Pohehe

I've made a number of forays around the dams on the Mangahao river and further up stream - it's past time to visit the neglected part of the range where it exits east to farmland.

The river is significantly modified by hydro in the hills and farming on the flats. Here's the perspective of one of the local iwi.

I'm not intending to visit the river itself, rather a couple of ridges to the south - however, let's see how that works out. There are few (none) formal tracks in the area and it's prone to scrub.

The run up to the trip is not propitious - attempts to find a contact number for access across farmland to the ridge with Pohehe on it are fruitless - I decide to go up and have a look and if there is no other option, walk up the river bed.

What:     Navigation weekender
Where:   Mangahao River, Ngapuketurua Stream and Pohehe
When:    24-25 November 2018
Who:      Solo
Map

Large scale view

Closer view

I follow the usual route towards the Putara Road end but at a key point head right to get to Mangaroa Road. At the end is a closed gate so, back track and stop at a house to see who is the owner - they direct me around the corner to a farm. The chap hosing the yard is less than helpful and mentions that there are hunters up the hill - the unavoidable subtext being: "I'm not about to let you across the farm to the forest park when my mates are up there hunting."

Further north on Kakariki Road West - a young chap on a quad listens to my enquiry and replies that "We don't allow access across our farm to the ridge and neither does the neighbour." Not even to trampers. I ask if there is access down to the river - again; not across their farm but the people up the next road might allow it.

There's no one at home at the indicated property so, with some teeth grinding I drive around a long road loop to get to the bridge over the river by Kopikopiko Road.

It's about 8.15 when I park near at the start of Kopikopiko Road and find a way down to the river. I wade across and start the long walk.

Road bridge by Kopikopiko road

Paradise ducks and Canadian geese complain as I trudge up the wide river bed. It's a long way and I'm in no mood for anyone to challenge my presence - so when a man beside a ute hails me just before I reach the hills I head over ready to exchange words.

Leo turns out to be a hunter who has permission to come across a farm to the river (the one where I got no answer). He asks for a hand to heft a large stag onto the deck of his ute. He has a kayak in the water and gives some good tips about possible routes out of the river. He also confirms that the farm by the gorge that was so unhelpful have their own track up into the park.

We chat for a bit then I leave him to it. The hills close in and the water gets deeper and darker.

Nameless waterfall

Most of the time the river is wadeable but there are four or five long swims required. The water is dark and the bottom far below my flailing boots - fortunately it is mostly without much current as I scrabble along the smooth sides relying on my pack for flotation. By the time I get to the fourth swim I'm shivering despite the mild day.

In attempting to climb around one pool I find a wire loop indicating the route has been used but it's too dicey for me so I retreat and tackle another swim.

It's a bit daunting - and the warning on the map doesn't help "Riverbed subject to rapid flooding." Even though the farmland is not too far behind it feels pretty isolated. However, there's nothing you can't tackle if you lack the imagination to comprehend the possible consequences.

My pack floating is very inelegant - tips? wrap everything very well, stick to the edge to pull yourself along, recognise you'll get cold if it's prolonged, oh and I blow air into my camel back. Every bit helps!

I've been counting the streams and it's 11.30 when a high waterfall on the true right marks where I need to find a route out of the gorges to pick up spot 456. It's a scramble but I find a way up.

There's lots of animal signs on the spur and an old cut branch at the spot-height indicates previous use. The altimeter says I'm below the spot height; the compass says I'm above it. I go with the compass and find the correct spur back down to the river. It deposits me on an old terrace above the river requiring another scramble down. The detour has skipped a section of river but taken two hours.




456 - first spot for the day

The river is less gorgy now with some terraces that would be good for camping. I potter along to the intersection with Ngapuketurua Stream, one of the bigger tributaries of the Mangahao. There's a large terrace opposite and I take a few minutes to have a good wander around it - sure enough; lots of hunters' rubbish.

Ngapuketurua Stream mouth

At about 2.30 I've headed a short distance up the stream to find a rounte onto the toe of the true left spur. Away from the river, a little unnoticed tension drains away as the risks of gorge travel are replaced with the physical challenge of grinding up a hill. There are two spot heights about 400m above at the end of a ridge that require attention - although not far into the Tararuas as the crow flies, they are pretty inaccessible, so I'm determined to knock them off today.

There must be a better route onto the spur than I chose - either in the main valley or closer to the intersection. My choice sees me grovelling up through dense kiekie.

