Northern Crossing - Tararua range

The trauma from our last excursion has faded sufficiently for Janine to suggest another sortie into the hills.  This time the Northern Crossing with some possible side trips.  The weather is looking a bit dismal - showers, clag and a bit of wind, but not cold.  We're also doing a car swap.  This always complicates logistics and restricts options - it also allows through trips which are tricky when solo tramping.     

Initially, I harbour thoughts of nicking off on my own to find the North King plane crash but give it away as a further complication that we can do without.  It will keep.

 
What:    Traditional W-E Northern Crossing 
Where:  Northern Tararua Range
When:   3 - 5 February 2023
Who:      Janine and Mike

Original plans for a Thursday night walk into South Ohau are scuppered by my work commitments so we head up the coast (via the Waikanae bakery of course) on Friday morning.  There's one ute at the carpark - a hunter.  We head off at 8.45am - the aim is to get to Arete tonight, but we have plenty of time up our sleeves for the weekend.  

We potter up the gorge track as usual with one variation.  There's a wee bit of treefall on the track - mostly old.  Janine  is in front and negotiates an unremarkable vine tangled tree cantered over the track.  I'm next and don't even touch it as I duck around - suddenly the world goes black, and something gives me an almighty clout on the head.  It takes a moment to work out that, with immaculate timing, the tree gave way just as my head entered the fall zone.  I've got an instant headache that lasts a few days but no other damage.  It's the sort of rare event that it's tricky to mitigate in a risk assessment. 

A little further on a couple of keen dogs with aerials precede a hunter - he's in after pigs but no luck today.  We exchange pleasantries and continue.  The slip shortly before the bridge near Gable End is more stable now and no problem to negotiate.  

I've decided to take the Gable End track as I don't fancy riverbed travel in running shoes.  I'm comfortable if the others head up the river but Mike and Janine go with the flow and at 10.25am we start the steep climb.

By the time we get to the ridge line and start undulating along over the knobs, and through scrub, and mossy forest, it's clear that we'll be pressed for time to get to Arete.  Still, plenty of time in the weekend so we keep pottering along.   

I don't mind this section of track - it's a bit boggy in places but the sections of open scrub give some nice variation and views.  Although today the clag obscures any sight of the Waiopehu Ridge.  What is surprising is the amount of cell phone reception, I'm used to going onto airplane mode and only using it for photos, so the ability for Mike to finish downloading the entire Tararua 1:50K map is novel.          

At 2.50pm we reach the intersection with the track from Waiopehu Hut to Te Matawai.  It's a lot later than we had anticipated so we have a quick bite for lunch before continuing.  To Janine and my great amusement, we discover that Mike is carrying a bag of fresh carrots - and not a small one either.  He has a 75L pack that is looking quite full, and it becomes a matter of some speculation just what will emerge next.  

Mike doing his best to rally the troops

On the way to Te Matawai a couple of TA walkers steam past from behind.  They've come up from the Outdoor Pursuits centre today and are set for Te Matawai, one more of their number is following apparently but she doesn't catch-up before we get to the hut.

It's still damp and claggy when we get there at 5.30pm, but still not cold.  

We're relieved to find that there are only three others in the hut tonight so far.  The two TA blokes are in situ - they aren't very communicative, so we largely keep to ourselves.  Their companion, Pia, turns up a little later, she's from Germany (or was it Switzerland?) and is much more interactive.  This is despite Mike reading out loud something written in colloquial French in the logbook - she admits to understanding it but slightly pointedly doesn't offer to translate.  Oh, and he was also trying to remember the name of a type of bird and accidentally kept saying whore in Italian and she clearly understood that too.  

It's surprisingly tidy for a TA hut - although the woodshed is completely empty as usual.  Not that we need a fire.  

Dinner is very civilised with a French Pate starter and a can of red wine to share (from Mike's pack).  Mike discovers that he is carrying a cooker and gas cannister he didn't intend to bring - also a sun hat and various other items.  

As well as a fair amount of derision, this prompts a discussion of packing philosophies - Mike's approach is to start with a pack that already has the stuff he had on his last trip, then add what he needs this time, chuck in a few luxuries, then a few last-minute things he grabs on the way.  I start with an empty pack, lay out everything I need then see if I can take a few things out.  The net result is probably 30% difference in pack weight, but he is very popular as various delicious things emerge from the murky depths during the course of the day.   This time I've magnanimously volunteered to carry his whisky, which, in an uncharacteristic fit of weight-thrift is in a plastic bottle. 

