Kylie Biv

Covid lockdown has enforced a long separation from the hills.  Since my last trip the seasons have changed and I haven't got any fitter.  I've tried to keep a bit of shape with long walks around the Hutt Valley hills but it really isn't the same.

I finalise a trip idea on Friday afternoon and chuck a pack and intentions sheet together. With the social distancing guidelines in place for huts I also throw my microlite tent in. 

The plan is to get across to Colenso Hut via Parks Peak and Rangiwhakamataku.  This proves to be way too optimistic so it ends up being a loop of the ridges above the Makororo River.  

What:     Tramp and a bit of nav trip into upper Ruahine Range

Where:    Makaroro River and tops

When:     16-17 May 2020

Who:        Solo

Maps

The 4am alarm is a bit of a shock to the system but the roads are empty as I head north. There's cloud on the Remutaka hill and intermittent drizzle.

Wakarara Road is a left turn off State Highway 50 then a long route through farmland to where the Makaroro River exits the range.  It's light now but promising to be a damp day.

A couple of chaps are gearing up for a day walk to Gold Creek and we chat from a distance as I get myself organised and away by 8.10.  I catch up with them at the river crossing but decide to stop to remove my boots so don't see them again.

Across the river there's a ute parked a little way up the 4WD track - the bonnet is a little warm so they've come in this morning.  With the dog crates on the back I'm hoping they are hunting in the nearby forest and I'll be quickly out of range - but I'm pleased to be wearing my flouro 'don't shoot me' vest.

On the terrace I join the forestry road for 600m before turning right at the DOC signs for the track to Parks Peak. About 8.40 I leave the road and head into 60 year old regrowth on old logging trails, the rain is steady and the forest drips.

The intersection is marked where to turn left and start to climb - gently at first and then steadily.  I'm immediately struck by the profusion of fungi all over the forest floor and track.  I'd been hearing so much about the Hawkes Bay drought that this is a bit of a surprise. I guess that the warm easterly winds have been holding their moisture until they hit the range and the fungi are making the most of the conditions that the farmers would kill for.

A bit after 10.20 I come across a DOC sign pointing to Barlow Hut. Another surprise - there's no track marked on the map but it makes sense to have a route down the obvious spur linking Barlow and Parks Peak huts.

The track meanders along and up and down and through wee clearings. It feels familiar as it is similar to the track north of Parks Peak which I've traveled a couple of times on trapping trips. And like previous trips I get to chat to some whiteheads that take some exception to my presence.

Around 11.30, across the ridge top clearing, Parks Peak hut is a little blurred by the cloud.  I'm interested to see what the log book indicates and whether DOC has been around since the lockdown started.

The hut is very tidy and the last entry is 22 March.  There are regular entries from WTMC trapping trips and, as with other parts of the range, there are a few regular names that are carrying the lions share of effort for the local lines.

I'm pretty wet by now and not feeling 100% so start thinking about activating my contingency plans - it's clear that getting across to Colenso is off the cards.

It's midday when I leave the hut and head for the track down to the Makaroro River.  The first thing I notice is that the old DOC 250 box traps are still there but shiny new A24s have been installed. If this means that WTMC need to visit less often that will be a big saving.

About 200m above the bottom I head SW off the track to pick up a large flat spur (12.50).  On the map it looks like good going but possibly a little gnarly at the bottom.

It proves to be hard work. There's a lot of undergrowth and deadfall, and the flat top makes keeping a good line a bit tricky.  The wet undergrowth soon has me completely saturated.  I'm trying to work out whether the pleasure of getting out and off track is greater than the aggravation of actually doing it in these conditions.

Towards the bottom it gets pretty steep and I drop right to follow the edge of an erosion chute.  The stones I dislodge rattle away out of sight with a slight pause before I hear them splash in the river.  I decide to leave the chute and take my chances clambering down through the bush.

At 2.55 I'm standing beside the small, clear running river - this is my decision point.  Continue to plan 700 vertical meters up the spur opposite to Kylie Biv through unknown bush conditions; ignominious retreat down river to Barlow Hut; windy probably gorgy route similar distance up river to Upper Makororo Hut.

The thought of a possible battle through leatherwood after a long uphill grind decides me - up river it is.

It's not far on the map but it takes 1hr 50.  The river is windy and there are a few pools that you either clamber around or wade up to chest deep.  I slip attempting a clamber and come down on my chest on the rock but just manage not to take a dip.  No damage seems to have been done despite my cell phone being in my top pocket.

