What: Navigation and spot heighting
Where: behind Levin somewhere
When: 7 July 2018
Who: Solo
Map:
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| Large view - Levin off to the left somewhere |
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| Close up of the interesting bits |
It's a wet, grey day and, due to a late start it's well light as I pull up at the end of the public road in the hills behind Levin. I haven't been here before - further up valley from the Poads Road end, this is where Te Araroa emerges from Mangahao Reservoir 2.
A car drives past then returns - a chap and his missus are looking for Poads Road end to drop him off for a 7 day tramp to Upper Hutt. Good fun but missing the road end may not be the most auspicious start. I point them in the right direction before turning my back on the road.
The park boundary is somewhere up the hill above (SE) with two spot heights lurking on the spur climbing to the Camelbacks. There's no stock so at 8.10 I quietly head up the farm land, crossing a few wee streams before eventually popping over the fence into the damp bush.
About 400m there are some old markers which come and go as I climb. The going is ok although I'm not looking forward to the scrub. At one point there is a tree with a lot of pink ribbons on it - I think it might have been at about spot 632 as it looks like a spur comes up from Waiti stream.
As I break out of the bush into scrub there's a rusted saw hanging off a branch confirming that the route has been used before.
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| Well marked tree |
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| An old saw |
At the ridge (just below Pyramid Knob) I can't find any track leading north east - although there seems to be something heading southeast and possibly even something dropping into Johnstone Creek. This tallies with my memories from last time.
It's cold and wet pushing through the scrub, the trick is to make the most of higher canopy off the side of the ridge as much as possible. There's no avoiding the scrub for the last scramble up to Marquee though.
At the top (866) the clag is close and cold. The scrub has yet to reclaim the tops here so it's open albeit with no view today. The bush starts again pretty soon as I follow my nose and compass west then curve north. People have been through but it is a little tricky route finding to drop to 711.
The next bit could be a nightmare - the contours indicate it's pretty flat so potentially swampy and little help from the landform as to direction of travel. A well travelled and marked track puts paid to any concerns - lots of someones have been through. I think there is an outdoor school around here and suspect that they have a fairly extensive, if informal track network. (Afterwards I discover that Makahika Outdoor pursuits and Civil Defence Centre is just down the road - also that a TTC member has marked tracks in this area in the past).
Makahika has little to distinguish it (maybe a survey stake?). An internet search leaves me none the wiser about where the name comes from. Some of the possible definitions of maka and hika raise interesting possibilities.
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| Another well marked tree - possibly at Makahika |
The informal track takes me comfortably to join Te Araroa trail which is well trod. The weather continues to be grey and drizzly and the official view spot is just a chance to get rained on more heavily.
I head along the ridge track with the sole purpose of picking up the spot heights through to 510 before returning along the track to the road end. The bush is nice enough and the track good but it's clear I will not be picking up all the spot heights for the day and will be getting out in the dark.
510 is on a large flat area with tall forest - it's hard to tell which way is up but easy to get about. The light is waning by the time I've bagged 510 and turn to find the track again. The rain leans in harder.
It gets dark quickly and early under the cloud - as usual I put off using the headlight as long as possible. At the bottom of the climb down from 671 I give up as I can't find where the track leaves the stream.
From there it is a bit of an adventure - the track is broad and solid, but water levels are rising and the track is not always easy to find as it crosses and re-crosses the main stream and tributaries.
When the way breaks out of the bush there is a vehicle track and I slosh along in the rain. It's a long walk across the farmland and the only notable event is a ford where the depth and speed leaves me less than happy to attempt a crossing. The car is about 10 minutes away so it is tempting to find a stick, but I cast upstream instead and find a cable with wooden shutters hanging into the water. This provides a solid support to cross with the current trying to sweep my legs away.
It's 7 pm but has been pitch black for almost 2 hours by the time I get to the car, I'm shivering as I change in the rain and keen to get on the way and into cell phone contact. The support crew will call SAR if I haven't checked in by 10pm and I try not to run it too close.
Postscript
Mission almost accomplished. I cleaned out 10 awkwardly placed spotheights which is great, but had to leave three or four which will require another sortie into the area.The tops around the Camelbacks are challenging but there are lots of informal trails in the area north through Makahika. Te Araroa trail would make a nice day trip albeit with transport challenges.
All-up, I was pleasantly surprised - it's nice bush with plenty of opportunities for exploring off the beaten track.