There are some interesting dynamics in the TA group.  I hear one of the blokes saying to Pia that they've talked and worked out the plan for the following day.  It comes across a bit high-handed, but Pia is polite and the next day informs them that she thinks their intention to get to Maungahuka is too optimistic given the forecast and what they know about the terrain.   Consequently, they hare off up the trail in the morning and she chats to us and leaves at a more leisurely pace.  

It's still clagged in in the morning at 7.15am as we head along the boggy track leading to the climb to Pukematawai.  The plan is to get up to Arete Biv (or Arete Hut, depending on how old you are) and assess whether our first side option is a goer - Bannister.  With clag around the tops and the pace yesterday it's not likely we will have the time or a view if we do make it - however, that's a decision for later.  

The clag soon breaks, and we have blue skies for a while on the way up.  This gives us views back to the slowly dwindling red roof of the hut, and the chance to orient ourselves in relation to our route from Girdlestone Saddle to the point above North Ohau Hut from our previous trip in these parts.  The clag soon returns though with a brief possibility of a spectre of the brocken.  

By the time we get to the sign on the main range (10am) it's well settled in - but not cold.  We tick off the knobs to Arete (11ish) and take a moment to hunker in the tussock and take a bearing.  I've not come from this direction before in clag but am well aware of the joys of finding Arete Hut from above - the face is broad and there are various cairns, old stakes and foot trails.  The hut itself is tucked behind a wee rise and is not visible until the last moment.  My tactic is to find the tarn and head around the right side.  Mike and Janine are less confident that we'll get there, and I notice the odd surreptitious GPS check going on behind me.      

At 11.30am we regroup at the hut and with the clag firmly settled, we agree that the side trip to Bannister is off the table.  There are two options for tonight - Dorset Ridge Hut or Tarn Hut.  The latter is officially a shelter not a hut at the moment due to water damage, but by all accounts, tenable.  The former is on Janine's bucket list.

There's cell phone coverage so people get busy with their various social media, and we discover that Angela has a massive gash in her foot having dismounted a paddle board onto a sharp shell.  Fortunately, in the company of an ED charge nurse.  There's not much to be done from here apart from sending sympathetic messages and trying to unsee the graphic photos she posts.

Mike whips up some miso soup while I check the logbook.  I'd been through shortly before the Myer's search and I'm interested to see what is recorded.  

Myers search

Myers was the chap that embarked on a solo Northern Crossing on 28 May 2019 with a forecast for deteriorating conditions - he was reported missing on 2 June and after 11 days searching in crap weather, was eventually found at the bottom of a waterfall in the creek that comes from the Arete basin.  He had stayed at Arete Biv on the night of 29 May and texted his wife about the poor weather the next morning before setting out.  It seems that he discovered conditions along the tops too bad to continue and either decided to drop to Arete stream or accidentally did so - with or without returning to the biv.  The search parties found footprints near the hut which suggested he quickly abandoned the idea of getting to Tarn Hut, and a chocolate wrapper of a type he had purchased a way down the stream.  Searchers had been in the area, but it was a helicopter overflight that eventually found him.  

The tragedy was much on my mind at the time given it involved a solo tramper in an area I had been a fortnight before in rough conditions.  I recall reading the log at the time and noticing quite a few entries from people who had had to return to the hut and hole up because of the weather, also the odd reference to people traveling down Arete Stream to Arete Forks Hut.  I've always wondered if these led him to try the stream route.  I've also wondered if he had written in the hut log - it turns out the first entry after mine on 18 May is the SAR team on 3 June.  

I've thought about his decisions (based on what info I could find) in terms of those that led to the outcome and those that led to a prolonged, costly search - and the lessons for my decision making.   I guess the key decisions were route choices in light of the weather forecast, abilities, and experience in the specific environment.  Perhaps wearing running shoes while descending a steep and slippery catchment may have contributed (noting that running shoes are a common footwear choice and he didn't intend at the outset to take that route).  

If he had companions would the outcome have been different?  Slipping on a descent can just as well happen in a group with the same outcome - group decision making may well have meant that he didn't attempt that descent, but I don't think that is a given by any stretch (group think and risk threshold shift can lead groups to make risky decisions).  In short, I don't think that being on his own was determinative in the outcome.  It would be a different story though if he had only been injured in the fall - in that situation a group can call help and prevent exposure. 

