Ngapuketurua there is an old, but well cut trail along the ridge. It forms a tunnel through the clumps of leatherwood, and a foot trail through the low scrub and tussock. Although the day is getting on, progress is good - until the top of the spur to Baber forks that is. I suspect this is where a lot of people exit/enter the tops as it is harder finding the trail from here on. I lose it completely on the drop to 840. The top here is broad and featureless so you just follow the compass and pick your way through low, knee-shredding scrub and tussock.
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| This bit is definitely a track |
The light wanes and the clag refuses to lift. The track comes and goes and in the gloom is easily lost - at 5.30 it's getting mighty close to headlamp time. I hold out until finally reaching the track. By now it's dark and all but raining. Visibility is down to about seven meters but the track is a wide swathe in the headlamp. The rain sets in just as I arrive at the hut at 1900.
Empty: downside is no hot brew ready for a wet, scratched tramper. Upside is no snoring or dogs, and I can spread out. It isn't cold but with no fire I get dry and into my bag while the water boils for dinner.
By candlelight the hut is tidy and cosy. Someone has left a few books and I while away the time reading old scifi (minus the last chapter unfortunately).
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| Burn Hut |
The rain splatters against the hut all night - not too heavy and not too cold, but incessant. By morning I have talked myself out of thrashing around in the scrub chasing spot-heights through the clag. I figure it will take two more trips to tidy this area off - hopefully with a view of more than the inside of the next patch of leatherwood.
There's time for coffee, porridge and to finish the book before braving the elements at 0845. There's cellphone coverage up here and home command has acknowledged the plan change.
It turns out to be not so bad. Sure, it's the inside of a cloud but the track is (at least initially) open and the temperature mild. It's as muddy and slippery as you would expect given the rain.
About 0955, I'm standing on the humpback bridge at the bottom above a high flowing creek as it cascades into the Mangahao (which has more water than I've seen previously). A fantail pops by to say hello - the rain has stopped and the clag is left behind on the tops.
In a tactical move I thrash up a messy spur to pick off a low hanging spot-height - in theory the next trip will be just a little bit simpler for the effort.
The slip way at the dam is operating and the lake level looks like it has come up about a meter overnight. At 1130 it's been less than a half day tramp but I'm more than ready to hit the road - hopefully ahead of the end of school holiday traffic.
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| Saturday |
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| Sunday |
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