The highlight is about half an hour from the hut - a distinctive breathy whistle.  A pair of whio don't let me come very close before they take off up river and I don't see them again.

The hut resolutely refuses to appear around every bend but eventually I recognise the terrace ahead and the crossing point for the track.  Gathering an armful of drift wood I squelch out of the river and head for the hut - it's 4.35 and I'm more than ready to call it quits for the day.

I don't usually light fires at huts but today I make an exception. Someone has kindly stacked some dry kindling inside and there's plenty of wood in the foyer.  I make a sortie for some more and settle in.

The fire box is a delight, it starts instantly and is soon roaring - with a hissing counterpoint as wet clothes drip onto the hot plate.

The last logged visit was in late Feb and the log shows a familiar weighting of WTMC names on trapping trips.

There's little to be done but eat dinner, hatch a plan for the next day and crawl into bed for 12 glorious hours of sleep.  Rain drums on the roof periodically, interspersed with the plunking of drips from the branches above.

I decide I must be off colour as, in the morning I'm still aching and sleep well into the daylight.  The morning ritual finishes with leaving the makings of a fire for the next person and the traditional sweep. I get away about 8.10 - about an hour later than I would have liked.

The trap line runs up Totara spur - I've come down this way once before so it is familiar.  The A24s have been installed up here too - I note a weasel tail sticking out of one of the old traps but can't open the box to reset it - I must remember to pack a posidrive.

It's a steady grind up through pretty forest - totara and beech - and more fungi.

photos

Shortly after breaking out of the bush (into clag), I see a snail shell - only this one has an occupant. Like most people I see lots of shells but I've never seen a full one out on the tops like this.

The genus Powelliphanta is widespread in wetter parts of central New Zealand with at least 21 species recognised. You've probably heard about the rare species that was stored in fridges when their habitat was destroyed by mining on the West Coast. Powelliphanta are carnivores, slurping worms up like spaghetti, and slugs. Mainly nocturnal, they live in leaf mould or under logs, emerging at night to rain terror on annelids – so seeing one like this above the bushline is pretty unusual.

I follow the trapline out onto the broad flat tops pleased that I donned extra layers this morning.

A bit after 9.50 I reach the sign that marks the top of the spur.  It's cold and there's rain in the light wind.  I stop briefly to pull on gloves and decide to follow my nose rather than fumble with compass and map. This works out fine and I find the sign to Kylie Biv on a gentle knob promising 10 minutes down to the shelter.

It's pretty much half an hour to Kylie Biv from the top of totara spur - so that DOC sign is bang on (it's now 10.25). The hut is an all-over cheerful blue that emerges from the cloud like a tarn reflecting the sky - only the sky aint blue.

This is a traditional two person Biv and probably has a lovely view. The last visit was 8 Feb and there were only 10 recorded visits by groups in the whole of 2019.

I fill in the log and regroup.  It's new territory now - along the range, over Tupari and south to Te Atua Mahuru. It's cold, wet and clagged in. Periodically the wind picks up and pushes cold wet drizzle into my left ear.

It's mostly reasonable going - I don't bother with the map much as I know I'll recognise the cairn at the top of Te Atua Mahuru a bit over 4km away.  I quickly lose track of the bumps and occasionally wander off line a little.

At Te Atua Mahuru it's getting colder if anything so I keep plodding along and don't stop for lunch. This is now the short stretch I traveled on the way to Colenso Hut.  I pause to drop a few more rocks on the cairn at the top of the spur down to the stream.

 The ridge is now flat with some quite large tarns - then the short climb to Maroparea. Last time here the weather was the same and the ridge is pretty featureless so it's a bit arbitrary electing where the top is. 

Topping a wee rise, a falcon takes wing from about 8m away and cruises back past me to disappear behind the ridge.  A few minutes later another one sits on a rock to the side of the ridge and watches me out of sight.

I muff the drop off Maroparea - heading too far west past the high point before taking a bearing for the ridge.  The slope is featureless and in the clag I have already dropped too far when I start to get uneasy that the flat spot ahead is just too small.  In the clag I can't make sense of the landscape so just have to suck it up and trudge back to the top.

On the retake things go to plan and I am soon on the broad top following faint trails on familiar terrain. Over Orupu - shingle slide down the other side - ridge veers right and drops across the top of eroded faces to the saddle before the last short climb.  There's a bit of scrub before the turnoff to the Biv - I find a slightly better way through this time but still can't claim to have found the best route.

The warratahs marking the track to the hut are reassuring and mark the last of the tops travel.

