The only nearby candidate for giving them a good workout, whilst knocking off a bunch of spots, in a day trip is the dreaded corner of the Tararuas near the Remutaka hill road.
All going well I will knock off the last 10 spots in this area and never have to go back again ... ever. And all without blisters or feet deformities from doing a good day's walk in new boots.
What: Navigation, daytrip and spot-heighting
Where: Tararuas around Mt Frith (above Featherston)
Who: Solo
When: 11 November 2018
Map
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| Previous trips in purple - If it's got a number and I haven't visited it then it isn't in the park |
In the hills behind Featherston (north west) is Boar Bush Gully Road. It's the service road to the source of the town's water supply. They are reasonably keen to discourage visitors as you go past a couple of signs indicating it's private property, no dogs etc. I don't have any dogs so drive as far as I can and park by the road at a locked gate (very little parking space).
It's overcast with a few wisps of cloud around the top of the hill. at 8.25 I follow the road up the gully looking for an ECNZ road that hives left and up the hill, giving a free ride to pt 361 where the fun will start.
The scrub is pretty thick with generous lashings of bushlawyer for a start, but opens a bit in the saddle after 361 before the climb. There are a few old cut branches on the way up but I lose any trail - the crest of the spur is mostly fairly scrubby and slow going. Towards the top it becomes proper forest and I hang off the east side of the spur under a high canopy.
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| Near 361 - view south to Remutaka hill road |
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| More open manuka scrub in the first saddle |
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| Boar Bush Gully - reservoir |
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| Final approach to Frith - a better quality of forest |
My route joins the DOC track shortly before the top, where the forest gives way to low scrub - possibly an old burn. There's lots of dracaphyllum and some interesting white lichen. There are views up the Tauherenikau, and south to the Remutakas but not great views across the Wairarapa - I suspect you might need to go further along the ridge.
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| Towards the Remutakas |
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| Just a corner of Lake Waiwararapa |
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| Lichen |
This is my first assessment point - it's about 10.50 so time is good. I continue with the plan of exploring some of the northern slopes above the Tauherenikau gorge. A bearing takes me to the right spur which splits to two spot heights. I'm back in forest again quickly - this side of the ridge the bush is more mature with large beech trees and mostly fairly open.
Half an hour from the top there's an old bit of corrugated iron near 450 but little else to indicate people.
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| Beech saplings at 450 |
Rather than pop back up to the ridge to get to the next spot I crash down into the intervening stream gully. There's some plenty big trees on the slope and at the bottom (an hour from Mt Frith) nikau are mixed in with ponga. I stop for a bite and refill the camelback, enjoying the bush.
The climb up the opposite slope is steep but straight forward, the bush starting to break into more recent regrowth near the top. A short diversion to 472 and it's time to head back up towards Mt Frith.
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| 470 - note the hi-tech gloves |
This spur is on the boundary of the extensive regrowth vegetation on the south side of the Tauherenikau River. Part of the route up is through old man gorse and scrub but it eventually re-enters more mature forest.
Just short of the top I follow some animal trails to sidle around and pick up the DOC track off Mt Frith. It's 1.15pm so still good timing to pick up the last four spots.
It's straight forward travel from Frith to Finis on the track. There are a few view spots and an interesting marked track down into Boar Bush Gully.
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| Three way intersection - the mustard tin says Boar Bush Gully |
Approaching Finis, the bush degenerates then breaks into open scrub. The good thing is that this gives great views of the Wairapa plains, it's about 2pm.
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| Cest Finis |
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| Featherston and Lake Wairarapa |
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| Remutakas |
At the top there is a cut trail heading down towards the reservoir in Boar Bush Gully. I'm hoping that people will have also headed down my spur. There are some cut branches at the start and things look promising but it quickly degenerates into high scrub, old man gorse and young forest species. Surely at 345 there will be some local access tracks - nope.
The route down from 345 starts with a weed library - most noxious plants of a spiky nature are represented: gorse, blackberry, hawthorne (or barberry?) as well as bushlawyer. There's no sign that people come this way - however, my final and 9th spot for this leg is just below 238).
238 is bang on the park boundary and could be outside - I have decided to assume it is in which adds some aggravation to the end of the trip. At least there is a strip of farmland I can skulk along before plunging back into gorse and blackberry.
To get off the hill from here there is a band of farmland which I haven't asked permission to cross. The map shows what looks like an ECNZ road but this turns out to be long disused - it provides a route to the flats though and I head furtively across the paddocks to the road.
It's a hot walk back along the road and through a reserve to Boar Bush Gully Road. The car is still where I left it (I had been wondering).
At about 5pm there is still plenty of daylight and there is just one spot height (343) left on this benighted ridge. Rather than leave it to fester I park by the bridge at the bottom of the hill road and follow the ECNZ track up hill, around the slope and to the pylon. The sun is finally angling in under the clouds.
The top pylon gives a view across the gully to 361 from this morning and the route up to Mt Frith.
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| 361 ahead with Finis behind to the left |
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| Finis on right - spur up to Frith in middle somewhere |
The spot is off the pylon road and marked with a triangle - which means there is a trig and hopefully a track to it. This comes to pass although it's a long time since anyone has had line of sight to the trig from more than 2m away.
Back at the pylon I take a moment to look at some of the territory covered during the day and appreciate the colours from the setting sun. Then - it's a downhill trot back to the car and I've finished with this bit of countryside.
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| Remutaka hill road |
Postscript
The new boots labour under the somewhat grand title of Zamberlan 1006 VIOZ PLUS GTX® RR WL. And I'm sure every letter is important. My old set were a slightly lighter weight model and have done me proud. Basically everything wore out at the same time but they kept going despite half the soles gone and massive holes in one of them. Although the soles were not as hard wearing as some other brands, they were comfortable from the get go and they put up with everything I chucked at them (including neglect).Surprisingly, after 10 hours in new boots my feet are a bit tender but are free from blisters. I applied tape to one foot half way through as a precaution and this seemed to do the trick.
Finishing the spot-heights in this neck of the woods is the highlight from the day. There is one remaining nearby but this is in Dobson Creek near a marked track so will be straight forward.
The count now is 63 to go. 39 of these are in the northern most reaches of the park so there is a bit of work (and travel) still to do.
Oh - I enjoyed this one. I can see the spot height trip we did in the distance along that ridge above the road. Nice.
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