Last week I found my way to the mysterious Miro Valley Hut and slightly less mysterious Mangahao Biv. This week I want to explore the ridge system to the south west.
A series of gnarly spurs drop south to the Mangahao River - with recent rain the river won't be an option for travel. There's two named 'peaks' on the ridge - Ngawhakaraua and Mairehau - but I haven't heard of anyone visiting them. It's not on the way to anywhere so I suspect it will just be the odd hunter that cruises through. I'm hoping there are some trails up there but have a feeling it's going to be leatherwood central.
There's 9 spot heights that I want to visit - I'll never knock that many new Tararua spots off in a trip again on account of having only 20 to go after this trip.
There's a number of challenges to this trip - the fore-mentioned vegetation, the four spots on steep side spurs that defy an elegant route plan, no water on the tops, and I'm not sure about access.
What: Navigation, spot-heighting, and scrub bashing
Where: Ridge system south west of Mangahao Biv
Who: Solo
When: 2 February
Map
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| Previous trips in purple |
I drive to the end of Kopikopiko Road - there's a farm house but clearly not a regular residence. There's no public area to park so I figure I had better find the proper farm house and ask about access. This proves to be a couple of Ks back north along the road.
The farm manager is relatively new but is obliging - he gets me to sign farm safety forms and gives me instructions for parking behind the house and for finding the trail which is some way across the farm. He also asks that I text in when I get out.
Back along the road again and I park through a gate with a 'No trespassing' sign. With all the driving around it's after 9.
Despite listening carefully I can't make out where the trail starts - however I find something that looks rightish but proves definitely wrongish as I end up in a scrub gully. I give up and follow the farmland up disturbing 5 deer on the way.
Eventually after a bit of supple jack I find ribbons that lead up and onto the ridge I went up last time to get to Mangahao Biv. I don't deviate down any of the side spurs this time and work my way to 531. The spur down looks quite obvious so I expect to see a bit of a trail but there isn't really any. I see deer sign though and just about bump into one of the culprits - it's about 8m away when it sees me and explodes away.
The spur loses shape towards the bottom so it's a bit of a bash with some sidling to avoid getting bluffed. At the bottom there's a good sized creek which I follow to the top of a water fall - Climbing the other bank I discover I'm on a knife edge spur between two creeks (you can see it on the map). It is in the process of being eroded by both streams so is (geologically) a temporary feature. I teeter along the top before finding a way to scramble down to the other creek.
I follow the creek down to the Mangahao River. Which is up and an unpleasant murky brown - the same colour as last time basically.
I've arrived just above one of the gorge sections I swam up - from here the river flows deep and inky against the rock face and disappears around the corner. I don't know if I would be game to swim down it unless I knew what was around that bend.
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| Start of the spur up |
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| Looking down |
It's a bit before 1pm so the day is getting on and I haven't got to any spots yet. The next bit is an insane route basically bashing up and off spurs with no finesse at all. This is navigation by brute force.
I had thought the spur to 450 and 613 would be easy at the bottom. Not so - the bottom is hairy; a sharp but crumbling edge with kiekie and scrub to grovel through. If you must do this one I suggest heading up the true right of the side stream for 100-200m.
Once past the bottom the vegetation is better and I break onto a lovely little knob with a few big trees, but clear enough to see.
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| Probably 450 - looking down the Mangahao (east) |
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| Nameless waterfall |
The valley to the northwest drains off Ngawhakaraua and is precipitous - you would not want to follow any of these water courses up or down.
There's a bit of scrub but it's pretty good up to 613. I scare a stag that checks me out before trotting down into the scrub - it's 2.30 and I stop for a bite and to study the landscape.
I'm planning to drop off the side of the spur then smash up the other side to 710. There is no obvious route - it all looks steep and nasty. An alternative is to drop to the Mangahao and come at 651 from the south - but I'm not about to tackle that river when it's up.
The descent is steep and I'm hanging off the vegetation much of the time, but by 3.10pm I'm standing in another sizable creek.
The climb is steady and starts with kiekie, once above the creek there is a lot of scrub but a fair amount of animal trails that help.
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| pt 613 and the face I came down |
About 4.30 I'm at 710. It's clear I won't be getting to the tops tonight so I have a sit and think. The cunning plan is to drop north off 651 then follow the creek to the spur below 782 and find a spot to camp. There's cell phone reception to I text in the plan change.
