Waitatapia - Island Forks

It has been too long away from the hills and cabin fever has well set in. Eventually it gets to the point where you can not contemplate letting another weekend slip by without getting out.

With good weather forecast and river gauges showing normal flows exploring a stream or two seems like a good option.

I've always wondered about Waitatapia Stream - it's a straight wee valley running north from near Otaki Forks. There's not many trip reports on the intranet that I could find and I'm wondering if there might be some old logging trails in the lower valley. To round the trip out, I decide to pick up a short section of so far unexplored ridge and pop over to Island Forks Hut for the night.

I'm mindful about my recent inactivity so warn the support crew that it's an 'optimistic plan' (i.e. I might be coming out by torch light or holing up somewhere). A trip report from Leisure Life Larry sounds a bit of a warning about the ridge in question ...

Having contemplated these matters during lunch on Friday, the trip pretty much designs itself ... in to Island Forks Hut via the ridge route checking for a better route around the 'slip' on the old Waitewaewae track on the way. Out via Mick Stream to the ridge between Mick and 975, then bash down to the headwaters of the Waitatapia and follow back down to Saddle Stream.


What:   Navigation trip
Where: Waitatapia stream and Island Forks
When:   31 Aug - 1 Sept 2019
Who:    Solo
Maps:


Large scale - Otaki forks at bottom

Start (up ridge) and finish (down stream) - commute along the YTYY track omitted



 
Just after 7am - I'm pulling my boots on when an older chap with a weathered looking day pack pauses and asks where I'm headed. I say Waita-taapia - he pauses and says 'oh Wai-tata-pia. He is of course completely correct in emphasising all syllables equally - I've been mispronouncing it all along (not that it comes up in conversation often).

It's a cool, pleasant morning and promising to be a fine day. Winter hasn't left even a lingering hint in the air. 

The sun is on the surrounding hills but not quite on the flats as I head across the swing bridge and along the Waitewaewae track.  The old tramway is as easy going as always; I potter along past the first slip and the 'new' sidle track. Today I'm heading further along to the second slip.

First slip

A little before the slip a wee stream meets the track and markers follow its course up hill.  This is the point to start the detour around the slip (you can also go to the slip edge and work your up but it can be messy).  The trail heads up then along a bit to meet the slip edge - it used to cross here but the slip is much bigger now. I say slip but the thing has passed 'slip' and 'erosion chute' status and is well on the way to becoming a respectable gully now.

I peer out and think there might possibly be a way to scramble across, but it looks a bit hairy so I resolve to go around this time and have a look from the other side for future reference.

A rougher trail leads further up and soon gets hard to follow in kiekie. Then supplejack. There are a few indications people have been through but it's hard to follow any route and it's pretty unpleasant in places.  I pop out on the edge of the slip on the way down the other side - yep, there might be a route across but it would be dicey.

Back on the track it's easy going again to Saddle Creek. I leave the orange triangles that head up towards the plateau, and head down stream to the Waitatapia, arriving about 8.50am.

It will be ridge travel for the next few hours so I fill up - I also stack a few stones on prominent boulders so I'll recognise this spot if I'm coming down the Waitatapia in dim light tomorrow.

It's now a brilliant day but cool as I clamber onto the spur beside Saddle Creek. I start the climb at an easy pace and pause often in deference to my shape. 

There's possibly a bit of foot trail and once an old tarpaulin, but pretty good going apart from some messy wind fall towards the top of the spur. At the ridge I follow compass and map and keep an eye on the altimeter. The foot trail comes and goes and it pays to keep your eyes peeled. It's pretty good bush with some lovely mossy spots for rests.




One of very few markers on the ridge

There's a wee saddle before the two knobs south of 975 where you get a window out of the forest and across an erosion chute to wild and woolly Tararua interior.  There's snow on some of the distant peaks but the tussock on the nearby Mt Crawford is tawny gold in the midday sun - well, the 1.20pm sun.

Tail of Oriwa Ridge in middle - Mt Crawford out of sight to right

Slip south of 975

When I think I'm at 975 I find a ground trail into a clearing on the west side of the ridge where I can take a back bearing from Tangata Maunga to confirm I am where I think I am. Time to find my spur down to the Waitewaewae River.

I take a bearing and set off across the broad rounded top through open forest. It's always hard to tell at this point if you are going to hit the spur, but it forms up nicely and I'm soon descending. It's a slightly tricky line I've chosen but I manage ok and am soon nearing the valley floor. There doesn't seem to be any ground trial as such.

The sound of a helicopter filters down the valley and I have two thoughts - some buggers will have nabbed the two bunks in the hut, and they'll probably head down river for an evening shoot.