The cost and length of the search would almost certainly have been considerably less had he noted in the log that he was heading down the stream.  However, he may not have had the intention to follow the stream at any point that he was in the biv and ended up there by accident or after being unable to regain the biv. Either way, good practice is to always write in the log even if you've been able to text.  

He also apparently didn't provide an intentions sheet for his trip.  Again, this is good practice but it's not clear to me if this made a difference to the search.  He apparently said he would come out at Holdsworth, but I don't know if this included any details of the route (e.g., via Mitre and Barton, down Baldy, or Jumbo or Mt Holdsworth etc).  On a multi-day trip it would be a very long intentions sheet indeed if you noted every possible escape route - but it's worth considering how a reasonable level of detail can help SAR focus their resources.  Other benefits of a good intentions sheet include providing a concise summary that can be emailed to SAR and prompting you to think about the specific mix of risks on a trip and how you intend to mitigate them.

These things are all running through my head - largely based on speculation of course, but salient reminders to think about what I record on my intentions sheets and in logbooks, and decision making on solo trips.

 

It's a bit cooler now with a bit of wind so we add the odd layer and head into the grey about 12.50pm.

It's mostly easy following the route along this bit, I check compass and map once on the way off pt 1389 to avoid diverting to a wee knob to the right.  On the next uphill we keep an eye out for where to embark on a side jink to the top of Lancaster to bag another +1,500m for Janine.  The turn off is unmarked but obvious when we get there.

Janine and Mike drop packs and we head up the ridge.  It's easy travel over a few wee knobs and then on to Lancaster (2.20pm).  The clag above is thin with occasional warm shafts of sun coming through but no views.

Back at the packs we continue along the ridge and the short climb to the Pinnacle Spur turn off.  We're right at the cloud ceiling now so sporadic views open to the valleys below.    

Waiohine headwaters below

This is where the route gets more interesting.  The next K or so to Tarn Ridge is narrow and lumpy with the odd scrambly bit with loose rock.  No real challenges, just the need for a bit of care.

At 3.30pm we are descending from the last knob to the wide flat expanse of Tarn Ridge and drop out of the clag.  I'm keen to hightail it as far along as we can before the clag comes back as I'd prefer to do this bit with some visibility, however the cloud stays away, and it even gets a little sunny.  

We're approaching pt 1313 when a couple of figures appear on the skyline - it's our car swap party.  They've come from Mitre Hut today and are aiming for Arete - I'm figuring they'll be getting there after sundown so don't want to keep them talking.   They give us intel on Tarn Ridge Hut - perfectly habitable but some issues with the water tank.  

We take a break just before the drop from Tarn Ridge to the saddle (about 4.15pm).  The topic of conversation is a friend's trip many years back where they ended up pulling their PLB.  They had been holed up in Tarn Ridge Hut in poor weather and decided it would be a good idea to drop into the Waingawa catchment and head to Arete Forks Hut to exit via the infamous sidle track.  All went swimmingly badly with leatherwood and poor weather and the discovery that one of their party was physically unable to head back up to the ridge when that was the most sensible option.  They ended up in wet sleeping bags in a makeshift bivvy on the side of the hill in a storm.  They pulled the PLB but the helicopter that did an overflight thought they were in the hut (this was in the days before GPS PLBs).  It all ended happily but salient lesson learned about leaving a perfectly good hut in bad weather.   

Incidentally, Tarn Ridge Hut used to be on Tarn Ridge in the saddle by pt 1313 - before the new (now mouldy) version in the current site near Dorset Ridge.  If you go to the Maps Past website and look at the 1989 map layer, you'll see it as well as an old route down the spur from pt 1313 into the Waingawa.

We start the climb out of the saddle knowing that it will be Tarn Ridge Hut tonight and not Dorset.  We're too far off pace to make it in daylight and I don't fancy thrashing around on the tussocky face above the hut in the dark.  

Mike is keen to identify the gravesite along the ridge here.  He stops at the spot marked by his GPS and searches the area diligently to no avail.  I recall the weathered remains of a cross further up the ridge, but he seems happy in his exploration - and who knows, he might find something.  With defeat admitted he resumes his climbing to join Janine and I beside the actual site (5.30pm). 

Shortly after, we pop over the top of a knob and there's the hut below (5.45pm).  It's looking weathered but its red roof still sticks out amongst the tussock and it has a fantastic outlook down the headwaters of the Waingawa River and across to the rugged flanks of the Bannister Ridge and Waingawa.  

