Ruapae Falls

The Tararuas may not be famed for its waterfalls but there are a few, and one or two are even marked on the map.  One of these is Ruapae waterfall in the northern part of the range near Eketahuna. There's no marked track, but the area looks quite navigable and there are a couple of spot heights to pick up nearby.

The waterfall is also near where the old Schormann's track ran up a spur to Kareti. This track was apparently cut by a local farmer forming a link to the tops and inevitably becoming the starting point for the famous SK (Schormann's - Kaitoke), a challenging end-to-end weekend traverse of the range for those of a masochistic bent.  Putara hut was on the spur but it mysteriously burnt down and access to the track was denied in 1977 - the track is no longer marked but you can still see it on the old maps.

As if these features not enough reason for a trip, I also have my eye on Haukura Ridge. This is a lumpy complicated system running south off the main range at East Peak. The hillsides are quite spectacular in the area - steep and heavily eroded. To the west of the ridge is Chamberlain creek - probably the most extensive real canyon in the ranges. There is an old Biv site on the ridge and various trip reports on the web (which, regrettably I neglected reading until afterwards).

What:   Navigation and spot-heighting
Where:  Roaring stag area, Tararuas
When:   17-18 February
Who:     Solo
Map: 

A little after 7.20am I leave the carpark, casting a jaundice eye at the cloud swathed ridges. A few minutes later a spray of rata beside the swing-bridge is a cheerful counterpoint to the gloom overhead. On the other side I start looking for a way up the hill to pt 655. Not too close to the bridge as there is a bush edge marked on the map which could be a bit scrubby.

Just up the track there is a wee shingle slip with a tiny stream that has wiped out the track. It provides a good enough point to start working up the hill. It's pretty open going a bit of undercanopy and, as expected, saplings and scrub towards the north. The top is broad and flat with tall rimu, matai and miro.

There are old tape markers and ground trails in places but these are easily lost so I just follow the compass. The high canopy gives no views.



Uncinia leptostachya
Bastard grass



Occasional skiffs of rain make it to the forest floor but not enough to warrant a rain coat given that it's still pretty warm (par for the course for the morning).

I emerge off the hill onto a grassy flat beside what will become the Mangatainoka River. This would be a great wee spot to camp but at 8.45 it's still a little bit early.

The bush margins have very healthy clumps of bastard grass which, despite the fact that my legs are not very hairy, liberally entrust their progeny to my tender care.

Grassy flats looking up stream

The falls are marked in various places depending on the age of your map. It doesn't really matter - the stream twists and turns so it is pretty hard to be exact. The valley narrows and steepens but is easy travel.                                                                                                                                                                 Shortly before the falls there is a large boulder between rocky bluffs with a deepish pool. Two people would probably help each other up - I just jamb my walking stick to into the stream to form a foot hold and scramble up the meter or so required.                                                                                                                                The drizzle gets a little more determined over the next couple of hours but is hardly noticeable at the falls themselves (about 30 minutes from the flats). There is the usual thunder, spray and cold wind associated with a stream dropping through a slot, maybe 10m into a pool. There's a large rocky alcove and it's mossy and slippery in the narrow gully. It takes about 10 minutes to take some inadequate photos and see my fill before turning down stream looking for a way up the true left valley side.

I idly wander about the source of the Maori place names in the area (there are quite a few) but have no ideas - even afterwards the best I can manage is that Ruapae may refer to two ranges of hills. In this area there is a peak with the name, the falls and a stream (not the stream with the falls).





A few of the old markers remain

Just below the falls a trickle enters from the left offering a precarious clamber up a series of steps in a mossy, choked water course. One step is a step to big requiring a scramble out on to a sharp wee spur to the west that climbs to the main spur to Kareti.   Here there is a strong ground trail and it's reasonably open - I figure this is the route of the old Schormanns track - it is certainly well enough formed. I pop up a little beyond pt 820. It's still but cloudy so no views. I figure you would have good access to the ridge from here.

With some reliance on the altimeter and one false start I leave the old track to find the spur dropping south towards the flats from earlier (at about 740m). There is a bit of ground trail but it comes and goes and I end up dropping off at some point to hit the stream a little earlier than intended. I'm back at the flats around 11.45am.