As I scramble down to the bush edge I periodically let loose a loud whistle which I keep up until I get to the hut. 

At almost 3.30 it's taken a while to get here. The river is at normal flow and is somewhat nippy.  There's no avoiding wet feet from multiple crossings, and a couple of chilly, bullock-deep wades. No swims but.

There are frequent deer prints in the gravel but no people prints.

The sun has long gone out of the valleys and it's getting cooler but still well light when I turn up the East Waitewaewae branch. A few more whistles and I am relieved to arrive at an empty hut about 4.10pm - I won't be getting the fly out after all.




Forks near Island Forks Hut



Island Forks Hut

I'm a bit cold so settle into my sleeping bag and spend the remainder of the afternoon reading the log, doing crosswords and banging my head on the low bunk.

The hut is small enough to look a little like a large dolls house. It's tidy, serviceable and getting a bit of use, although there are often gaps of months between visits. The log is a mix of DOC staff checking track tunnels, counting birds etc, hunters, hut baggers and other explorers. There's a couple of notes in the log about Mick Creek being a bit unpleasant so I change my plan for the morning to take the spur on the down stream side of it, and note this in the log.

I ignore the alarm and have a bit of a sleep in getting away at 7.55 with the sun touching the top of the hills.




East Waitewaewae below hut

There's a few wades but nothing problematic on the way up to Island forks - about 15 minutes away.

Island Forks Island

It's a little dim at the forks so my photos are again poor quality - but the junction is clear and I'm soon wandering up the West Waitewaewae. 

I'm keeping an eye out for the side streams that will mark my spur and mistakenly count a small unmarked creek, so start up the wrong spur. I have a feeling it might be wrong so keep an eye on the compass - sure enough it starts veering the wrong way. A sharp drop into a creek and scramble up the other side wastes a bit of time but has me back on course.

I reach the spur on a large flat plateau in tall forest. There's a DOC biodiversity marker for Island Forks 9. I take my time ambling up through generally pretty open forest - it's pleasant work for a still spring morning.

The risk I am taking with this spur is that it will end in a band of leatherwood. But it stays open pretty much to the top - however as I pop out at the crest I discover I'm on a wee knob short of the ridge - with leatherwood in between. A strategic retreat and sidle left sees me at the ridge proper around 10.40 without the expected battle.

The foot trail from Mick to 975 runs along here. A(nother) bearing on Tangata Maunga confirms I am where I planned to be. I take a long break while I try to get a text out (there's coverage but it wouldn't send) - probably leaving the ridge a little after 11.

The success of this morning's navigation makes me a bit gung-ho so instead of popping along the ridge to a bit of a spur, I just barrel off the side - into slimy leatherwood then steep slippery slopes that keep dropping into precipitous creeks choked with rotten logs.

I keep a course that drifts left and down valley and eventually the slope eases and I'm ambling along a terrace in reasonably open bush. It ends abruptly requiring a bit of a scramble to the stream bed.

The stream here is typical Tararua foothill headwaters but relatively benign.  I don't see much sign of people until lower down the valley. As I potter south the valley opens and the sun streams in.

Marking progress in streams is generally a bit tricky - your normal pace is much slower with the frequent crossings and scrambles, the map doesn't show all the bends, and it's often hard to tell if a side stream is one that is marked on the map or not.  With this in mind I don't have high expectations of keeping an accurate location.

Top of mind is not being caught out by dark while in the stream or before crossing the slip. I'm thinking at the worst it could be five hours to get to Saddle Creek - consequently, it's a lunch pause rather than a lunch stop.

However, the going is surprisingly good.  Lots of crossings of course but no swims and only a few scrambles to avoid deeper pools. The biggest hassle is the slippery rocks. 

Further down valley there are frequent terraces where you can romp along and cut out bends.  There appears to be a bit of human traffic and I'm surprised not to see rubbish. I had thought there might be logging machinery and tracks but if there are I missed them.

Waitatapia Stream

At 3pm I figure I'm getting close to Saddle Creek. There's a point where the river is carving into the bank and is within metres of breaking through into a significantly new course. It turns out to be about seven minutes upstream from Saddle Creek. It would be interesting to see how this pans out.

Not much bank left

At about 3.15 my stacked stones from yesterday confirm I've reached Saddle Creek, although it is the largest tributary so not so hard to spot anyway. It's double pleasing to have my location correct and to have got down from the ridge quicker than I had feared. 

Not really a cairn

Angling up through the bush I find some swamp and healthy supplejack before stumbling on to the track for a breather and a snack. Just the one hurdle to go.