The loo is even more weather beaten than the hut - the door is off and there's a lake on the floor, but it has a good outlook.

The water tank has a rock wedged under the tap which doesn't work.  To get water you pull the rock out and water starts running out of a crack where the pipe joins the tank, it dribbles onto the wooden platform and into a plastic tub.  

Inside, the fire exit door has been replaced but only after significant water damage to the wall.  It looks like a weather proofing problem over a long time rather than an event.  There's mould on the walls and other walls are also water damaged.  The front door is disintegrating, and the woodshed is stuffed full of mould covered mattresses with a further stack inside.  There are a few clean mattresses though.  We open the doors and windows and get some fresh air flowing.  

The morning brings clag again and a bit of wind.  I disturb a deer in front of the hut, it's about 60m away but expands the gap rapidly.  

We quickly determine that diverting to Dorset Ridge carries a bit of risk of being caught if the weather deteriorates or arriving late into Mitre flats if we have a slow trip over the tops.  Much to Janines regret, a little after 8.30am we head straight up the ridge to Girdlestone.      

The wind is starting to make itself felt by the time we get to the top around 9.15am.  Janine takes over the navigation and takes a bearing for the ridge to Brocket and we identify from the map what we expect to see, and what we might see if we drift off course.  

Girdlestone selfie - with Mike of the mist 

Mike's view

The wind is coming in firmly on our left now and the clag keeps a woolly grey blanket wrapped around the tops.  At the top of Brocket (10.30ish) we take a short pause and another bearing to follow the gentle ridge down into the saddle before Mitre.  It's much calmer in the lee with the ridge behind, but as we approach the climb to Mitre the wind comes in firmly and a few pack covers are relegated to pockets before the elements remove them permanently.   

Mike trying to claim that OSMs are edible

It's a tidy wee scramble up to Mitre - easier to find your way up than down I imagine.  As we approach the top the clag does it's best to break.  The wind shreds the cloud and a sunny Wairarapa comes in and out of view.  At 11am we grab some comfortable tussock seats out of the wind for a snack, and one or two might have done the daily Wordle.   

The wind has moved from firm to quite strong on the Tararua scale.  We get a good buffeting between Mitre and Peggy then gradually drop into calmer air.  We also leave the clag behind. 

A party of three with no packs on the way up stop for a chat - they are part of a party of eight who were doing a northern crossing but, based on the forecast, have decided to bail.  Five of their number are already hightailing it back to bags bunks at Mitre Flats Hut - this intrepid three are intent on at least bagging Mitre.  

   

We're heading uneventfully down when Mike suddenly does a dramatic lurch and falls to lie motionless curled up on the track.  We are well stacked with PLBs but it's probably best to find out what's happened before pulling the pin on one.  It turns out that he's gone over on one ankle.  After a bit of a rest and administration of a couple of (non-prescription) pills from Janine.  He's able to get up and moving again and professes that it doesn't hurt too much.  

We see the rest of the party of eight further down the ridge but, in no hurry to catch them up, we stop for a good long lunch around 12.30.

   

The rest of the track down is fine.  Lots of people though: the party of three briefly catch us up then drop behind, we bump into a solo woman on her way to Tarn (unconcerned about the weather) and we catch up with the party of five and stop for a chat.  They are a mix of ages with the youngest two members in the summit party behind us - the rest seem to be from 50 to knocking on 70.  Too big for a family group, it must be a tramping club.  They are most concerned about getting bunks at the hut and ask hopefully if we will bags some for them.  It was apparently full last night with people in tents outside.

Approaching the hut, we pass a dog his hunter and his hunter's missus going for a walk with their rifle.  Shortly after, the loo makes its pungent presence known.  This, the forecast heavy rain, plus the number of punters likely to be resident tonight makes the prospect of staying here increasingly unappealing.

  

It's just after 3pm - we have a sit down and a bit of sustenance at the hut and discuss next moves.  Mike's foot is holding up well although who knows what it will be like in the morning.  I'm keen not to stay the night for the reasons already outlined and Janine allows herself to be convinced that a bolt for the road end and a decent feed in a Wairarapa watering hole is our best course of action.  To sweeten the deal I take her tent on board - my packs not big enough to offer the same to Mike.