It's 3.35 as I thump Sparrowhawk Biv door open and stand dripping in the foyer.

I didn't note the time I left Kylie but reckon it's taken about 4 and a half hours.  Longer than it should due to the time wasted at Maroparea and my slow pace.

The last visit was 21 March and there have only been four visits since I came through on 23 Feb.

I don't stick around for lunch as I'm conscious of the time and it's still a long way to go.  I would prefer to be at the bottom before it gets dark but am comfortable about the forestry roads by torchlight. It's probably about 3.50 when I head out.

The track drops quickly for a start, over a wee knob, another drop then a long flat section.

The rain starts again as dark starts to fall - about 5.15 I crack out the torch as it is starting to get treacherously slippery.  The bottom of the spur is crumbling on both sides and requires a bit of care but is at least familiar territory. 

Just after 5.30 pm I'm standing at the mouth of Gold Creek - rain drops streak through the torchlight and I'm trying to work out how much the river might have risen with the rain. 

There are two strands to the river and neither of them are problematic so I am soon scrambling up the crumbling slope opposite, through sodden bush.

At the top the old road meanders along the terrace and soon pops onto the modern forestry road. Head down, I follow the pool of light ticking off the first bend, the dip to the stream, the track intersection then the turn off to drop to the river. Unsurprisingly, the ute is gone.

Across the river and through the dark paddock where glowing eyes and thudding hooves indicate that the cattle are reacting to the light.

It's after 6.30 when I chuck sopping gear into rubbish bags and turn my mind to the long road home.

Postscript

It's definitely knocking on the door of winter - the shorter daylight hours and cold have to be factored into trip planning.


The route up to Parks Peak is pleasant - there's a bit of over growth at the bottom but hopefully DOC will get through and clear that before long. It took about 3 hours 25 which could easily be trimmed.  I was surprised to see a marked turnoff to Barlow Hut which would be well worth an explore.

The spur to the river from 970 is ok but not really worth the hassle - I don't think there is much reason to follow it which might explain the lack of trails.

I would still like to head up (or down) the spur to Kylie Biv.  No idea what it is like but it looks like a logical route to Barlow Hut.

The river route is slow but fine - it's a narrow winding course with a few pools where you have to get quite wet or undertake gymnastic scrambles.  It's marked as expert tramper only and I wouldn't tackle it with the river up.

Upper Makororo Hut is a standard old 4 bedder.  You've got a bit of a climb into and out from it so it probably gets a bit less use than Parks Peak. However, with the access problems in the west this is probably one of the logical ways through to Ruahine Corner Hut.

Totara spur has pretty bush and is a nice wee route.  The flat, rounded tops can be tricky in the clag but it soon narrows off heading south so no dramas.

Kylie Biv - two beds and a little bit off the beaten track.  Someone has given it a bit of TLC so hopefully it will be around for a good time yet. 

Not much to say about the range - mostly straightforward but best to do when you have a view. There are a few bits where you can drift off line if you're not paying attention.  The top of Maroparea should be completely straightforward but it's deceptive. Coming from Te Atua Mahuru I think the trick is to make sure you don't go too far past pt 1511 before taking the bearing off the top.  Coming from the saddle to the west I reckon the trick is to climb above the scrub and then up a bit before taking a bearing across and around the slope to the big flat bit south of Maroparea.

The Sparrowhawk track is a good route and pretty - the bottom is falling apart a bit so I don't suggest doing it in the dark and wet.

I must have come down on my chest a bit harder than I thought as it's a bit sore for the following week - particularly coughing or laughing. However, all up, a good loop trip although I'd drop the spur bit in the middle.

Ruahine trapping - again

WTMC have trapping lines in the Northern Ruahines (Makororo catchment).  There's some whio in the area and the trapping aims to keep mustelids (weasels and stoats) to numbers where the ducks can breed.

Periodically my name comes up to lend a hand and it's nice to get out and do some 'tramping with a purpose' (other than the perfectly acceptable purpose of having fun and getting covered in scratches).  This weekend however, one of the hands in question is a bit dodgy on account of having been smashed against a tree sometime in the previous weekend. 

Handling the traps requires a little bit of brute force and dexterity so I'm a bit worried that I'll be a liability, but decide that with only three on the trip I can't leave the team in the lurch.


What:    WTMC trapping trip
Where:   Upper Makororo - Northern Ruahines
When:    6-7 October 2018
Who:     Matt, Katy, me
Map:

Matt and I get away early (4pm) for the five hour drive. We manage the complicated navigation instructions and arrive in the dark about 9pm. Sentry Box Hut is empty and we quickly settle in to be briefly woken when Katy (team leader) arrives from Taupo about an hour later.