A bit after 4pm I'm standing at the end of the track on the edge of the chasm. From this angle the idea of working your way across the top of the slip looks insane. You'd be minced if you slide down through that.

There's an old trail that works up beside the edge. This eventually runs out and I bash up to find the route I came down yesterday. Looking carefully there are supplejack stems cut short long ago which give a path of least resistance - the only trouble is that these have a tendency to take you to where the top of the slip used to be.

Second slip

Eventually the cut ends lead me across above the slip and to a large tree - the going gets tricky again but I find a bit of trail through kiekie which drops steeply down to the crumbly bank I came up yesterday. 

Now it is just the familiar walk out in the late afternoon sun.  I take a pause at the swing bridge to admire the calm and unusually clear Otaki River - tiny rings of disturbance mark where trout are rising to hoover bugs off the surface.

There are fresh footprints on the track but I don't see anyone until I catch up with a couple of day walkers avec dog on the last flats - the first people since leaving the carpark.

Back at the car it's Just after 5pm - a bit over 9 hours from Island Forks by an interesting and varied route.

Post script

Altogether too long a break away from the hills. 

The slip just keeps getting bigger - at some stage it might be easier to drop to the river. I would advise not trying to go across the face of the slip until you've had a look at the fall out zone at the bottom. There are trails up and down the side but not so much towards the top and you need to keep your eyes peeled. It's quite a scramble in places but still the best option.

I think I'm getting better at the ridge line. The trail isn't always easy to follow but if you cast around there is often an easier way waiting to be found. As always, navigating up is way easier than down. The spur down was fine - I suspect most of the spurs south of 975 on the east side would be much of a muchness - it's just a question of choosing one that suits.

The Waitewaewae is perfectly navigable but I would be cautious if the flow is likely to be up. 

Island Forks Hut - a nice wee hut that doesn't get much sun. Mind your head.

I have a soft spot for the Waitewaewae headwaters - it feels like the wilderness, despite a lot of biodiversity activity going on.

Mick Stream - looks ok on the map but apparently a bit grovelly. Spur up was pretty good but don't make the same mistake as me finding the bottom.

Dropping into the Waitatapia headwaters - in retrospect I should have headed along the ridge in one direction or t'other to find a bit of a spur. An option is one of the saddles either side of the knob by Mick - you might even avoid the leatherwood. It's was a fairly short bit of unpleasantness though.

I liked the Waitatapia - it gets better further down and some of the flats would make for lovely camping. Real potential for an adventurous day trip from Otaki Forks but don't forget to factor the slip in.

Waitewaewae headwaters

The trip plan is a little audacious - explore as much of the Waitewaewae river headwaters as possible in a weekend. The design is efficient whilst leaving some scope for future exploration (i.e. the east branch which looks a bit daunting).

The Waitewaewae is one of those rivers whose story is subsumed by a larger river. Most people never get near it as there are no tracks or huts marked. On the map the whole system looks like a rose - the flower consisting of three tributaries: Prout Stream in the middle with the East and West Waitewaewae Rivers curling around on each side and delineating two spurs between. These join to flow south down the stem - about 5km to be swallowed by the Otaki river.

I've pottered across the top of the catchment on a couple of previous occasions but it's time to get off the tops and have a good poke around.  And it went mostly to plan, the bit that didn't was accommodated within the contingency plan and provided a useful reminder about confirmation bias.

What:    Weekend tramping trip in western Tararuas
Why:     Navigation and hut bagging
Where:  Waitewaewae headwaters
Who:     Solo
When:   8 and 9 July 2017
Map:

It's pitch black at the second gate at the Manakau Road end - a couple of pig hunters are collaring their dogs by torchlight. They set off ahead while I fluff around with a recalcitrant head light. At 7am the light is necessary as I stroll along the road, over the slip and to the, now isolated, road end.

Road end clearing

I continue straight past the redundant bollards. A short way along an old sign marks the turnoff to cross the river and climb the spur to Mt Thompson (where I came down a couple of weeks back - but turned down river and missed the crossing in the evening light).  

The track drops to the stream bed just before the Panatewaewae forks. Crossing with dry feet is easy followed by a few meters up to a clearing at the foot of my target spur. A track heads off up the true right of the Waikawa stream valley but I quickly find an unmarked route heading directly up. There's an obvious trail.

The pig hunters are polite when I catch up but, I imagine, not best pleased that a tramper might disturb the game. They are heading for another spur though so hopefully not too much loss.

After a bit over an hour on the go I reach pt 708 and veer SSE to keep climbing - this is clearly an old route with one of the markers embedded deep into its tree.