The group of five arrive as we're talking and stampede to grab bunks.  I get chatting and discover that they are from the Parawai Tramping Club which I didn't know still existed.  Another chap asks us about the Barton Track - he and partner have come over from Kiriwhakapapa and with the forecast, decided to pull the plug on a loop over table ridge to Mitre from Cow Creek.  He has a map of the park that should be in a museum as well as a slightly newer version - it shows a lot of the old tracks that have long since fallen into disuse. 

About 3.50pm we head off for the sidle track with the deafening sound of cicadas in our ears and the smell of future chips in our nostrils.   

The walk out to the Pines is somewhat tedious.  Just after the first farm flats we bump into a solo runner and wonder why he would be heading in at this time of day.  A bit later he comes back with a party of four.  Apparently, he is the road crew for a group that have come through from the Waiohine road end this morning - a tidy wee step.    

There are a few spots of rain falling as we get to the car and find that the keys work, and it even starts (7.50pm).  Then it's off to the Top Pub in Greytown for a feed.  The restaurant closes as we arrive, but the bar is still serving - but not burgers, only pizzas and you'd better be quick.  It's certainly not gourmet but it is also not dehy and we're quite happy with that.

Postscript

Over coming days Mike's ankle develops a spectacular lump and unnatural colouration.  He professes to no significant discomfort but has clearly done some damage.  The panadol-neurofen combination did good service at the outset and his boots probably helped keep everything in one piece for the walk out.  On current form though the physio will be getting a bit more business out of him yet.  He's been looking for excuses not to do the Noosa marathon and this is probably as good as any.     

    

Red Hills - Richmond Range

Another delayed trip write up - this time it's the annual post-Xmas adventure - 2021-22.  (Finally written-up 16 Feb '23) 

The Red Hills in the Richmond Range are a fascinating geological anomaly - the ultramafic rock (same stuff as further north in the range at Dun Mountain behind Nelson) is a bit toxic so there are limited species compared to the surrounding hills and what grows tends to be stunted.  On the map, it stands out as a large island of white in the south of the range - normally this signifies alpine tops - and that's pretty much what it looks like, but the bushline is 900m or lower - far below the 1400m or so in the rest of the range.   

I vaguely remember a university field trip to the area looking at the soils and vegetation but have little recollection of how we got there and even less of what we learnt.   

The plan is an off-track trip up Red Hills Ridge to Maungakura, through Wards Pass to join the track over Mt Rintoul and see how much further north up the range I can get (not that far as it transpires).  

What:      Exploration trip  

Where:    Richmond Ranges

When:     29 Dec - 2 Jan 2021-22

Who:       Solo

It's a bit of a whirlwind end of year with COVID driving the agenda.  However, things at work are set up so that I can take a bit of a break.  So, once family Christmas is over, I chuck the gear together and jump on the first available flight to Blenheim. 

It's cool, overcast and late afternoon when I'm tipped out of the car on the side of SH 63 a couple of K shy of the Rainbow Road turnoff.  The map shows two possible entries to the Red Hills track - I take the first which is marked next to a memorial.  It turns out to be a pretty much non-existent farm track requiring crossing a small swamp - so I suggest not using this one.  However, at the marked (ramshackle) buildings I join a solid 4WD track. 

The track climbs slowly through manuka and beech before crossing the last stream and suddenly breaking into browner, scrappier scrub.  I assume this is where the rock type changes.  It's after 9pm and dim with the low cloud but there's a bit of a view across the Wairau and into the Rainbow Valley.  

The track swings north to climb the last 100m and, just as a few fat drops of rain start, Red Hills Hut appears around the corner.  It's about 9.20pm and there are a couple of tents outside so I suspect I'll be under the fly tonight. 

   

Opening the door, I'm greeted by a polite but firm enquiry about vaccination status - up to date of course.  It turns out there is a spare bunk so I settle quickly in working out in the process that we have a mix of Te Araroa walkers and locals in for the night.

The rain passes during the night and I'm first up to broken clouds and blue sky.  The hut sits in a saddle with a bit of a wetland marking the headwaters of Maitland Creek.  Te Araroa trail comes through this way having skirted the western edge of the Red Hills, but I'll be taking a different route up Red Hills Ridge to the east and north.  I pack-up outside to avoid disturbing anyone and slip off a little after 7.

An old 4WD track skirts behind the hut and up the hill but it's quickly lost in the climb through scrub - I follow something resembling a foot trail to an old rain gauge but it's easy enough going to find my own way as the scrub gives way to tussock.  There's the odd cairn but I don't find an obvious foot trail as the slope eases onto "The Plateau." 