It's a relaxed start in the morning; emerging from pits at 7.30 - an unheard of lie-in. But Katy is in charge and we figure she knows what she's doing. Once up and fed we divvy up the group kit and set out on the first order of business - a bracing 700m climb to the ridge line. It's calm but starts raining lightly on the way up - and that pretty much sums up the weather for the day.

Given my hand and Katy and I both wanting to do the A24 line for the first time, we split at the ridge. Matt heads left for Parks Peak then down to Upper Makororo Hut for a there-and-back trip up the Totara Spur trap line. Katy and I turn right and start checking and rebaiting the DOC 200 traps along the ridge (these are the wooden boxes with a steel crush trap inside).

The baits are shredded rabbit and look a little like squares of fudge - if the fudge had hair, bone and teeth in it.

I quickly discover that despite having to do the fiddly and brute force bits with my left hand, I am more than quick enough and can hold up my end of the work. Katy is aiming to climb Aoraki in December so is fit and we whistle along at a good rate. We find two varmints - either wee stoats or big weasels.

The best sort of mustelid

We stop at Aranga hut (derelict and a bit manky) around midday for a bite. At this point we click that Katy's watch is still on pre-daylight saving time. Hence the leisurely start and, from now, the need to watch we don't run out of daylight.

On the tops we find the odd wee bit of snow sheltering in the lee of scrub and, although claggy, visibility is about 100m. We follow the map and instructions to trap 97 where we have to veer off the track and onto a spur. Fears that the intersection will be tricky are unfounded as we quickly find a trail of pink ribbons that lead off the flat top, and around onto the spur. We start descending through high grass between low density beech trees. 

The first A24 is on the bushline and we check it together to compare notes. It's pretty straight forward: open the top and check the bait (clean and clear as needed), trigger the trap, replace and date the cylinder if needed, reassemble, and record any gas replacement before heading for the next trap. Any carcasses are scavenged so there are no kills to record although there is sometimes some remains that indicate the traps are doing something.

The vegetation on the spur is interesting - there are large areas of rigger growth with dense saplings of similar age - possibly indicating a historic storm or fire or ... The spur top is often broad without an obvious crest but the trap line is well ribboned so we don't miss any traps.

A pause for a bite in beautiful totara forest and we are joined by whiteheads, a bush robin and a warbler. This is what it's all about!

The bottom of the spur dumps us rapidly down to the stream - I manage not to go A over K despite dodgy wrist and boots.

The traps continue down stream at 100m intervals. I'm quicker over the boulders so check most of the traps while Katy catches up. It's a pretty valley with a few deepish pools that would be nice on a hot day. We don't see any whio though.

Katy shows how it's done

It's late afternoon by the time we get to the hut - somewhat soggy but happy to have knocked off 55 A24s and 35 DOC 200s. Matt turns up a little later much to my relief as I wasn't really wanting to head off up the spur to look for him.

A green curry from the WTMC recipe book serves well for dinner (nicer than dehy), and we turn in as dark falls. Another good nights sleep as there are no snorers in our party.

The morning starts with a climb again. I take the baits and keep ahead of the other two; checking and baiting up to the ridgeline and Parks Peak Hut. My light weight pack is certainly paying off.

We regroup once on the way up and again at the hut. The trip along the ridgeline is quick and we just manage to husband our baits to complete the line.

Arriving Parks Hut

We take the descent at a careful pace and there are even views for a change.

Matt provides foreground interest at Rocky Knoll
Wakarara Range in the distance

At Sentry Box Hut we sort gear into the appropriate places and head for the cars - clean clothes and time to say good-bye to Katy. Getting away before 1pm means it's an easy trip home arriving in daylight.

Despite my initial concerns my wrist stood up to the abuse and my boots didn't let me down in front of others.

Ruahines trapping - Upper Makaroro

I have mentioned before that the Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering Club maintains some trapping lines in the Ruahines to help protect Whio.  Last time I went (July 2017) the trip ended up clearing one line in the western part of the range and doing a fair job of clearing the track of snow flattened trees and branches.

Being somewhat asocial when it comes to club activities, I don't engage enough to put my name down when a trip comes up on the schedule. However, I have said I'm available if needed. Amanda, who doe the sterling work of rounding up volunteers and keeping the trap lines maintained, has e-mailed to see if I can help do the rounds of the club's main area in the upper Makororo catchment (north eastern part of the range) - this should be fun.

