Levin to Otaki with dry feet

There is nothing quite like the pleasure of perusing a map, identifying unexplored corners and promising trips to be stored away for future reference. In my case, added to a list on my cell phone to be ticked off over time.

One such potential adventure was the result of idle speculation about a chunk of land in the western Tararuas with the most intriguing possibility being to follow the winding ridge lines from behind Levin to Otaki forks without dropping into any stream catchments in between.

It was somewhat beyond my meager navigational capabilities at the time but with a few trips under the belt and having nibbled at the edges of the route a few weeks back (link) it felt like it was worth a crack.

What:    Below bushline navigation trip along winding ridge lines

Where:  Poads Road Levin to Otaki Forks

Why:     Challenging navigation exercise under a bit of time pressure
Who:     Solo

When:   Friday evening 14 October 2016 to Sunday 16th

Map:      Link

To get a good head start I negotiate a drop off on Friday after work, with the intention of getting to Waiopehu hut for the night.

Tramp

A few chickens are moping about the car park as my ever patient support crew drops me off under lowering skies.

Rain is threatening and it's a bit cold, so I'm well dressed as I head out a little after 5.20pm. My route coincides with Te Araroa: crossing farmland to climb into the range via the Waiopehu Track.

The sun occasionally manages to slant in under the cloud and the going is pretty good, albeit on a fairly sodden track.  About 7.45 I'm at the clearing just past the old hut site and it's getting dark.

The bush is quite wet so I'm pretty soggy arriving at the hut in the dark with the lights of Levin hidden in the clouds. It's 8pm and has just passed the point where a head torch is necessary.

Mercifully the hut is empty, providing the opportunity to run through a few pieces of music I need to know my way around. I've been roped into an impromptu family choir for an aunt's birthday as the token representative of the less musically endowed corner of the gene pool. Okay, a bit weird but there's nobody to hear and the acoustics are good.

Momentary sun on Waiopehu Track

It's a quiet night and I've had a pretty good sleep when it comes to pulling on damp gear next morning. A brief gap in the clouds reveals a dusting of snow along the main range to the east but the cloud soon closes again.

Morning view from Waiopehu Hut

Waiopehu Hut

Around 7.15am it's a short climb from the hut to the top of the hill where I look for hints of a ground trail leading to Oriwa Ridge. This ridge is a major feature running south and west from Waiopehu and seems to be reasonably well traveled, although not officially tracked.  

There's a bit of a trace to follow down through the tussock off Waiopehu into the bush and sporadic tape markers. The trail itself is easy to lose amidst the ubiquitous game trails, and the ridge is fairly broad, so it is easy to wander. However, following a compass bearing sees me pottering along and eventually into the clearing below Oriwa around 8.45am.

There's snow in the air and I'm pretty wet. The clearing boasts a small roof, collecting water into a barrel, and people have stashed bivvy materials in the surrounding bush.  I make the mistake of trying to follow the clearing, which pretty quickly becomes a scrubby bog. Back under the shelter of the trees the going is much easier.

Water catchment - and a wee bit of snow

Oriwa marks where my route departs from the main ridge. I can't see any clues as to a route and there are a couple of possible spurs. I select one, take a bearing, and head down.  The saddle to the west of Oriwa is pretty broad so it's just a question of finding the path of least resistance. 

In the saddle there is a small stream then a bush bash up the hill to the ridge above 918m. I don't find any evidence of a track in the saddle, but towards the top a bit of a trail develops. On the ridge there is something to follow northwest, and even an occasional old marker.

The ridge system here is somewhat convoluted with some boggy patches to negotiate. Under the canopy and in the cloud it is easy to drift off line, so it's better to trust the compass then my sense of direction. In the end it's pretty straight forward getting on to the ridge to 955m and the ground trail is stronger, suggesting that a few people come through here on the way to Panatawaewae to the north.