River flats below Ruapae falls (again).

Less than 15 minutes downstream is a rocky creek entering from the true right - I figure this will be an easy route up to the saddle below Herepai Hut (the old maps show a route up the spur on the true right of the creek but I don't find this out until later). The best description is that the creek is 'aggressively eroding'. It's bouldery but mostly pretty open and all the log chokes are navigable. It gets a little bit messy near the top but I'm in the saddle a little after 12.30.

Unnamed creek from saddle bellow Herepai Hut 

Looking down the Maungatainoka from the creek mouth 
Hill with pt 655 on left

It's a little odd to find a perfectly good track and cross it perpendicularly to drop down a gully. My route down follows a trickle through forest at first but soon breaks into an active erosion gully. I just follow the trickle as it becomes a creek rather than try to break onto a spur.

Looking back up towards the saddle - a bit messy

At 1pm I'm on river flats beside Ruapae stream. Time to turn upstream but also make a mental note that the bottom of the opposite spur doesn't look too bad - I may be emerging here later on and want to check I won't get bluffed.

Ruapae Stream

10 minutes upstream are the forks and my intended spur running due east up to East Peak. I take the chance for a sit down and a water refill before tackling the climb.

The first task is to find a way to scramble up the steep foot of the spur then there's a steady climb up through good bush. As with most spurs - there could be a ground trail but it's probably mainly from animals. After an hour there are some openings and some views out. About ENE the orange roof of Herepai Hut sticks out on the ridge up to Herepai and Ruapae. This is the route up to the tops and the modern start of the North-South Traverse of the Tararuas. It's too far to see if there are people about.

The view also indicates the tops are still hidden in cloud with just the occasional steep erosion chute plunging out of the clag. I recall looking across at this ridge and noting how rugged it looks near the top. The forecast is for gale-force winds - and although it's not bad now it could get a bit interesting. To the south, I can examine the ridge I intend to come down later - it's covered in scrub.

East - Herepai hut is a dot where the ridge climbs steeply on the left

And scrub is what I am destined to be thrashing through very soon. The forest gives up (the map says around 900m so well below the normal bushline) for cedar and lots of leatherwood and dracophyllum. I can't find any coherent trail but there are sporadic animal tracks so you just piece it together as best you can and accept it is going to be slow and painful.

Pahautea - NZ Cedar

Looking up into the head of  the valley between East Peak and Ruapae 

The scrub becomes a bit lower and I angle around to the north face of the spur to pick up more tussocky country and easier going. A stronger ground trail develops and there is a lot of animal sign. A shot gun cartridge is the only incontrovertible evidence of people. The threatened wind starts to pick up as I ascend into the clag at about 1200m.

The slope rounds off onto the unnamed knob ESE of East Peak (1380m). There's a marshy slot in the middle where I shelter to check compass and map. Visibility is about 20 meters and the wind is smashing into the slope from the west.

Accepting that the compass knows what it's doing, I select the windward side of the ridge and follow the bearing south to pt 1332. It's difficult keeping upright but it's mostly scree and low vegetation on this side - a brief foray to the lee side sees me bowled over on the ridge line and the veg on the other side is not so easy. Glasses are relegated to a pocket for fear of having them whipped away.

At 1332 I now have the tricky job of finding the spur leading to the saddle and pt 1127. It would be a doddle in clear conditions but now it is interesting. At least the ridge provides some shelter (for now) and the first couple of 100m down is relatively open. Then the scrub starts again and it is back to trying to find any route through.  The last 50 or so vertical meters to the saddle are particularly trying.

There is apparently an old route around here somewhere and an old bivvy site - I think I find some traces but discover later that other people have followed the creek bed to the right of the spur. My legs are starting to get shredded and very tender from the scrub treatment - particularly as those bloody gators have had to be removed as they are wearing holes in my legs again.

Dropping out of the clag and first view of the saddle
Old bivvy site down to the right somewhere

Once through the saddle there's another scrubby scramble but the vegetation is a little less hostile. The top of 1127 is dropping in and out of the clag and the wind is making itself known again. As the cloud lifts, views open over the intervening ranks of hills towards the sunny Wairarapa.