The climb is steady but not steep - I'm enjoying the exercise and the prospect of the unknown territory ahead when suddenly I'm conscious that my sense of my surroundings has altered. There is sometimes a breath that you take when you start on a trip - by the time you've exhaled, your awareness has shifted from driving and work, to a wider landscape and the sounds and smells of the bush. It's not always noticeable but it's pleasant to be conscious of the change.

Just past a turn to the ridge to Thompson, I'm on Waitewaewae, still not much to see but at 0900 it's a good start to the day. 15 minutes more pt 969 gives some views and marks the turnoff to the convoluted ridge into the headwaters that I'm after.

There is no obvious track to start with but as the ridge forms, a trail of sorts comes and goes. It's generally pretty good going. There are a few clearings giving views north and east. It's irresistible to pause and identify the ridges and points from two weeks back in the near ground; and behind ... Oriwa, Waiopehu; and beyond again, the peaks of the main range dusted with snow.

Pt 955 in the near ground with ridge to Panatewaewae running left

A little further on windows open southwards; Judd ridge and Hector on the horizon with the characteristic jagged Tararua peaks to the left. Periodically a flock of whiteheads twitter in the low stunted trees - I chirp at one of them and it comes over and we cheerfully shout at each other for a bit. Occasionally a kereru blunders loudly off. There's little wind - a perfect tramping day.

Probably one of the Pt 1030's in near ground - southern and Tararua peaks behind

Main range on the horizon

By 11.25 I've followed my nose with no significant problems to pt 957. The ridge top is fairly flat here so the start of my spur NNE is not immediately obvious but with a bearing it soon starts shaping up. There is a bit of trail and occasional pest control markers, an old vegetation tag and some other Venetian markers with measurements on them. All quite old but clearly DOC has been in the area. 

The trip down the spur is pretty straight forward - it gets mucky at the bottom for the final drop into Prout Stream, about 40 minutes from the top. Travel upstream in the tight, dim and damp valley bottom is somewhat different.  However, Prout stream is pretty - mossy with a few minor water falls and pools but pretty navigable.

Prout Stream

I follow up the diminishing stream until it starts getting clogged with mossy logs then take a spur up to just short of pt 969 - the climb is pretty mucky and I'd have to say it's not until I'm on the ridge heading west towards the top of Waitewaewae that I actually know exactly where I am. At 2.25pm I'm on Waitewaewae ... again.

The spur isn't obvious immediately but before long I'm pottering along with sporadic views towards Kapiti Island. I expected the trail on this ridge to be more obvious but I'm not sure that it is really. There are the usual trails that could be animal or tramper so I keep an approximate line with the compass.

Daylight is waning as I get to the flatter sections below pt 650 - the key, I figure, is to head more east and not pop out on the edge of the gorge on the West Waitewaewae. I drop into the head of a wee stream and follow it down to the top of a cliff over Prout Stream and eventually find a place to scramble down. A little after 5 and it's pretty dim.

The game plan now is to head downstream to Island Forks (Prout and West YTYY), through the gorge and up East YTYY to Island Forks hut. Except in the dark I miss the West branch confluence and bowl through the gorge and past the East confluence.

In retrospect it probably took 25 minutes to get from where I dropped into Prout Stream (for the second time) to the East branch forks but confirmation bias ensured I shot past looking for something that wasn't there. I just assumed that I'd dropped into Prout Stream further up and had traveled slower than expected so just kept going.  Eventually the penny drops but by now I'm a fair chunk of the way to the Otaki confluence so figure it is best to keep going to YTYY hut.

Sure enough, about 7.30 a large river joins from the left and I know it's a short stint downstream to find a swing bridge and the track to the hut.

At 8.10pm I'm pleased to arrive and not too disappointed to see I have company. A father and son have a radio set up listening to the All Blacks draw with the Lions and another chap has already turned in. I eat dinner, and warm icy feet by the fire before also turning in.

Otaki river from the hut

In the morning the third hut guest turns out to be a chap I shared Elder hut with one night over a year ago. To his credit he makes the connection first. It's good to catch up.

I'm first away a bit after 0800 - the advantage of the extra distance last night is that I can nick up to the ridge behind the hut and follow it north to a spur I've had my eye on (it was one of the possible permutations for the weekend). I head along the track towards Otaki Forks leaving it about 10 minutes later when it climbs to it's highest point on the spur. The top of the spur has a long, wide top that is easy to get mislaid on with lots of very large, old logs scattered about. Once it starts climbing it's easier to follow but there's not really much of a trail.

