Tapokopoko - Orongonrongo Nav trip

What: Nav trip
Where: Ridge around Tapokpoko in the Orongorongos
When: Saturday night and Sunday 21-22 May 2016
Who: Solo
Why: Practice navigation in poor weather, explore new area (for me) in the Orongorongos

My last wet weather nav trip ended up in disappointingly good weather so this weekend, with a foul forecast and miserable week in Wellington, looks promising. The target is the Rimutaka Range south of Mt Matthews. There are a number of trip reports on the web that provide an idea of the terrain and it certainly looks like a more formidable test than last week (links to a few reports: trip 1, trip 2, trip 3).

It's 5.45 on a Saturday night and dark already as I leave the car at the entrance to the Catchpool road - the automatic gate locks at 6pm but I'm not sure I will be out on time, so better to walk the extra few km and know that I can get home afterwards. Provided the car doesn't get burnt down by some of the interesting nightlife that frequent the Wainuiomata Coast Road, of course.

There's another chap heading in without pack - he has ferried his car out and is on the way back in to pick up the rest of his party, who have made heavy weather over McKerrow - I don't seem him again so hope he got them out alright.

It's about 15 minutes to the car park and then another hour to Waerenga Hut. It's a mild evening with no rain but I'm conscious that there has been plenty of rain and the river gauge is on the way down from a significant spike. The regional council has some useful river gauges available - virtually real time on-line (link to Orongorongo river gauge).

Unsurprisingly there is no-one else on the track and I potter along with the river crossing very much top of mind. Descending to the river a grey shape swoops silently through my headlight providing a momentary distraction - probably a Morepork. At the bottom, the moon is peeping through clouds so there is a good bit of light about as I wander out on to the river bed to see what the crossing looks like. No worries - barely calf deep albeit somewhat wider than last time I'd been here.

Waerenga Hut is empty at 7pm so I lay out my kit on the verandah, sort gear for the morning, make a cuppa, then hit the sack.  There's a bit of rain during the night but the moon comes through now and then and the skies are clear by morning.

It's pitch black at 6am when the alarm goes. Porridge for breakfast, then pack up and stash unneeded kit for collection later. This leaves a lighter pack for lugging up hills and thrashing about in the scrub (with bivvy bag and sleeping bag I can sleep out if it comes to that).

Death by fungi - fungicide?

The head torch is necessary at 7am but there is soon enough light to follow up past a couple of huts and onto the spur. There's some marking and ground trail - quickly found and lost again. But it's pretty good going - straight up. I'm taking a pause with my hand on a punga when I notice that there is a weta on the trunk - it has been overtaken by a fungus, seemingly in mid stride with white fungal mass emerging from every joint in its armour. After a few attempts to capture it on the phone camera, the photo here is the best I can manage.

Periodically there are ancient markers to be seen, and someone has made an effort near the top to mark the way with blue tape, but I lose it as the spur levels out on to a broad, flat, and completely overgrown ridge at spot height 797. It's 8.30 and there's no view for the trees but it seems to be a nice day.

Another old rain-gauge(?)

It appears pretty much untracked but various animal trails are apparent and I come across the first of many remains of rain gauges [or leaf collectors?] rotting into the landscape.

I take a bearing and head in the direction of the ridge south. It's a real mix of trees, scrub and grass initially with the reward of a view east into Palliser Bay.

It's good going where there are trees but open spaces are covered in scrub and deep grass which is slow. I'm soon covered in nicks and scraps from the bush lawyer, hidden logs and the rough grass.

Palliser Bay - the beach by Lake Ferry on the left.

Off to the left of the ridge I find a deer superhighway - the ground is churned up with the number of hooves that have been through. It makes going a breeze, until they decide to head off somewhere else, or through dense undergrowth. Occasionally there are windows where you can pop up to the ridge and look west towards Wellington.  At one point I startle a large deer about 30m away - judging by the ground there are plenty more around here somewhere. When the bush clears it is frequently to give way to areas where large trees have fallen and the remaining trunks are dead. There's a bit of clambering required.

Wellington in the distance - Orongorongo River with Cattle Ridge behind below. 

Dead trees and root plates - slow going.

Emerging from the trees I find that the weather has clagged in and that's the last of the views for the day. Navigation has also just got a bit harder.

Half an hour later

I sidle around spot height 768 without noticing it and find frequent deep grassy clearings which are tough and slow going. Sometimes there is opportunity to drop off the east side of the ridge and travel through the taller trees on that side.  It gets colder and is raining by the time the top of Tapokopoko rolls around. It is distinctive, with an old DSIR sign marking their research area. There are also markings for the descent down Paua Ridge. It's 1020; a little under 2 hours from spot height 797 - slow going indeed.