From 1127, looking back at the spur and saddle - creek is on left

Someone's getting some sun

At 4.40pm I have a decision to make. Head SW to pick up pt 912 and suffer more scrub torture plus be virtually guaranteed to be caught out by the dark. Or cut losses and leave 912 for another day.  I decide I can cope with a late night but I will be kicking myself if I leave that spot height behind.

The cloud keeps coming and going but there is enough view that navigation is mainly by eye.

And the cloud comes in again

The knob is clearly visible steeply down the spur - as is the intervening scrub. The last 100m or so is once again through low and then higher scrub. The knob itself has some good healthy 2m scrub. I manage to find a few spots to take photos

Down spur towards 912 - Ruamahanga on left

SE from 912 towards Tawhero - foot of Cattle Ridge dropping from right

Dome hidden in cloud to left - Chamberlain Creek between spurs on right

At 5.20 it's taken 40 minutes from 1127. Now the tough job of getting back. The north face of the spur is slightly easier going and it's 45 minutes back to 1127, so not so bad.

And the cloud comes again ...

This time the cloud lifts enough to show the Ruamahanga far below as it and the Ruapae meander inevitably together. The hidden lake is visible as a brown spot just above where the Ruamahanga river becomes visible - no time to visit today I'm afraid. I think I briefly see the orange roof of Roaring Stag Lodge. Unfortunately I have to go a long way in the opposite direction to pick up one more spot height before I'll be down there.

SE from 1127 Ruapae/Ruamahanga forks

The saddle again

Looking down my spur

The spur down points directly towards Herepai Hut. I have a sit down at the top to rest battered legs. The aim now is to get to the river before dark - which may be a bit earlier if the cloud drifts any further east.  It's 6.15.

What to say? Scrub of diverse descriptions, scratches on scratches and bruises on bruises. It's tough and somewhat demoralising. Eventually, towards pt 853 I can stop pushing through scrub and drop below the canopy. It's taken 1:15 to travel a km or so down the spur. It's getting dim but just after 8pm I break onto the stream flats - I figure on an hour before needing a torch.

Spur up to East Peak in foreground

I'm pretty sore but Ruapae stream is easy going. It just takes ages. A skiff of rain comes through periodically but otherwise it's just more stretches of water, more flats and more walking. At 9pm I give up and crack out the torch.

It turns out I'm a minute from the forks and from there just half an hour and four river crossings to the hut arriving just after 9.30pm - about 14 hours on the go.

There are no lights but three bodies on the deck indicating a full house. I decide not to wake everyone by making dinner so find a spot on the porch and munch on bread and cheese before dossing down.

Morning from Roaring Stag

I ache myself awake - relieved that the rain hasn't driven in over night and pleased not to be stuck on a scrubby spur. It's still warm and the Ruamahanga is still on the cusp of the weather from the west.

A party of four women from Palmerston North TC get up early and head off down river. I'm next up and cook two breakfasts to make up for dinner. I take my time but no-one else gets up.

Another decision - head out or pick up some local spot heights. It's really tempting to just call it quits for a leisurely crawl out licking my wounds and nursing aging joints. I fill in the hut book and sneak out to climb the hill behind the hut.

Full house

7.45 is a civilised hour - a 400m climb after yesterday - not so much.  It takes an hour to get to the scrub then a 15 minute crawl and climb through it to the ridge (there might be an easy way through but I missed it). Parts of the ridge are clear, but not southwest to pt 650. 

Down spur to Ruamahanga - 1127 in cloud

Same view from a little further along

On the map, the distance between 811 and 650 is not so much. It takes almost 2 hours.  Sometimes crawling along pig trails with pack off, sometimes pushing through scrub, eventually dropping west to follow along below the crest under a higher canopy. Every now and again climbing a tree and taking a bearing off a landmark.

After yesterday it is now mentally tough as well as physically draining and painful.

650 and lunch

From 650 there is no obvious route so I just drop down slope looking for the path of least resistance. Finally it feels like a bit of progress. I've been along the river twice before but always on the opposite side. I'm surprised to find that there are pretty good terraces most of the way back to the hut from below 650. Arriving about midday to find it empty and very tidy.