Near the top of 955m there is apparently an old crashed aircraft. I find the location and cast about in the bush but don't find it - I haven't paid particular attention to the description of the site and although there was a prominent marker on a tree I didn't want to waste any more time. I take a bearing and find markers taking me in the direction of Waitewaewae.

It's quicker than expected through this section, given that there had been more traffic through, so I truck on to Waitewaewae.  Which is where things go a little astray.  In retrospect I was over-relying on the markers - I noted one that indicated a direction of travel that corresponded with my compass bearing and confirmation bias took over. Unfortunately I hadn't traveled quite far enough, so the spur I started down was heading in the right direction, and at a similar steepness to the real route, but soon dropped into a stream gully through steep, rotting bush. A gap in the canopy revealed a ridge to the north where I should have been. By now the quickest way out was to bash through a couple of stream gullies and up the steep side of the ridge. 

It's tough going and by the time I'm back on route well over an hour has been wasted in some fairly challenging terrain. A bit of a sit down and a bite is in order. Still, at least the weather has eased up - cold but not raining. I'm a bit more careful about navigating down the rest of the ridge - at one point a spur heads north and down and there are indications that a bit of traffic goes that way - possibly an exit via the old mill site on the Waikawa Stream.

Following the compass I don't have any problems getting on to the ridge running south from 730m. At one point there is suddenly an old but well formed 4WD track which I follow briefly, before it dives right and down, while I follow my compass south.

It's pretty good going now and my route suddenly comes across the marked track to Mick. The pace increases but evidently my attention declines as I meet some markers heading in an unexpected direction. After a deep breath and a sit down I realise that I've almost done a 180 - probably around a bit of a knob (which is precisely what I am feeling like). A bit of a talking-to and I continue in the correct direction with a little more care.

This is now territory I have traversed in the opposite direction but I have no illusions about the chances of drifting off route. Soon enough I pop out into the clearing below Tangata Maunga. The late afternoon sun is streaming across the ridge. It's cold but the open horizon and view out to sea is refreshing after a day under canopy and cloud. I'm completely out of water so top up at the tarn (it's been so wet recently I figure it must be pretty clean). 

The track through the scrub is reasonably easy to follow up to the small clearing with the trig.  From now on I'm on the look out for a spot to pitch the tent that is not too: exposed, wet, rooty, steep ... It's a very small tent so you'd think it would be easy. In the end I find a man-made clearing with a view and a only slightly sloping clump of grass, around 7.15pm.

Transferring self and dry gear into the small bush cocoon is challenging at the best of times and it is far easier to do it without rain. It's still light but I've been on the go for 12 hours now so I stash wet gear outside, crawl into my pit, pull on dry clothes and start chewing on something for dinner while I wait for my feet to thaw out. Progress for the day was not too bad despite getting ... mislaid.  I'm looking forward to a more relaxed day tomorrow.

Inside the Macpac bush cocoon

Last of the light

It's a quiet night, I get a bit of condensation dampness on the outside of my bag and discover my site is a little more sloped then I thought, but it's all good.

Next morning there is a little bit of cloud about but the sun is breaking through over the main range giving a cheerful prospect to the day. I'm looking forward to a wander down ridge with little time pressure. There's even cell phone reception so I call in my intentions, before heading out around 8.15am.

Packed and ready to go

There is some very good marking of the route on parts of the ridge but this is a two-edged sword. At one point the markers assertively head off down a spur which I gradually realise is not the main ridge. There are a few points where compass and map are required and it's often not immediately apparent how to stay on the main ridge.

At one point, within the space of a few minutes, I frighten first a family of black piglets that explode squealing off the ridge edge, then a family of white/grey piglets that follow suit. At this point I'm always a bit nervous about running into a cantankerous mother pig.

A little below 400m and at 12 noon, the trail breaks out on to grass land and the view across to the slip on the Otaki Forks access road. Based on the map I should be able to follow grassland down to my right, to a couple of terraces above the river separated by a spur.