Tapokopoko

The route south from Tapokopoko promises to be tricky and it is. The ridge top is broad and it's hard to judge distance and to keep a straight bearing. I manage to drop into both streams heading south off the ridge and waste a lot of time climbing out and getting back on track. Eventually I navigate to the grassy saddle at 700m but drop in a little low and have quite a struggle getting back to the ridge-line through the deep grass and tree trunks.

By the time I get to spot height 743 I'm soaked through, somewhat battered and cold. It's 12.45 and raining, so I abandon any thought of heading up to the Peak and back and follow some obvious markers onto the spur down to Peak Stream.  Things go well, although the ground trail is easy to lose and the markers sporadic. I manage to find some very old markers with no obvious ground trail around them but shortly after discover I am on the wrong side of an erosion gully (marked on the map). Oh well, I'm not about to climb around or across it so continue down then drop into the stream at the bottom, which soon drops into Peak Stream 200-300m above where I was supposed to emerge.

It's not getting any warmer so I make as good time as I can down the stream to join the four wheel drive track around 2.20 and head up valley to Waerenga Hut with a short detour when I should have stopped following the 4WD track which was heading to some private huts. The rain is intermittent but the river is lower than the previous day so it looks like I will get home tonight.

Back at the hut at 3.20 and the rain has set in again.

Cold and wet but back where I started this morning - Waerenga Hut

I pick up the kit stash and head off, arriving at the car park 45 minutes later and the car 15 minutes after that. A lone jogger is the only person I see on the track, giving me quite a start. To my relief the car hasn't been burnt down, so with the sleeping mat laid out to keep the worst of the wet clothes off the car seat it's a short trip over the hill and home.

I had pretty tired legs the next day and my knees look like I'd been fighting cats in the blender but all up - a good miserable trip that tested my nav skills and confirmed where they are wanting. About 7K on Saturday and 21K on Sunday

Mt Matthews

Mike is the consummate organiser. His latest idea is a weekend reunion for those that had gone trekking in Nepal with him in 2014 and with Angela, Toby and him in 2015. And what more appropriate way to do it than heading in to Mt Matthews in the Rimutaka Forest Park.  At 941m it is hardly the lung squeezing altitudes they had experienced on the trek but it is the highest point in the Rimutakas and higher than any other hill around the Hutt or Wellington.

He wasn't averse to the odd gate crasher so - as I didn't have anything else specifically planned; and it looked like an interesting bunch of people; and last time I went up Mt Matthews I didn't spend a lot of time looking at the views (link) - I signed up.

Mike's teaser e-mail proposed two groups: the JCVDs (Jean Claude Van Dams) and the Paris Hiltons. The JCVDers would walk in to Waerenga hut on Friday night, up Mt Mathews on Saturday and out via Cattle Ridge on Sunday.  The Paris Hiltons would amble in Saturday, relax in the sun, swill Moet in the evening with the peak baggers and potter out the next day the way they came in.

With a stop for Maccas, Pete, Mike and I are at the park entrance bang on 6.30pm to discover the gates had locked at 6. Bugger.  Isy turns up shortly after to find us kitting up for the extra 2km walk along the sealed road. We're not keen to leave the cars by the coast road all weekend but there's a public phone with free local calls at the DoC station (no cell phone coverage) so Mike organises for Angela and the other Paris Hiltons to ferry the two cars up to the main carpark when they arrive in the morning. All going well the other JCVDs are already at the hut.

It's a pleasant walk along the road on a mild evening.  The stars are out and the lights of campers are scattered along the way.  And it's not much different once we get onto the track - wide, smooth, and the odd possum crashing off into the undergrowth.  Pretty soon we hit the halfway bridge and stop for a bit with the lights off.  A few wisps of cloud means the stars are less in evidence but the forecast is good, so no worries.

The Orongorongo River is as low as any of us have seen it, Pete changes into his river crossing foot wear and the rest of us skip across with dry feet. Then it's a short amble up to the hut to find the rest of the peak party already in bed and it's barely 9pm.

Waerenga hut belongs to Tararua Tramping Club - it's a good size and well looked after with plenty of room for the 10 of us. Mike elects to sleep on the porch, Pete on the bench seat and Isy and I settle into the top bunk sauna.

In the morning there's the usual cheerful chaos as everyone arranges breakfasts and day packs. The value of having nursing and trekking experience in the party is soon evident with advice and medications available to pretty much any query that comes up. And it's a pretty efficient bunch as we are heading off on time at 8am, after the obligatory group photo.