In the spirit that I am not going to do anything the easy way this weekend I head up the track and leave it just before it starts climbing. I follow up beside the slightly slimy brown stream to a point where I reckon I'm near the spur north to pt 713 (a bit of farfing involved).

The spur is well defined, steepish at points with a lot of saplings - it's not easy travel so it is after 1:30 when I finally sit in dappled shade at the top. The track is less than 200m away but there is one final way to make this more difficult. I head NE scrambling down through bush to find a trickle then a creek then a stream.

713

It looks straight forward on the map - a reasonably gently shelving stream - but I'm thoroughly sick of log jambs and slippery rocks by the time I get to the junction with the Mangatainoka 1 hour 40 later.

Mangatainoka River and the weather is looking up

Half an hour later its 3.45 and I'm turning my pack inside out to find the car keys. The ginger beer has been sitting in the sun and pretty much explodes on opening but it gets me as far as Carterton New World and something cold.

So ...
Ruapae falls - check. Worth a visit, nice little starter navigation exercise - particularly taking in 655. Falls are not really beautiful but an unusual sight in the Tararuas.

Schormanns track - check. Still there and navigable - not sure if you can get in from the farmland - would need to ask permission - it would be pretty easy to get to from the flats below the falls.

Haukura Ridge - check. Tough in the wind and clag. Even on a good day that scrub will be a challenge. Maybe try the creek to the saddle? 912 - interesting views, the exit off the bottom of it looks challenging to say the least. 853 - that scrub section is a bugger. Lower sections not so bad.

Ruapae stream - check. Lovely stretch of water with lots of camping spots. Need to take some time to check out the lake at some point.

811 and 650 - check. Just that - check.

713 and stream out - check. Takes the tally to 9 spots for the weekend - not bad.

Dundas Circuit

There's been much talk of the 'SK' in tramping circles recently with some recent record times being posted for the trip from the back of Eketahuna to Kaitoke down the spine of the Tararuas. It's a trip that I would like to be fit enough to do over a weekend but I'm not in that ball park at present. I have however been aiming to pick off sections of the route on various excursions over recent years. The northern parts in particular I had very little exposure to until filling in the piece from Mt Crawford and Pukematawai over Easter this year. This weekend I am planning to fill in more of the northernmost part.

There are a few options for through trips but these always raise transport problems. Looking at the map there is a promising loop from the Putara Road end behind Eketahuna around the tops, dropping into the headwaters of the Ruamahunga and climbing over Cattle Ridge to exit at the same point. The ascents and descents look a bit challenging though.  

The Tararua Tramping Club (TTC) websites provides useful info with the route listed as the Dundas Circuit and being one of their three 'classic Tararua routes' no less.

"The Mangatainoka Herepai Dundas Cattle Ridge Roaring Stag Hut circuit tramp is a classic medium two to three day trip that involves travel above the bush line. Some experience is required including navigation skills, appropriate equipment, and reasonable fitness." (TTC website)

Their route notes include track times, huts and route-finding directions. With a bit of amendment these provide a guide sheet and route intentions for the weekend. Out of interest I noted my track times during the trip (off the photos) and have compared them to the TTC times at the end - in general they are pretty close with the exception of the section from Dundas hut to the Ruamahanga. 

In the grand tradition of Tararua tramping I'm at the road end and setting off in the pitch black at 8.30pm. Initial impressions are of a track that is wet, slippery, narrow and a little bit tricky. However on the return it is actually well benched with a good surface and easy going. Must have hardened up during the trip.

An hour ten minutes later a steady 370m climb ends with the choice of Roaring Stag Lodge or Herepai Hut. I stick to plan and head right for a short dip into a saddle then a climb to Herepai hut arriving at 10:15pm. The evening is mild, the moon is out although not helping under the canopy and the only hardship is steamy glasses from the humidity. The occasional roar of a stag floats up from the valley (unless it was hunters practicing - quite possible). All up, a straight forward torchlight track - certainly easier than getting to Te Matawai.

Choices in the dark

A corrugated iron wall looming into the headlight is the first sight of Herepai hut. Hopes of tip toeing into a quiet hut are dashed when I note mattresses and sleeping bags on the porch. There's a group of 12 fourteen year olds from Sacred Hearts on an outdoor adventure with three supervising adults - there is apparently not even floor space available at the inn.  I never dare to look inside the hut but accept the offer of a fly (rather than my bivvy bag) and pitch it over a section of flat track. 