View to the slip with the forks road running across it

Map and reality diverge somewhat: there's plenty of scrub, steep banks, streams and bushlawyer. After two trips I still haven't found the best route through the bottom section of this ridge. It takes a bit over 20 minutes to drop down to the grassy flat, then a nasty struggle through horrible scrub around the spur that separates the terraces. A steep erosion gully that plummets into the river forces a scramble up and away on rotten ground through disintegrating vegetation. Fortunately this puts me onto a lovely benched track somewhat above the level of the terrace - tip for anyone looking to travel through.

The trail joins the two terraces and part way along I note some pink tape and a trail heading up - this may be the best route up the ridge (certainly more promising then what I've just been through).  The second terrace has a bit of swamp on it, so I head to the edge above the river and follow it around to the scarp above the Waitatapia Sstream.

It's odd to be so close to Otaki Forks but seeing it from a completely different angle. And knowing that there's still a bit of tramping to do to get there.

Edge of terrace looking towards Otaki Forks
Judd Ridge on horizon at left

I'm hoping to see some tape to indicate a way off the terrace as the map shows it's all pretty precipitous - no such luck.  There's a gap in the bush edge and some old cut branches at one point before the end of the terrace but the map says it is still on the edge of the scarp so I continue to the end where there seems to be a bit of something that might once have been a trail. It quickly degenerates into a precipitous scramble down through supplejack.

At the bottom the Waitatapia Stream is up but easy going. I've heard there is an option to cross the Otaki River near here but I've not done it before and there's been a bit of rain. I turn left and wade up-stream 300m to where I dropped off the opposite terrace a few weeks back. Some train wheels I hadn't noticed in the grass last time through mark the spot.

"What's that?"  
"It's a bogey man!"

The spur I went up last time -
my advice is: don't

The scramble up through bracken is steep but straight forward and I decide to see if there is an easier way across the terrace than last time. Some tape markers follow east along the top of the scarp which feels like a sensible way to avoid the boggy flats. On the way there's a good view down to the Waitatapia Stream and the spur I grovelled up last time.


A bit later a moldering sign indicates the old route to the bridge. Any semblance of a track quickly disappears into dense scrub so I follow my nose up through bracken (avoiding some healthy bushlawyer) to the Waitewaewae Track.

At this point in the trip there's always a bit of impatience for the end. The adventure has been had and the last stroll across grassy flats to the carpark can't be over quickly enough. This probably explains why I am a little short of forbearance for the couple that are blocking the swing-bridge with their dog while they take leisurely photographs. Eventually I get past and at 2pm number one support team rouses herself from her kindle in the sun to greet the slightly battered and scratched figure shambling into the carpark.

I think this one can be chalked up as a successful trip with a few more lessons learned the hard way - now it's off to River Cottage Cafe in Otaki for a late lunch.

Someones else have been out and about this weekend

Mid Tararua crossing

An appropriate response to Christmas over-indulgences is a bracing 4.30am alarm on boxing morning followed by four days in the wilderness on iron rations.

The main aims of the exercise are to explore Oriwa ridge, visit the Mid-Otaki 'hut' (a two bed shelter installed by DOC for bio-diversity work), cross the headwaters of  the Park River (exhibiting some of the clearest signs of glaciation you will see in the Tararuas), traverse Carkeek Ridge, pop through the Waiohine River headwaters on the way to Dorset Ridge then Dorset Creek, cross the Broken Axe Pinnacles and pick up various spot heights on the way.

As with all cunning plans, parts turned out to be overly optimistic and some flexibility on the fly was required. The first hiccup was the weather forecast - midsummer in the Tararuas was apparently going to involve hail and wind chill ratings of below -10 deg C on the tops. The first order of business on Christmas night was therefore to swap-out the pith helmet and safari clothing for more suitable attire.