The Plateau is a wide, flat, tussock expanse with scattered tarns.  At this altitude I should be in beech forest but it's all tussock, herbs and stunted shrubs.  Oh, and the occasional wilding pine.  I try to rip these out but above a certain size they are virtually impossible to kill with the resources available.  I take to using the sharp instep of my boot to ring bark them just above ground level.  

From edge of the Plateau looking SW towards the Rainbow Valley,
the hut is in the near saddle to the right

Looking up Red Hills Ridge

I suspect the smart route across the Plateau is more to the south edge where a couple of trigs are marked but I pick a way through the middle without problems or wet feet.  The ridge slowly narrows and climbs gently - it's easy walking.

Looking back down the ridge

To the north, Porter Ridge rises with the long headwaters of the Motueka River Right Branch in the intervening valley.  Te Araroa Trail skirts the foothills somewhere on the far side of that ridge.  About 2.15hr after leaving the hut I come across the remains of an old fence crossing the ridge.  Otherwise the route remains steady with increasing amounts of rock.

The clouds break further and I discover that I've left my cap in the car - I'm also getting through water faster than expected and there are no sources on the ridge after the tarns. I tuck into patches of shade to take breaks as the rocks get bigger, and the landscape barer. 

There's a few reports on line about the final ridge approach to the high point (Maungakura) being a bit of a scramble and identifying an alternate route dropping to a basin to the west of the ridge between pt 1770 and Maungakura.  Surveying the landscape from pt 1770 I decide to take the conservative route and take the hit of a 200m descent and climb.  It's around 2pm and I'm feeling every one of the 7 hours on the move.  

Looking north into the basin below Maungakura 

It's a rubbly, rocky descent requiring care and knees of iron - about 25 minutes.  I'm hoping there's water in the basin seeping out of the ridge but at first glance it's a bit of a moonscape.  

   

From the basin looking east at the ridge approach to Maungakura

Heading up into the basin I'm relieved to find water flowing before disappearing into the ground and take the opportunity to top up.  I'm not sure that this is a source that could be relied on though.  

Inspecting the southern face of the basin for a route up, there's a wee shoulder that curls in from the west but it looks a bit steep and rocky so I aim for the centre of the ridge to the west of Maungakura.  It's a long hot climb with a bit of scrambling, finally getting to the ridge around 3.20pm.  Even in this arid, rocky landscape it is oddly encouraging to find wee nooks and seeps where hardy little plants seem to be able to cling on.

    

South across basin to pt 1770 on right

Although it's only a couple of hundred metres along to the top, the ridge requires a bit of care and 20 minutes to scramble over and around the last few knobs.  

Not the top

At last

South from the top - Motueka River Right Branch on right

The view is panoramic and fantastic.  Mt Ellis to the north marks where Te Araroa swings south before sidling across the ridge in the middle distance and dropping to Top Wairoa Hut out of sight down to my right. Red Hills Ridge lives up to its name and I can just see a bit of the Motueka River below the basin.  East and north, the edge of the ultramafic rock is marked by beech covered hills and ridges.

North to Mt Ellis

I pick my way down and east; aiming to follow the ridge past 1712 to Ward Pass.  Normally it would be reasonably straight forward but I make heavy weather of it with some poor route choices.  The worst of which is thinking to pick a line diagonally down the northern face of the ridge to the saddle before pt 1195.  By the time I realise my mistake I'm picking over rocks hidden in low scrub and burning energy and time. Adding insult to injury is the sight of Top Wairoa Hut 600m or so below and it is tempting just to head down slope to a bunk and a formed track. 

 

Coming this way again I would stick to the ridge top and then drop to the obvious spur leading into the saddle to pt 1195.  By the time I get to the saddle I'm exhausted, but there's a couple of bumps to get over before finally reaching the bushline just before 7pm.  

Bushline past pt 1195 - looking north eastish

Originally, I had planned to get to Wards Pass and drop south to camp beside the stream.  I have water though and can't face the descent so find the first flat piece of ground and pitch the fly.  Although this is pretty close to plan, the tail of the day has completely smashed me.  I can't bring myself to eat and just crawl straight into my bag to drop into a fitful sleep.  Fortunately the night is calm and my casual fly pitching efforts are not put to the test.