Friday night campsite

It's a perfectly comfortable night zipped up tight in my bag but I have to admit to being quietly a bit grumpy about people that go into an area in groups big enough to completely use up the known hut capacity. Still, I appreciate the loan of the fly.

Up at 6am, I pack up, spread the fly over an Astelia by the hut to dry, fill my camel back and eventually get away at 6.40, just before sunrise. A slab of Iona's excellent cathedral window cake in my pocket provides breakfast and keeps me nibbling until lunch time.

Although at only 810m, the track above the hut is in scrub so when I turn around I have a good view of the rising sun above dark hills and misted valleys.

The track briefly climbs into bush again with intensely orange-red light filtering through the canopy which quickly fades into full morning light. 

Above the bush the wind is cool and steadily rises but it is clear and sunny around the tops. 45 minutes after starting I'm on Herepai (1125m).

On Herepai looking up to Ruapae

And 21 minutes later on Ruapae (1279m). Looking north from Ruapae the Tararuas dwindle as the range steps down towards the Manawatu gorge. In the east the Wairarapa runs south hemmed by rolling hills, north and east Woodville and Dannervirke are hidden in cloud which seems to stretch to the Hawkes Bay.  North and west is the Manawatu. The view south hasn't really opened up yet but it's already stunning.

South west along the range a cloud is lurking suspiciously in the vicinity of Pukemoremore which is on my intended route. It indicates strong winds from the west, probably bringing moist air off the Tasman that will condense as it rises up the range to form thick direction-confusing clag.

From Ruapae to East peak
Pukemoremore and suspect cloud behind

25 minutes later, on top of East Peak (1355m) the wind is strong and cold and the cloud is coming in from the north west. My fancy watch tells me that the barometric pressure is dropping fast. 

From East Peak looking east - nice day in the Wairarapa, a bit cloudy in Eketahuna

From East Peak looking south into the Ruamahanga catchment
Cattle Ridge on left - quite a nice day

From East Peak; Pukemoremore under cloud
Note the clag creeping in, upper right

It's easy to lose the track down and through the saddle as, like a fair chunk of the track throughout the morning, it's a bit overgrown by tussock and scrub but there is enough visibility to keep things going in the right direction without requiring the compass. It's about 55 minutes and a 200m drop and climb from East to West Peaks (1335m).

The vegetation hides what's under foot and at one point a foot disappears into a deep boot sized hole hidden in the tussock shooting a stream of cold, muddy water straight up the shorts.

From West Peak looking back at East Peak
55 minutes later, the clag has come in and is starting to lift again

After West Peak the cloud quickly clears and keeps away from me for the rest of the day. The view east and north opens up with the dark outlines of Ruapehu (lumpy) and Taranaki (a perfect cone) visible on the horizon. The Manawatu fades into haze and Horowhenua and the Kapiti Coast are laid out to the east. I can even make out the Waiopehu ridge (the route of Te Araroa). Some enticing spurs run from the main range east into the Mangahau valley, definitely something for another day.

West Peak on left, East on the right
20 minutes later

From Walker, East Peak in centre, Haukura ridge running to right
18 minutes later again

Still on Walker; it's a completely different day
The Manawatu gorge hidden to the north

From Pukemoremore south west to Logan along the main range

The wind is strong across the ridge making footing a little tricky in places but with the cloud cleared navigation is straight forward. The rugged looking Pukemoremore with its rocky outcrops looms ahead but turns out to be not such a bad scramble revealing a sudden view of Dundas hut, tucked down off a spur. Although clear now, later in the day when I look back up at the range the cloud comes and goes so my timing has been lucky.

At 1474m Pukemoremore is the highest point on my route so I take a few moments for photos and a wee sit to contemplate the views. It's easy to look at these hills and see them as bare and barren in stark contrast to the soft edged slopes below the bush line. But close up there's a plethora of plants; shrubs, grasses and ground hugging herbs all adapted for snow, scree, wind and searing sun - the sort of rockeries that gardeners would kill for. Makes you wish you'd paid more attention during botany.