In the end there were firm ticks next to pretty much all the goals of the trip - the exception was a possible diversion to the Waiohine River and back up to Angle Knob which will keep for another day. About 29 new spot-heights visited which is a large dent in the list.

What:     Tararua crossing - navigation trip and spot-heighting
When:    26-29 December 2017
Where:   Manakau Road to Holdsworth
Why:      Navigation, new territory, hut and spot-height bagging, burn off xmas calorie overload
Who:      Solo
Map:     

Not exactly the shortest route

Day one - to the wee triangle

It's a wee bit of a struggle to get out of bed early on boxing day. The support crew is nothing if not obliging and rustles up some coffee to keep us awake on the drive up the coast. She also keeps threatening to slip extra food into my pack convinced that I will starve to a withered husk despite the gargantuan quantities of Christmas fodder consumed in the previous 24 hours.

With a five day trip plan I've just managed to stuff everything into my medium pack so the only addition possible is some slices of the sister-in-law's fruit cake (destined to be squashed beyond recognition).

The weather is gloomy but holding as we bid farewell at the Manakau Road end about 6.44 on a threatening morning. The wander up the road and scramble across the slip are well familiar now. I take a slightly more sedate pace up the spur to Waitewaewae in deference to the days ahead.

Five day pack looks about the same size as a weekender!

At 0900 on Waitewaewae it's cool and trying to rain so there's no tarrying. I've been through here a few times now but this is the first time in reverse. This time I don't divert to the plane crash site (11am). There's a minor hiccup when a lapse in attention sees a premature diversion down the wrong spur but this is soon rectified. It starts to drizzle and keeps it up until early afternoon.

At pt 918 I'm leaving the main ridge and heading into new territory. This is where the adventure begins. Rather than the usual route east to Oriwa I follow a spur down to the south to pick up spot-height 815. Some maps show a road route through the saddle here but I can find no evidence of it so it is either completely overgrown or was only ever a paper road.

Back in the saddle below 815 it's a mucky scramble down to the stream then a steep climb to pt 985 on the Oriwa Ridge. The ridge is famous for tree fall from the 1936 storm making it time consuming and laborious. I find it not too bad. It's undulating and long, but mostly straight forward until after pt 937 where navigation gets tricky and it's easy to wander onto a side spur. There's a bit of a ground trail that comes and goes but a couple of remedial scrambles across gullies is required to keep on route.

The ridge is also home to Notoriwa - I'd seen the name before but not really thought about it's origins - I idly wondered about it as I pottered along - assuming it came about from people travelling north over the innumerable bumps towards the high point Oriwa ... the conversation probably went something like:

"Is this Oriwa?"
"No"
"Is this Oriwa?"
"No!"
"Is this Oriwa?"
"No!! this is not Oriwa!!"
"Notoriwa?"
"Yeah, why not."

Google confirms that this is in-fact pretty close to the truth.  Butcher, who proposed the name, noted that "I have the strongest objection to bastard Maori, I agree that some other name will have to be found for the knob." Clearly he wasn't successful in doing so.

Towards the tail end of the ridge I realise that I will be spending the night under the fly - Mid-Otaki hut is way out of range for today. At least the weather has cleared a bit.

Otaki River from tail end of Oriwa Ridge

On the valley floor the river is up on previous weeks and a little turbid but passable. I end up crossing and scrambling up a stream to find the old route up valley I followed a few weeks back. The blue triangles run out pretty quickly but I manage to follow the faint trail until the approaching twilight dictates it's time to find  a spot to camp.

This is the first use of my new DD Hammocks fly - it's light-weight and an odd size (plenty long enough but only 1.5m wide).  It takes a while to sort out and in the end was pitched pretty badly, but the threatened rain doesn't eventuate and the southerly blasts over the tree tops far above so I'm comfortable.