Saturday morning; about to leave base camp
Isy, Jacquie, Pete, Tony, Mike, Fliss, Chris, John and Lorraine

And they're off in a flying V formation

The stroll up the river is easy going.  There's quite a few 'river' crossings but the water is barely over the ankles and is almost warm. The morning sun accentuates the gold in the bush and spills across the wide shingle river bed.  The odd plume of smoke filters up from one of the many camp sites and huts hidden in the bush.

Chris and Lorraine safely across, Jacquie and Isy about to risk wet ankles
Turere Lodge behind

A couple of hunters sitting on the shingle, staring intently at the bush along the flats, are the only people we see (hopefully they weren't thinking of shooting anything in the area, given the number of campsites).

I have a good chat with Tony on the way hearing about the enjoyment he and Lorraine are getting from coming into tramping relatively recently and managing to knock off most of the great walks. It makes it a short hour to Matthews Stream (or, more accurately, shingle fan) where we pause. Pete stashes his river-crossing-shoes-and-socks and changes into his mountain-climbing-socks-and-boots.

Matthews Stream - preparing for the climb.
The flanks of Mt Matthews in the background

Pete changing footwear

We pick our way up the stream bed and onto the terrace at the foot of the first rise. There sure is a lot of rock coming out of this catchment.

After a few easy preliminaries the scramble starts. We are soon using roots, rocks and branches to heave ourselves up. The damp and slippery humus near the valley floor is quickly left behind for hard dry clay so the footing is pretty good.

With a large party the pace is measured giving the opportunity to note Warblers, Tui, Wax Eyes, Kereru, probably some Rifleman and possibly the odd Bell Bird. There's a few Rata flowers about and mercifully few wasps.  It's also a chance to chat to others in the party - as expected it's a varied and interesting group. Jacquie takes a keen interest when she notices that I'm keeping an eye on the map for practice - so we take opportunities to identify some of the surrounding features. Fliss meanwhile is happy to be tail end Charlie; setting her own pace but keeping in touch with the group ahead.

Lorraine and Isy taking a breather on the way up

And another

We reach the clearing above the Mukamuka Saddle at 10:40 for snacks and a breather.

Ridge to Mt Matthews on the left, Mukamuka Valley to south, coast centre, ridge to McKerrow on right
Note Chris managing to be in three places at once

Mt Matthews really is a perfect day tramp.  There's a physical challenge without needing particular technical skill or equipment, and the reward of quite special views.

The physical challenge is the steepness and Mt Matthew's reticence about giving up the final summit. There's a steep scramble from the Mukamuka clearing before the grade eases and the track meanders up the ridge with the odd dip. When you think you're on the final approach there's one last little twist, as the track dives around the south side to approach the top via a somewhat greasy scramble through a jumble of fallen trees. Here the alert are rewarded by a last stunning view behind: Seatoun, the Wellington south coast, the city, and the South Island.

On a good day the beauty about Mt Matthews is the way the vistas open up as you climb above the surrounding hills, with just glimpses granted through the trees. The clearing above the Mukamuka Saddle at 640m provides a sudden and perfect view in a westerly direction between the southern part of the Rimutaka Range and Mt McKerrow to the city surrounding a still harbour and with Mt Kaukau, the turbines and serried ranges in the South Island behind. This vista develops the further you climb, but is not visible from the top.

With a map (or some familiarity), the immediate surroundings become clearer with the somewhat unremarkable McKerrow across the valley (it's even less impressive when you walk over it), the more dramatic Papatahi further up the range (and the Papatahi Crossing) and the catchment where a fair chunk of Wellington's water supply originates. Occasionally the shingle fan where Matthews Stream joins the Orongorongo River is a reminder of the height gained (and yet to be descended).

On a particularly pleasant section through goblin forest, the track leads to a mossy balcony framed by beech trees with the first view across the jagged spine of the range to the Wairarapa Plains. The bottom end of Lake Wairarapa is just visible as are the curves of the Ruamahanga River in the distance.

John takes in the first view of the Wairarapa

It's a little after 12 when we reach the cleared area at the top, to be greeted by a stunning view. A gentle curve of white surf draws the eye across the blue and green Palliser Bay to the dry coast sweeping south to the cluster of houses at Ngawi. The southern tip of the North Island; Cape Palliser is just out of sight beyond. The dark bush on the Aorangi Range rises behind and runs north across the horizon. The Putangirua Pinnacles are not visible but you can see just how they can be produced by this steep and eroding land. In the middle distance Lake Onoke marks the Ruamahanga's final pause before it passes through a break in the shingle bank and into the sea, with the small cluster of buildings at Lake Ferry just visible near the mouth. Closer still, an orderly patchwork of trees, buildings and paddocks marks the genteel and ever so expensive Wharekauhau Estate.  The terrace it sits on is cut deeply by streams and crumbles to the beach below.