I contemplate popping up to the next peak (Logan; 1500m) but the thought is forming that it might be possible to make it around the whole circuit by the end of the day so I decide to push on according to plan.

The turn off for Dundas hut is well marked at spot height 1415 and the DoC time to the hut is accurate (10min). I arrive 4 minutes under the 2 hrs TTC estimate for the trip from West peak to find a spruce wee 6 bunker nestled on a small terrace near the head of the valley below Pukemoremore. Steep rocky slopes hem it in.

Not so hard to find the turn off to Dundas hut now
Pukemoremore and Dome behind

Dundas hut

It's been a while since my pocket full of breakfast ran out so I crack out fruit loaf, salami and cheese. Sun is streaming through the skylight and I use the opportunity to dry out my sleeping mat while I munch and fill out the log book. Two and a half weeks since the last entry; either people aren't filling it in or there's been fairly light usage. It's also a chance to look at the map; as if I didn't know that there is a 700m descent followed by a steeper 600m climb ahead.

As I regain the spur above the hut I notice what looks like a very obvious fault scarp descending in a line like a scar across the face of the range. I could have sworn I saw horizontal striations on Cattle Ridge also, reminders of how tectonics and glaciers have shaped this place. Turning around, the scree below Pukemoremore indicates how erosion and water are continuing the job.

Spur above Dundas hut
fault scarp running diagonally up and left
from above the sign

The track is reasonably well formed and follows the spur between two stream valleys as it descends at a steady pace. Towards the bottom it gets into thick damp bush and is a little gnarly in places. Eventually it drops me at the junction of two streams; not quite as marked on the map but pretty easy to follow.

Confluence of streams below Dundas hut

It's a pretty setting with crystal clear water and graywacke boulders. A beech tree blazes in backlit contrast against the dark gullies where the streams emerge. I try to get some good photos but the phone and I just can't do it justice.

Another attempt to capture the scene
The track comes in somewhere on the bank in the upper left

Looking at the map the next section promises to be tricky and is. The track scrambles into the bush on the true left and staggers along in overgrown, unmaintained, rocky and slippery fashion. It's fairly slow and careful going. At one point I lean against a 10' diameter trunk which sways easily and unnervingly to the touch. It turns out to be a massive branch hanging by not very much from the tree it has snagged on. I get out from under quickly and am not game to go back to dislodge it on my own and without a rope.

First sight of the Ruamahanga

This is the roughest bit of track of the trip and somewhat slower going than TTC's time estimate to get to the Ruamahanga from Dundas hut.

I don't like crossing rivers on my own as I figure it is one of the most dangerous parts of tramping. The wire bridge has long since been removed from this crossing so I fully intend to return to Dundas if the Ruamahanga looks dodgy. I am pleasantly surprised - the river tumbles over large boulders forming deep pools and narrow, swift cascades and giving plenty of opportunity to leap across with dry feet. The catchment is still pretty sizable upstream with a lot of bare tops so I suspect it can rise and fall dramatically. The map indicates gorges up and down stream so alternative crossing places are probably in short supply. But I'm a little more focused now on the 600m climb straight up the steep side of Cattle Ridge. 

It's tough going with the track overgrown with scrub and tussock and difficult to follow in many places. The sun is shining directly onto the slope and it's decidedly hot. I find good reasons to stop frequently and look back up at the main range to note the gathered cloud, to spot where Dundas hut is and any other excuse to rest my sorely abused knees. The broad ridge top is a very welcome sight and the legs are quite wobbly for the short walk down to the turn off to Cattle Ridge hut.

From Cattle Ridge to the main range
The Dundas hut spur is the small one in the middle left of the photo  

The sadly neglected Cattle Ridge hut looking across the Wairarapa  

The hut is in a pretty rough state and the log book makes it clear what people think about a perceived DoC policy of allowing the hut to degenerate to the point it has to be removed as a hazard. It does suggest that the state of the track I've just been on may also be a symptom of the prioritisation required in order to fund the flasher, more accessible facilities. There is however a new wood shed, timber stacked outside and building materials inside signalling that someone has decided to invest. 

The hut provides another opportunity to eat and drink out of the cold wind and check the map and route notes. It's mid afternoon so I figure I may as well drop to the next hut and see how I feel about continuing to the road end. There is also cell phone reception so I text home command who promptly rings back.