Day two - the short day (campsite just off screen, bottom left)

In the morning I follow, lose and find the old path until it deposits me on a low terrace and disappears completely. It's easy going following the river and crossing terraces, the only tricky thing is keeping an eye out to pick where to leave the river to pick up a couple of spot-heights (452 and 480). Both turn out to be relatively straight-forward but as the valley tightens, care needs to be taken not to get caught on a terrace with a high bank above the river.

Morning in the forest

Random slip and flats (looking down river)

Old fire place on one of the terraces

I thumb my way up the map to the bend with a large marked slip on the true right, north of Kelleher Creek. On approach though, it turns out that the river has carved a new course across the large terrace (the online map is also out of date) - this causes a little disassociation, but is quickly worked through. The new course has a massive log dam to negotiate.

On the far side, four deer and three goats are grazing the flats and take a while to notice my approach. Soon after, Mid-Otaki hut is basking on an immaculately grazed lawn in the hot sun.

Halfway through the log jamb - tiny, tiny deer in the background

It's a tidy wee hut with two beds and double opening doors. A picnic table outside is a good spot for a pause to study the map and have a midday snack. It's been a great wander up the river - easy going and beautiful bush.

Mid-Otaki Hut

I've worked out a complicated route to link spot heights on three consecutive spurs to ultimately arrive at Dracophyllum Knob (and hut) on the main range.

595 requires a steep scramble up from the river to a flat top then a down-slope bash to an unnamed creek and a pause for camembert, fruit bread and a squash of very nice christmas cake. The rain briefly washes through.

580 is a mucky scramble to a small saddle then a short climb to the knob. A light shower passes through but is not entirely sure it wants to stop.  The wind is whipping through overhead.

The short drop from 580 to Puketoro stream marks the start of the proper climb. There is surprisingly little ground trail. The rain holds off and the temperature stays high.  It's a familiar uphill grind with trails coming and going.  There are some interesting clearings and flat spots around 958 then a final climb to the hut. It's hot and sunny when I arrive at the top around 4pm.

South down main range from Dracophyllum

East to Carkeek Ridge - high point is probably Carkeek

North East - Pukematawai on horizon

I'm a little worried that the two bedder will be full of Te Araroa walkers but hopeful that my early arrival will secure me a bed. There is one chap there who is getting ready to leave - I make encouraging noises about Nichols hut not being so far away - he needs no convincing as there are a bunch of his mates already there and shots off with the parting remark that there may be three more following him. He has come up from the Outdoor Pursuits centre this morning so has put in a solid day already - I find out later that his knick name is 'Rocket' - very apt.

With a stake safely claimed on the top bunk I while away the afternoon drying soggy gear in the sun and sending a few texts. The log book is about 90% TA walkers.

A couple of TA walkers turn up later in the afternoon - he introduces himself as Prancer and she says I can call her Natalie but her 'trail name' is Toothpaste.  It seems that the TA walkers are trying to create a tradition of knick names although are finding that Kiwis are not so quick to take to the idea.

As the shadows lengthen the strong southerly sees the temperature drop rapidly and we're all a bit chilled when we finally climb into bed. Three bodies in the small hut make it reasonably cosy though.  Fortunately, the third possible companion must have stayed at Te Matawai hut as it would have been a bit of a stretch to fit him in.

Day three (or most of it)

Thursday morning is wet and windy.  The clag around the hills is high and there are glimpses of a dusting of snow on the highest peaks. I'm up and out first at 0800, heading north towards Butcher's Knob. The aim this morning is to drop into the Park River and climb the opposite side to Carkeek. The upper Park is a lovely glacial U but the route I am looking at is further down where it starts to turn gorgish.

Snow on Pukematawai, cloud on Carkeek

A short way up the range there are two knobs just south of Butcher's Knob and on the northern of these there is an inexplicable cairn by the track as it sidles below the knob.  I take this as a sign that there is a route down a steep spur into the valley.  This turns out to be mostly true. 

The glaciated form of the upper Park Valley

I can't see a foot trail but the spur is negotiable until near the bottom where it steepens and a fair amount of trial and error is required to find a way down through some impressive bluffs - not for the faint-hearted. I would suggest veering left towards the bottom of the spur.