Regrouping in the morning I find I'm parked pretty much at the top of the descent to Wards Pass.  I can't find any markings and any ground trail could just as well be animals.  It's a bit surprising, as this is a named pass and on the line of the Richmond Range (i.e. the watershed between the Wairau and the Wairoa) so you'd expect a few people to come through. 

The drop to the saddle is steep arriving about 8.20am but the ridge on the other side is more gentle - mostly through reasonably open forest although with plenty of windfall to slow things down.  I'm taking it very gingerly after yesterday and a couple of steep climbs to pt 1089 and then to a scrubby top before the Bushy Top track have me puffing.  

It's midday when I reach the Bushy Top track.  Half an hour later is the first turn off to Mid Wairoa Hut and another 25 minutes to the junction with Te Araroa (which joins the other track to MW Hut).  I potter along slowly already making my mind up that I will be stopping the night at Tarn Hut to make it a half day.  

The track looks well beaten here which is not surprising with the numbers doing Te Araroa.  Case in point; I round a corner and there's a girl examining a tree - her mother is a short way behind and a quick chat reveals they are on the trail and taking an interest in everything - I see an article on them a few days later in the paper - I think she was 8 and already had half the trail under her belt. 

Just before 2pm I drop into the Tarn Hut clearing.  The hut is in a large open area with a short walk down to the edge of the Tarn.  

The hut is in good nick and will do me nicely for the night.  I use the afternoon to rehydrate, wash and to clean and dry some more noisome wardrobe items. 

I have the hut to myself and take an easy approach to the morning, first popping over to the Tarn.  It was a bit windy when I arrived, but is still in the morning so I manage to get some reflections, before hitting the track around 8am.

The milestone for the day is to get past the two peaks at Mt Rintoul.  It's a beautiful day and occasional windows give views to distant ridges under blue skies.  Also, to what I assume is the site of the controversial Wairoa Dam, showing as a white scar in the hills near Brightwater.

The track is good and the forest beautiful as always in these ranges.  No water to speak of between huts though - it looks like there may be some streams off the Bishops Cap but all are dry at the moment.  

North to Bishop's Cap

West possibly Ben Nevis on horizon with Red Hills to left

 A couple come through from Rintoul Hut - they note it was full last night so I'm pleased to have stayed where I did.  

The track sidles below Bishop's Cap and turns east, to cross a few knobs then a short climb to purple top - about 10.45.  The open tops are baking under the sun and it is a relief to slip back amongst the trees for the final approach to Rintoul Hut.

From Purple Top towards the Richmond Plains

Purple Top - the track runs through the saddle to the left

About 11.45 I'm cruising into Rintoul Hut for an early lunch.  The hut looks north and west from about 1250m altitude; across the foothills and the Tasman plains towards Mt Arthur and the Tablelands.  A couple arrive from the opposite direction, and he notes that they could see this hut from Starveall Hut two nights earlier on the trail.  Rintoul Hut is ideally situated - northward bound you can stay and tackle Mt Rintoul in the morning; southward bound you can do likewise from Old Man Hut then have an early night at Rintoul or push on to Tarn.  

Rintoul Hut

My energy levels are not recovering as they should, and I have an uncharacteristically long break.  Another chap turns up and I take the excuse to stay and listen to Te Araroa people share gossip about who is where and doing what.  They are a little worried about a couple of women following them that they think will make heavy weather over the two peaks.  You can see why some people enjoy the social aspects of the trail so much as easy banter is exchanged and connections are formed as people drift in and out of the circle of those moving along the trail at a similar pace to your own.  

Mt Rintoul is a bit of a proposition as there are two peaks separated by a 300m descent into a saddle.  From the west (northward bound) the track climbs from Rintoul Hut through bush then on loose gravels about 400m to a top, the trail drops briefly to sidle below bluffs then scramble back onto a gentle ridge that leads up to Mt Rintoul (1731m).  From here the depths of the saddle and the steepness of the ascent on the other side are apparent.  The trail down is relatively gentle and drops below the ridgeline in the saddle to sidle below some bluffy knobs, before a steep climb on often loose rock to the second peak at 1643m.  After this there's a 500m descent to Old Man Hut.  

There are stories of people getting lost in the saddle in cloud and not being able to find their way out.  I can quite believe this as the trail doesn't follow the ridgeline.