Palliser Bay

It's a pretty satisfied party that sit in the sun sharing lunch looking across the bay.

The trip down may be a little hard on protesting knees but you pick up a few view spots that you missed on the way up and gravity is helpful.  We note a hunter perched on a bluff looking down into the Mukamuka Valley but he has disappeared by the time I poke my head cautiously into the saddle, after a short detour off the main route along a considerably less well traveled track.

John rockets on ahead from the clearing to put the beer in the river, while the rest of the party takes a more leisurely pace, lowering themselves gingerly down the steep bits. A short pause at the bottom sees Chris and Flissy reunited with the group for the final walk down the river.

There's a few more people about, including a bunch of Mike's former work colleagues eyeing up a river terrace for their survival weekend. This seems to involve a short walk in and lots of beer, bacon and vodka. For some reason the Lord of the Flies crosses my mind.

Tramping the Paris Hilton way
Phillipa, Angela and Toby

The Paris Hiltons have had the scheduled easy day, some of them starting off with breakfast at the Dowse. Margaret, Graham, Phillipa, Angela and Toby are now enjoying the last of the sun when we arrive around 4.30. Toby has kept himself busy burning off excess energy in the productive pastime of splitting fire wood.


The party shows its generous nature with a large wheel of Camembert appearing for sharing (thanks Margaret and Graham!) along with dip, salami, crackers and other goodies. A bottle of bubbly and some select craft beers have also been lugged in.


There's no shortage of conversation, with coolish drinks flowing, and tales from Nepal and Mt Matthews and future trips to plan. The conversation, food and company are most excellent.

Phillipa gets into the cheese

Mike has clearly had a few beers when he rashly offers to take Angela and Phillipa up Mt Matthews tomorrow. I volunteer to lift this onerous duty from his shoulders on the pretext that as trip leader Mike should really see the other punters safely out.

The hut is full but Toby, Mike and Angela are keen to tent so everyone gets a mattress, although I only last 'til midnight, when I figure the porch will be cooler and quieter.

With just three of us we are up and off by 7.30 and are a little quicker up the river. The slightly earlier start means that we are treated to the sun breaking onto the valley floor although we do note a few suspicious looking clouds lurking around the tops. Surely they will burn off as there's no rain forecast.

Morning in the Orongorongo River valley

The climb and the views are the same with a little more cloud to the north, but it is pleasing to know what's coming and see Angela and Phillipa enjoy the surprises. At 10am Phillipa elects to stay at the clearing soaking up the views while Angela and I push on for the top. There is increasing high cloud and more to the north but Phillipa has a coat and we leave her spread-eagled in the sun with agreements about panic times and what to do if we shouldn't turn up.

Above the Mukamuka Saddle.
McKerrow behind Angela, Wellington and the South Island beyond

Wellington emerging above the ridge to McKerrow 

Phillipa preparing for the afternoon

In the end I have hopelessly underestimated the pace of two compared to 10 people as we get to the top and back in about 2 hours (largely due to Angela's practice cycling up Wadestown Hill every day I suspect).

The clouds are gathering in the north; around the Aorangi Range in the east and spilling down the Wairarapa, so the views today are little more restricted but still stunning. At the top a bit before 11, we pause for a quick bite and photos but don't linger long. There is still no wind but the odd prickle of moisture in the air.

Angela blown away by the view

Day two - a little more cloud

Just off the top we are surprised to see a solo chap in a red bush shirt coming up - he's the only other person we have seen on this track since yesterday morning. We continue down but soon run into a French couple, then a mad German, then a large party that claims ownership of the mad German and includes a friend of Mike's, then the tail end of that party, and probably some other people I've forgotten. It's getting crowded.

We exchange hails with Phillipa who is stunned to see us at 12; almost two hours earlier than our panic time. Over lunch we compare notes and confirm that we all heard three rifle shots - hopefully well away from the busy track.

We scramble back down and along the river bed to arrive at the hut around 2.15. It has been immaculately cleaned so we tiptoe in, gather our packs and out again to avoid leaving any mess. The full pack is less fun than ambling about with a day pack but it's an easy trip out with pleasantly tired legs. We take Angela's favourite route which passes through a delightful grove of punga just before reaching the carpark before 4pm.

Mike informs me later that the other trekkers, after a superb tidy of the hut, headed out along the easy route rather than Cattle Ridge, so are all well home before the time we get out.

On Monday morning I look across the harbour from the train to see whether the top of Matthews is visible but it's shrouded in cloud. I have to say I have quite a soft spot for Mt Matthews now, I've only been up three times but have thoroughly enjoyed each experience and have seen it at its best.