A short way up there's a terrace above a slip face giving a view into the main valley. And shortly after that - more hunters rubbish confirming there must be an easier way up.

Above Mangahao / Ngapuketurua intersection

More plastic - just what the environment needs

It takes about 50 minutes to plod the rest of the way up the spur to a false top then the actual top and for some reason I make it surprisingly difficult to navigate to the other spot. The cover is mixed so I climb a tree and pop my head above the canopy to sort things out. There's some blue sky and sun and I can briefly see some of the surrounding ridges.

Near 564

The top of the ridge is reasonably navigable - it runs SSW all the way up to Taramea near Burn Hut - from bitter experience I know the top end is not pleasant country. These two spots were left behind when I ran out of time on that trip so it's a pleasure to knock them off at last.

The day is hot - I take a bearing and find a usable spur down through good bush - there's even the odd ribbon which I wouldn't have expected. I come out where I had planned and head upstream.

It's late in the afternoon and I'm a little wary that there might be a hunter staking out one of the periodic terraces. I'm wearing my orange 'don't shoot me hat' but that's no guarantee. I keep my eyes peeled but don't see any deer or hunters.

The stream is quite navigable, and before long I reach a side stream that is large enough to be the one running off Pohehe. At 5.45 it's well past lunch so I take a break before tackling the last climb of the day. It's started to get overcast again but still calm with no rain.

Still life: map, log and lunch

The plan is to climb the side of a spur to spot 558 on the valley wall then drop to find a camping spot further up the unnamed stream. Then, by morning I will have hatched a cunning plan to knock off the remaining 7 spots for the weekend, exit down the river and find that no-one has pushed my car into the creek with their tractor.

Ngapuketurua Stream

The stream is tight and slippery with a jumble of rotting logs. It's a short clamber to find a spot on the true left to start climbing the spur. A wee window above a slip gives a brief view up Ngapuketurua Stream then it's back into forest for the climb. The only thing of note is an old terrace covered in animal sign around 400m.

As usual in this neck of the woods - where this is a high canopy the going is generally pretty good with plenty of animal trails (except where there's supplejack). I work along the spur top and take a bearing down a sharp, steep spur. This deposits me onto a steep face which unexpectedly opens to a wee rocky knob. I can check out the start of tomorrow's route and confirm that the main ridge is going to be miserable. It takes a tricky clamber to get down to the creek.

It's about 7.30 and starting to get dim under the canopy when I reach the unnamed stream again. I'm expecting NE rain in the night so find a flat spot and pitch the fly accordingly.

My back is to the creek so I'm surprised when I hear someone splashing vigorously down stream. Turning, I'm confronted by a large deer, about 3m away. Deer are so shy that it is unusual to be so close and have it completely oblivious to my presence. I do the only thing one can do in the circumstances - screaming 'Boo!' at the top of my lungs I watch as it explodes into a gallop and crashes into the distance.

As I unpack I start coming across damp things in my pack - it seems that my liner has a leak.  I burrow down to my sleeping bag with a sinking feeling.

Taking stock - I have a damp but not soaked sleeping bag, all my spare clothes are wet and it's forecast to rain.  On the plus side the temperature is mild.



Waking up

I wear some of the wet stuff to get it drying as I cook tea and climb into my bag. Once the rain starts I climb into my bivvy bag. It rains steadily for a chunk of the night but by morning everything is tolerably dry apart from the foot of my bag.

The great thing about fly camping is that everything that crawls comes by to visit - especially if you have your head torch on.  Tonight a large puriri moth takes an interest in proceedings. It is covered in beautiful green velvet and it's eyes gleam a mad red in the light. It has the look and elegance of a vulcan bomber and takes some dissuading. Fortunately it doesn't seem to want to fly and the dehy packet is slippery enough to form an impassable barrier.

The rain has stopped when I start stirring at 6.30am. 

I heat water for breakfast in bed before leisurely breaking camp and packing





The penny stove does its thing

There's nothing elegant about the plan; smash up the side of the next spur to two spots, drop into a steep stream gully, smash up the side of the next spur. This is pretty much straight line navigation based on the assumption that steep scrambling under canopy will be easier than heading up into scrub country.

A little after 7.30 I start up the slope and into supplejack. The top of the spur is much better going and I pick up the two spots before taking a bearing to pick up the merest suggestion of a spur down into the gully to the north east.