What:    Trapping Trip for Whio protection
Where:   Ruahines - upper Makaroro
When:    27-28 January 2018
Who:      Amanda, Illona, Fons, self
Map:




We're not in the Tararuas anymore Toto



Yellow is where Amanda and Ilona went

It's about five hours from Wellington so it is well dark by the time we are driving through a forest plantation with rabbits scuttering for cover in the headlights. We stop at what seems to be a random section of road - the presence of two cars indicating that the four-bed Sentrybox Hut might be full already.

Amanda and Illona debate camping on the paddock as there are limited flat spots around the hut, but fortunately we wander the few minutes up the track to discover it is empty and tidy. It's compact so we maneuver around each other as we head straight into bed.

In the morning rabbit baits are distributed. I'm not sure how the process works to turn the Flopsy Bunnies into what looks like hairy date squares - but I'm pleased it doesn't happen in my kitchen. Trapping kits (bum bag with tools for opening and tripping traps and other essentials like gloves and hand gel) are also handed out.

The grunt up the hill starts immediately behind the hut. It's a bit over 700m climb in warm clag and Ilona sets a good pace. She also manages to keep a steady chat going with Amanda - clearly way too much energy. It's pretty good going, a few slippery bits with black leaf hummus lower down and a rocky out crop part way up where there would probably be a good view.

At the top we join the ridge forming the eastern boundary of the Upper Makaroro river catchment. At between 13 and 1400m it is below the bushline which I find a bit weird (the bushline in the Tararuas is usually 11-1200m).  It is very pretty even in the clag. A wide track corridor through short mossy beech with some thick old emergent stumps and lots of herbs underfoot.

Illona and Amanda ensure the newbies watch and then practice trap handling. The simple routine quickly becomes automatic: open, disarm, check and clear, rebait, rearm, close, next ... and so it goes.

The traps are DOC 200s - named for the force with which they close.  They are screwed into plywood boxes with mesh ends designed to minimise non-target catch. The bait is dehydrated rabbit - which we place beside the trap mechanism. Other baits and lures can be used including eggs, which introduce a whole new level of handling challenges.

First trap - time for a lesson

Fons - lifting the bar

Once Amanda is satisfied that we won't be causing difficult paper work by jamming fragile fingers in the wrong place, she and Illona head off leaving Fons and I to walk the line. They are heading around to the top (north) of the catchment to follow a spur south which has a line of A24s. These are the gas powered Good Nature traps which are self clearing - in the sense that anything killed is dragged off and eaten by something else.

We soon get into a rhythm and make good progress - so much so that we catch up with the other two when they have a pause.

The trap numbering is a handy marker of progress so we know when we are approaching the intersection with the track up Golden Crown Ridge.  The intersection marks where the catchment boundary swings west to traverse the northern edge. The intersection is in a boggy clearing so we don't sit down as we have a bite and adjust kit.

The herb field underfoot looks different to the Tararuas - I note there are a lot of Sundews, festooned with sticky insect catching droplets.

The trap line up here has been done recently so we swing along just glancing into check the traps haven't been sprung.

It's about a kilometre to Aranga hut which is a dump. I've previously waxed lyrical about Waiotauru Hut being the biggest dump in the Tararuas, but Aranga compresses dumpyness  into a far smaller area which intensifies the impact. We swiftly close the door on a hut that has clearly been written off and is being left to decay.

Aranga dump

After the hut the track climbs briefly to extensive hilltop scrub/herb land and we briefly see Ilona and Amanda in the distance, about to disappear down their spur.

If this is the tops at 1400m then what's that tree doing up here?

Fons and I continue around the ridge taking a break for lunch on 1396 after a dip through a bushy saddle. We are just on the borderline where clag blowing in from the south is breaking up. The view north comes and goes as the boundary shifts. From here we are following the ridge SW down the western edge of the catchment - the tops are fairly broad and there's a dog leg west to climb to Piopio.

North from 1396 towards Ikawatea

The traps along this section prove to be a bit harder to find - the trail through the tussock is not very clear and the wee poles by each trap can look like a stick. As they have been checked recently we continue to just glance at them as we pass.

The clag comes in and we have to resort to compass and map at times - Fons has an ipad with GPS which is a handy backup.

Some of the traps are missing baits (mice?) so we look more closely at them and rebait where necessary.  There's a brief excursion on to the wrong spur in the clag before Piopio but this is quickly identified and we are soon back on track.