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| Near 710 |
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| 710 - looking north to the ridge, Ngawhakaraua on right |
The drop is as scrubby and bushlawyery as expected. I find a wee stream and follow it to the main stream. About 6.30pm I reach the junction that must be the spur to 782. The valley is narrow but I manage to find a spot to camp after a bit of rock gardening (you have to make your bed before you lie in it).
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| Junction 782 |
It still takes me longer than it should to pitch the fly. However with a clear forecast I'm relaxed about pitching it high and am quite satisfied with my efforts. It's a comfortable night although this close to the creek it's very loud and I doubt I'll hear my alarm.
I wake before it's light and have breakfast in bed. By the time I head off it's 6.50am - not early but a reasonable start.
At the junction there's no indications of trails so there's only one way to go - straight up. There's a few scrambles but soon I'm in the scrub with the morning sun warming my back. Pt 782 is in scrub and I am disappointed to find that there is no trail along the ridge. At first there are some clearings and patches of horopito but before long it's a grind through leather wood as I climb towards 830.
This part of the ridge has a wide flat top and some really big leatherwood, although I zigzag about I never find any useful trails - it's basically all hard work.
I struggle over an undistinguished knob that must be Mairehau - goodness knows why anyone bothered naming it. But that could just be scrub fever talking.
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| A view along another part of this benighted ridge |
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| Looking toward Ngawhakaraua |
To cut a long, bloody and painful story short I struggle onto Ngawhakaraua at about 12.30. The day is scorching, I'm a bit over halfway along the ridge, running low on water and knackered. I crawl into a wee patch of shade to have lunch.
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| Damn near knocked off by the bugger |
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| Spur with 710 in middle ground |
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| East to the Wairarapa |
Ngawhakaraua is a little off the ridge line - I drop off the side a little too soon and find myself in a hellish little gully 20m below the ridge - it takes a while to extricate myself.
I have to stay on the ridge until 749 (the last spot for the trip) before I can drop to find water and hopefully some canopy. The scrub seems to get worse.
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| Back to Ngawhakaraua - about an hour 45 travel |
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| The soul destroying view forward |
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| Gentians - I think |
There's a noise behind me and I turn to see a stag 20m up the bank - it shies away but then comes back a couple of times. It disappears for good when I head in his direction.
The bush is mixed but at least it isn't scrub - the downsides are having to sidle through every gully and trying to work out when I'm on the spur down to the saddle - harder than you'd think. I overshoot but figure things out and drop down a wee creek before crossing back to the correct spur. Like last time coming up, I'm not 100% sure where the trail up to the biv runs - I still reckon it crosses to that next spur north.
The amount of daylight left is becoming an issue - in theory I should be able to whistle down in quick order having travelled up this way twice now. Yeah right. I manage to drift off line and follow every false trail on the entire ridge. Pretty much every spur has a ribboned trail running down it and most of them are better marked than the main ridge.
Looking back I suspect I was suffering the after affects of dehydration with a soupcon of 'get-home-fever.' Despite the waning light it would have been quicker to slow down and look at the compass more. Belatedly I do just that and find my way down to a series of clearings on the sharp spur I thought I should have come up yesterday. The ribbons run out again - I cast about and find they've taken a right angle turn off the spur - oh well, at this point any trail is going to get to the farmland so I follow a good trail down.
I hit the farm over a kilometre south west of my target and have a long walk through deep grass to where I should have come out. When I get there I can sort of see what the farmer was telling me yesterday to find the way up but it isn't that obvious. There's a wee climb up a farm track to the terrace then a trudge across more paddocks to the car.
At 8.50 it is quite dim and I have the headlights on as I head down the road. The farm manager acknowledges the text I send and must think I'm slightly crazy given the time.
Postscript
I'm sure someone famous once said - just because it's possible it doesn't mean it's a good idea.If you must climb Ngawhakaraua (and it is worth it just to say the name) my money is on a rear assault up the 450/613 spur. The descent from 531 has it's moments at the bottom - but if you prefer swimming up the gorges it's up to you.
Find a better route onto the bottom of the spur than I did (perhaps 150m up the side creek?). I found the going ok up to pt 613 - after that you're on your own - it will be scrubby but at least it's direct.
The route I took successfully took in all the desired spots but it was a bit tough in places. The trip along the ridge was occasionally quite pleasant ... very, very occasionally. If you want to do that one - remember; no water and don't wear shorts.
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