Top of the morning spur

It's a bit of a grind up out of the creek with the cover degenerating into scrub before reaching the target spur. I end up where I intend and there's even some clearings and trail along the flat top. A short deviation down the spur is required to knock off 573 where there are clearings and heavy animal sign - also a little bit of view under a low cloud ceiling into the Mangahao river and the bottom end of Ngapuketurua stream. It's 10.00 and feels like the rain is only just holding off.

Low cloud - south of 573

Climbing the spur towards Pohehe (692) I gird my loins for the scrub.

I can't find much of a trail above 660m. There is higher canopy to the south of the spur but I quickly lose a sense of location as the top flattens. The occasional clearing is no help as it is well clagged in now. I reach a leatherwood covered crest but no idea where - there are some old cut branches which I follow until compass and logic say it must be the wrong direction. About turn - the trail disappears so I follow the compass through dense leatherwood to where the top of Pohehe must be.

After some thrashing around I'm confident to say there are no higher points in the vicinity and set course north east. As usual it is more scrubby than the map indicates.

It's hard country - the bush is higher to the east of the ridge but carries the risk of dropping down the wrong spur periodically. I drift back to the ridge top as it drops to some small clearings then degenerates into a truly horrible scrub bash towards a wee knob (about 640m) 1km NE of Pohehe.

After the knob I drop east again and follow along below the crest in higher bush. This soon degenerates into a scrub bash up to 623. From here the map shows a large flat area which looks like a nightmare to navigate- if the scrub continues it's going to be well dark before I get out. I set my compass and thrash on, checking it every five metres or so to keep on course. Mercifully the canopy starts lifting and I suddenly pop onto a 4WD track. 

The track cuts a wide swathe through increasingly mature forest. It's a well cut track and looks like it is maintained. Things are looking good although it's a bit tricky monitoring the bearing as it winds across the plateau and it feels like it is taking me east of my intended route.

The rain starts and, although the going is now quick, my new boots have developed an interestingly painful pressure point on a single tendon on my left ankle. I limp damply along until the track starts dropping in the definitely wrong direction. Just at the point of cutting losses and turning back I stumble onto a hut.

It looks like it is on the intersection of two tracks and outside the park boundary. I suspect the local farmers have it as their hunting lodge, although it isn't getting a great deal of use apart from by rats.

Still, it's dry and I have a bite and a break while I study the map out of the rain. It's 4pm.

I reckon I know where I am and figure to head back up the road until it starts veering more south.  I pick a point to leave the track and bear towards 582 and immediately find some markers. And shortly after; another 4WD track - this one a little less used. I briefly leave it to pick up point 582 then follow it northish towards 574. It peters out just short of the knob.

From 574 I take a bearing - there's supposed to be a track down here according to Leo. Sure enough, there is an old 4WD track but it is long since impassable to vehicles - there's enough foot trail to indicate regular use. 

I don't have permission to cross the land but with the rain overnight there is no way I'm going to risk the gorge route.  I skulk down the spur then sidle on the gorge side of the farmland. Leo said there were a couple of access routes to the gorge from the farmland so I find my way to the edge of the lowest terrace and work along the edge looking for possibilities.

A large erosion chute catches my eye - at first glance it is impossibly steep. But I note a foot trail leading to the far edge. Following it, I peer over to map a possible route down. Working down the crumbling surface it becomes apparent that it was probably a goat track. There's a bit of a crux in the middle where it gets somewhat sketchy and I am triple testing each foot and hand hold, but my new boots grip the gritty surface well and cut in when they need to. I'm soon scrambling down the wee waterfall at the bottom to reach the river.

The river is up but clear and passable. I find a river stick and wander down - sticking as much as possible to the easier going at the edge of the farmland. It's a long limp back arriving at the car around 7pm.

Postscript

11 spot-heights is a good haul for the weekend - 52 to go. 6 more to clean out on this ridge but access is the problem.

The area has it's attractions - Ngapuketurua Stream is a good wander, the Mangahao River gorges are a bit of an adventure, there are some nice camping spots ... and then there's the scrub. If you want to visit - do your research and pick your route with care.  I can give some excellent advice about where not to go.

The new Zamberlan boots are holding up but it felt like a long time on my feet. The pressure point on the left foot better start coming right ahead of a 6-day tramp over Christmas. Living in wet clothes for two days resulted in a bit of chafe including a raw patch on my rib cage from the PLB in my pocket - weird. Otherwise the usual scratches and bruises - the most spectacular of which is a zombie eye from another twig finding a way around my glasses. It looked spectacularly bad for three or four days before fading but oddly didn't hurt that much after the first two days.