As we approach where we will be leaving the tops to find Totara spur, Fons realises he has dropped a water bottle - he pops back to the last few tracks he checked to not find it while I snooze in the tussock. The warm clag and little wind makes it quite pleasant.

The navigation to find Totara spur is tricky - the top is wide and featureless and the traps are very difficult to spot - we only miss one but there's a bit of zigzagging involved. As we start the drop towards the spur though, the clag lifts and we are at last given views of the route we have taken during the day and the spur ahead.  We locate the first of the traps of the line we are rebaiting and swing back into the routine ... open, disarm, check and clean, rebait, close, next trap ...

The clag lifts ... Piopio on our ridge on left

I'm a bit faster than Fons so periodically I relieve him of a few baits - with the extra baits used on the tops we run out and have to crib a few from tomorrow's share.

The track is well formed and the spur is beautiful. Open beech with the sweet earthy smell of honey dew in the warm air. Beech leaves line the mossy path and further down there are Totara, Rimu and other species.

Pausing on the way down we are visited by some riflemans, Mr and Mrs bush tit, the odd fantail and a warbler.  To my untrained eye there are more birds here than I normally see in the Tararuas.

It's late afternoon when we drop down beside Upper Makaroro Hut. It's a four bedder and in good heart - a bit bigger and lighter than Sentry Box. There is information about Whio on the wall and in various trips in the log.

Amanda and Illona are well ensconced having finished their line and been for a swim. With all the tasks for the day complete we relax over dinner, which follows the standard club routine (shared dinner with one person tasked with bringing dessert) - Fons distinguishes himself by producing some interesting traditional dutch biscuits. We turn in early with daylight still streaming through the skylight.

In the morning Illona reports hearing Whio whistling which is duly noted in the log. Nice to know the object of the exercise is thriving (or at least still in existence).

The Party

There's no hurry - we depart at 7.30, after checking the few A24s at the bottom of Totara spur. We are immediately distracted by the buddleia on the river flats which Ilona demonstrates are exhibiting signs of being chewed out by a biological control agent introduced for the purpose (the bug probably found it's own way to this isolated patch of plants).

After crossing the 'river' we start the steep climb up the spur and back to the ridge we started on yesterday.

From near the bottom of the spur

It's a steep climb Parks Peak Hut. With four bodies the traps are rapidly checked - with a slightly faster rate of climb I tend to do the lion's share so soon run out of baits. We take a couple of breaks on the way to sit and exchange alarm calls with some whiteheads and to watch while the single dead stoat for the weekend is removed from a trap.

The best sort of stoat

It's good forest so there are few views back to the breaking clag on the tops. Near the ridge we get some glimpses including of Kylie Biv hovering on the edge of the cloud intermittently catching the sun (it's a bit further south from where Fons and I left the ridge yesterday).

Looking westish - Piopio on horizon in middle
Amanda & Illona's spur in mid-ground pointing towards the hut. Totara spur somewhere on left

Parks Peak Hut is on the ridge near the top of our track - on the edge of a clearing at about 1330m. It's a lovely looking spot - it would be great in snow.

Parks Peak Hut

We quickly rock north along the ridge encountering a couple of flocks of whiteheads in the low canopy that respond to our noises and come to investigate. Because of the additional baits needed yesterday we run out and have to split baits - Illona is not too bothered as there are also eggs in the traps which we leave to be cleaned out on another trip.

With the last trap primed we head down the spur we came up yesterday. Amanda and I are a little ahead so wait for the others at Rocky Knoll watching the clag curling and drifting in the eddies coming up the gullies. It's hot and the sun is trying to break through. As we drop lower it gradually clears to give a view across farmland to the island ridge formed by Wakarara Range.

In the open sun it gets even hotter - we come across drag marks in the dust and wonder if a hunter has been through - it turns out to be a woman with two children and a tot on her shoulders (not sure who she was dragging!). We are somewhat impressed - it's no small feat to navigate the steep track in such fashion in this heat. They catch up as we wait at Sentrybox hut - she used to live nearby and remembered coming up the track as a child - it's fantastic to see the connection being carried to another generation.

The car is hot, and with four sweaty trampers just a little ripe for the start of the long drive home. However, it's early afternoon so we have plenty of time, just stopping at a rather good cafe in Norsewood. We say our farewells at Wellington Railway station with that little warm glow of having made some tiny contribution to the survival of Whio in the Ruahines - and, who knows, maybe they'll spread to the Tararuas one of these days ...