And down again, Roaring Stag hut a speck on the valley floor

As soon as the track clears a knob below the hut there is a clear view down to Roaring Stag Lodge which is catching the afternoon sun about 700m below. The knees cringe at the insult about to be heaped on the injury already sustained.

It's quite a good track providing a quick descent to the valley floor which has by now lost the sun. A short, blissful stint across the flats (oh yes, flaaat!), noting where the down river route departs for future reference, and I'm wandering into an empty hut a little under an hour after leaving Cattle Ridge. 

Roaring Stag hut across the Ruamahanga River 

It is clear where the funding has been going. Roaring Stag is a large facility in good repair and sporting a meat safe. I figure I will still have day light for a chunk of the trip out so don't hang around after writing in the log book.

The track is wide and pretty well maintained. It is in fact strikingly wide; the TTC website refers to it as an "ancient pack track formation." It crosses river terraces and the occasional stream then gently eases up and along the ridge and eventually to the junction I had arrived at just last night. It's ever so considerate of tired knees.

Looks familiar - 20 hours later

The sun manages one final peek around the end of Cattle Ridge but the bush is dense and high so little filters down to the floor. It's getting dim by the time I reach the junction around 5.30 and dark by the bottom of the hill. I have an idea of what's coming so the trip out under lights is relaxed, ticking off the features that mark progress (swing bridge, wooden bridges, slip, swing bridge ...). The river is a constant but largely invisible presence, the sound varying with the terrain and occasional flashes of moonlit rocks catch the corner of the eye through the trees. I wonder how the large group from Herepai hut have gone given how long they took to get in. On the final section of track I note some foot prints recent enough that there are still wet marks on the rocks but it doesn't seem enough for a party that large.

At the road end a hunter is just heading off in his ute and stops to chat. He has been hunting on the ridge east of the track to Roaring Stag and has just got out (hence the foot prints). He is aware of the other party that came out not too far ahead of him and seem to have made fairly heavy weather of it. Hopefully the experience has not put them off tramping completely.

At 7pm with the moon above I'm in the car and finishing the weekend's tramping as I started; with another fine tradition.  This one is to descend on brother number one's house filthy, famished and looking for a comfortable bed. As always, he and Janne accept the imposition with good grace and a little surprise (they had been expecting the invasion for brunch the next day).

Coda

In good weather this is a trip of many and spectacular views. In clag? I think it might be a navigational challenge.

The track in is fine for torch light travel - a good option on a Friday night. On the tops you often have to push through scrub and tussock and there's a section where a bit of erosion is cutting into the ridge. The drop and sidle to the Ruamahanga crossing is pretty rough in places and took me longer than TTC estimates. The climb up to Cattle Ridge is overgrown through the scrub and hard work. From then on the going is pretty good. In general the ascents are not so bad - until you hit Cattle Ridge.

I wouldn't rely on Herepai having space so you need a fly or biv bag - Roaring Stag has a large floor space so should be able to cater for large crowds. Cell cover was good on the tops I didn't have any after Cattle Ridge until in the car and well down the road. I had no water problems with rain tanks at all huts. The odd tarn didn't look very enticing (one had been used as a wallow by some animal).

All up a great wee trip and doable in a day if you are of a mind, have good conditions and cast iron knees.

Times

For future reference; Tararua Tramping Club times and mine are noted below. They provide a good estimate of travel times although I suspect that some are based on tracks that were once better maintained. I have not counted time spent at the four huts but included the time spent farfing about taking photos, gawping at views etc.

	TTC	Me
Road end to junction	1:20	1:10
Junction to Herepai hut	00:30	00:25
Herepai hut to Herepai	<1:00	00:45
Herepai to Ruapae	00:30	00:21
Ruapai to East Peak	00:30	00:25
East Peak to West Peak	1:00	00:54
West Peak to Walker	00:30	00:26
Walker to Dundas hut	1:30	1:30
Dundas hut to Ruamahanga	1:15	1:38
Ruamahanga to Cattle Ridge hut	1:47	1:34
Cattle Ridge hut to Roaring Stag	>1:00	0:56
Roaring stag to road end	2:30	2:20