  

This may go some way to explain my prevaricating and not getting away from Rintoul Hut until 1.20.  It takes a slow hour ten to get to the first top where I bump into the two women who were the subject of discussion (who seem fine).  I'm having a bit of a sit down, looking resplendent with a knotted hanky in place of my missing cap, when a voice drifts out of the void.  Shortly after, a chap hoves into sight recording a video log on the go.  I hear later that he has done this throughout his trails and has been cracking out 40km a day on average.  I'm not sure what his South American audience thought of Mr Gumby appearing on a rock at the top of a mountain but I'm sure it's not the oddest thing they would have seen.

From the first top to the actual top on the right

From the top looking back - the trail skirts below the bluffs
and into the notch near centre 

Looking back to Purple top 

Mr Gumby on top of the world

It's 3pm and I'm having another sit down at the top and contemplating the saddle.  Another couple of  chaps and a single work their way up as I sit.  The trip down is ok - a bit loose under foot in places but no worries.  The other side is steeper and a bit scrambly in places but it's clear that many feet have passed this way.  An hour fifty after arriving at the top of Rintoul I'm looking back at the saddle. 

Looking down into the Saddle from Mt Rintoul

Back across the Saddle to Mt Rintoul

Looking north, probably Mt Richmond on horizon,
tops around Slaty Peak in front, with Old Man to right 

It's a straightforward rocky slope down to the bushline then an interminable drop through forest to the turnoff and further down to the Old Man Hut clearing.  It's 6.10pm so about three hours from the top of Rintoul.  

 

There's a couple and dog on site already who had accompanied her parents to the top earlier in the day they give me the other side of some of Te Araroa gossip that I had heard at Rintoul.  Fortunately they are tenting with their dog so a solo SOBO women is the only other person in the hut for the night.

In the morning I'm still feeling under the weather and decide to exit the range rather than tackle the unmarked ridge route from Ada Flats to Mt Richmond.  It's disappointing as I am looking forward to exploring this part but have heard it is hard going and reluctantly decide that it will have to keep.

It takes the pressure off so I get away a little after 8 after wishing Te Araroa woman all the best.  On the ridge it's shaping up to be another fine day.  To the North is Mt Starveall with, I imagine, the next tranche of Te Araroa walkers starting the trek up toward Rintoul. 

Looking West towards Rintoul on the right

The ridge along to Old Man has plenty of open sections so there's good views and excuses to pause to check for cell phone reception.  It takes about an hour forty from the hut to Old Man.  The rain barrel and cluster of signs is familiar from last time.  

 

About a K and a half to the NNE, Ada Flat marks where the ridge departs towards Mt Richmond.  It looks a bit gnarly with sharp knobs, tight beech canopy and steep bluffs below the ridge.  I study it for future reference but reluctantly leave it for today.

Ada Flat - Ridge to Mt Richmond starts on right

Ridge route to Mt Richmond

I get a message through for an early pick-up at the Forks on Top Valley Stream.  I'd noted the track junction in the saddle below Old Man last time through and thought it would be an interesting route out as well as saving the support crew the long drive up Mt Partriach to the Lake Chalice car park. 

At 10.25 I've reached the junction and start down the steep 'track.'

I quickly realise that it is marked as a route rather than a track as it appears to be unmaintained and little used.  It's steep of course but you can see that on the map.  Track marking can leave you casting about at times as the track is not always on an obvious spur, and of course under beech there is the inevitable deadfall to navigate.  The surface is often loose and covered in a layer of slippery leaves.  In short - it's a perfectly fine route but don't expect a maintained track.

 

It takes an hour 25 to negotiate the 500m descent and I'm hot and sweaty when I emerge next to a clear, bubbling stream.  Kit off and I'm soon cooling down and cleaning up in the cold water.

I'm thinking I'm on the last leg now, but it is a long sidle track down the valley to the Forks and it appears to be little maintained - there is a lot of uncleared windfall and a couple of sizable washouts to navigate.  A bit of track finding is also required in places.  The track eventually joins an old, benched road beside the stream which gives good going, although even here there is the odd washout to contend with.  

A little after 3.15 I arrive at the car park - it's taken 7 hours from Old Man Hut and almost 5 from the junction.  A bit longer than anticipated and I find a note on a fence post saying the support crew headed off at 3pm to get cell phone reception to see if I've sent a message.  Ah well, I settle down to wait in the shade of a tree.  

It's disappointing to be cutting the trip short, but when you're not up to it there's little point in prolonging the pain.  I'm really pleased to have got up the Red Hills Ridge - it's a pretty weird and special place.  It's also good to have seen Tarn Hut and Mt Rintoul at their best.