At 0940 I'm on the ridge and turn north (after notifying home command of the plan change by text). I've come down this ridge before but it looks completely unfamiliar - no snow for a start. The trail is easy to lose and there's not much view until further north. I'm keen to keep moving as I don't want to be caught by darkness too far from the road end.

Tantalising glimpses of ridges from yesterday

This ridge forms the true left of the Waitatapia stream in the valley below (west). At the top end there are a few clearings and it's easy to find yourself struggling through leatherwood rather than under a high canopy. Still - the clearings give great views west.

Tangata Maunga Ridge with Kapiti behind

Towards the top end of the ridge I find a trail on the east side which avoids the leatherwood. It get's pretty flat and a bit hard to tell where my target spur starts to diverge but someone has thoughtful laid some pink ribbons out and I follow them north east, through a clearing and down through open bush as the spur gradually forms. It's taken about three and a half hours to get from the hut to the turnoff to the spur.

The ribbons seem to be relatively new but are a bit sporadic so I keep an eye on the compass and manage to follow the somewhat messy spur down to the flat top near pt 650. From here it's steep and I can't really tell if I'm on a trail or not. Whatever - I'm chuffed to emerge at the top of a bank bang on the forks. An hour 20 from the top.

Waitewaewae Forks 

Island Forks hut is about three minutes up from the forks. It's a tidy little number - low door, bunks and bench. That's pretty much it. There's a loo in the bush behind and a picnic table and fire place out front. The five visits recorded in the hut book in the last year might explain the tidiness - not frequently visited.

Island Forks hut

After a bite to eat it's only 10 minutes before I'm heading out again and, in 15 minutes, through the gorge above YTYY forks - a much easier proposition in daylight.  A pool that was up to my midrift last night proves to have a shallow pass on the other side.

Not-really-an Island Forks

The rivers must be low as island forks island is connected to land. The reason I missed it in the dark becomes apparent - West YTYY feeds into a deep quiet pool which I must have just assumed was a backwater. I scramble around on the true right and head up into the next gorge.  

I head up the valley counting the side streams, painfully aware of the time but not wanting to rush on the lethally slippery rocks. The weather is  overcast with patches of sun - precious little of which reaches the valley bottom. Like Prout Stream there are scrambles up little water falls and some quite deep pools to sidle. A few large slips and log jambs are reminders of how active this landscape is.

At long last the stream rounds a bend and takes a bearing that I am waiting for - it's 3.40pm and time to look for a route up to a low saddle above the Waikawa catchment. A tree in the river bed has an old marker and there are more on the bank - there's not much trail and the markers run out but the slope is not too steep or high so before long I'm standing in the lowest point on the ridge between YTYY and Thompson.

West YTYY upper headwaters - a bit messy

There's a spur running down from near the saddle so I sidle around and take a bearing down. It's a little hard to follow at first but some very old ribbon soon appears, almost invisible but enough to keep me in the right direction.  I lose it toward the bottom and end up in supple jack but eventually bash down to a stream and start following it down.

There are occasional terraces which could have had old logging tracks on them and once I get to the Waikawa this is more common although there are still periods in the river. It's worth casting around for them as the pace is considerably faster than the stream bed.  There's an old sawmill site marked on the map - I find a large grass clearing with lumps on it but don't hang around to see if any of these are old machinery. The track is now reasonably well formed and each time it opens out I'm hoping it's the clearing where I headed up yesterday morning.

It is well dark under the canopy but light enough in the clearings so I keep plodding without a torch until I reach the original clearing. From here on it's more open and I'm on familiar territory again so I eschew the light to arrive at the car in the pitch black just before 6pm.

Post script

The Waitewaewae head waters caught my intention some time ago and I had heard about Island Forks hut, but didn't really have the confidence to take the trip on until now. A few previous trips near the area provided the necessary familiarity (and possible escape routes) and the weather indicated low flows and no rain - perfect for thrashing around in gorgish streams.

Missing the forks in the dark is a salient reminder that if you're relying on reaching somewhere and stuff your navigation up you could be in big trouble. In this case I knew the river route was navigable, had considered the possibility of travelling to YTYY hut, knew how far it was and where it was (although about 1cm off the bottom of my map) and was therefore quite happy not to turn back when I finally realised what was going on.

Despite the lesson (and discovering a wee gash on my forehead when I got home - apparently from head butting a log), it was a really pleasing trip - a little bit of unfinished business in the shape of East Waitewaewae river but I have to say it doesn't look entirely pleasant ... maybe I've seen enough of the reclusive Waitewaewae headwaters for now.