At this point the Park River is small and clear, the stones are lethally slippery though from the light morning rain. At the Thompson Stream forks there's a pool and the valley ahead starts changing from bush-clad gorge to scrubby glacial U. Time to regroup for the climb.

Thompson - Park forks

Down stream - you don't want to come down some of those bluffs

I'm hoping that this is an obvious route up to the peak but discover no real sign that anyone else has had the same thought. It's a steep climb through unrelenting scrub - nothing for it but to sweat and swear my way upwards.

The spur is like a hip jointed roof - the climb up the hip to the ridge line of the roof is scrubby and tough but once on the flat top the going is easy with a strong game trail.  The spur then climbs steeply through more open vegetation to Carkeek (1435m). Wee patches of snow start appearing in the last 150m and the wind carries more. This is supposed to be mid summer!

It's cold on Carkeek so I take a bearing and head off - taking great care not to wander onto a spur in the murk. It soon becomes quite sharp and easy to follow with some impressive erosion towers and shutes plunging into the Waiohine 400m below to the east.

Although there is a bit of foot trail and the odd cairn, this certainly feels like one of the most isolated parts of the range.  There's a lot of ridges and river systems between here and the coast in the west and the Wairarapa in the east.  It's a reminder to be careful although not paranoid.

The ridge runs up and down but is easy to follow - Carkeek hut is just inside the bush line and is visible from quite a distance above but disappears as you approach until you are right on it. There's some ominous bits of mangled helicopter as you round a corner and suddenly there it is. 

Carkeek Hut

A standard six bunker it is light and cheerful. I head down to bag spot-height 1080 which is in beautiful goblin forest.  The track down to Park/Waiohine forks appears well traveled and marked. It's about 1.30.

Pt 1080

Back at the hut, lunch of camembert and fruit bread satisfies the inner man. A map check confirms the next steps and reminds me that there is a spot-height hovering off the side of the ridge that I meant to pick up (1212) - fortunately it is on my way back to 1285 for the route down.  It would have been a bit of a self inflicted disaster to miss it.

Looking west from pt 1212 - across the main range

North east from pt 1212 - towards Carkeek

The rest of day three

The spur running SSE from 1285 provides good travel down and has some markers. There are no real problems although some fairly steep bits. At a little before 4pm the Waiohine River is clear and it is tempting to follow up to its headwaters but my route is up a spur from a side creek to Dorset ridge. This is apparently an old cullers route and I do see some old permolat markers but little ground trail. It is another steep climb but much easier than the one out of the Park. In places there's a lot of cutty grass under a relatively sparse and low canopy.

Spur up to Dorset

The wind is cold and strong at the top so I take a bearing and head off for Dorset Ridge Hut - in retrospect I should have traveled further SW along the ridge as I ended up sidling through some roughish tussock country before finding a good foot trail down to the hut.

Peering through rain spattered glasses I try to see if there is smoke coming from the chimney and half hope there is (a warm hut) and there isn't (solitude). The latter is the case - I light a fire, spread through the hut and take stock. 

Dorset Hut

It's a six bunker but a closed in porch has provided a really useful extension. It provides a very comfortable night and some of my gear even gets relatively dry.

The start of day four

In the morning I don't rush so it's almost 8am when I drop down the spur to Dorset Creek. The track is reasonably well marked and traveled but in some ways a little tricky - it could just be the misting rain but I find myself slipping and sliding a fair amount.

Dorset Creek a little under an hour later is beautiful - deep clear pools and carved rock. There are a few challenging little scrambles but overall it's good travel.  At the selected confluence I scramble up to spot-height 830 (nothing to see here) then drop to the unnamed creek for a steep scramble to 1118. As expected there is no sign that anyone would bother to follow this route.

Dorset Creek

At 1118 I join the quite well traveled route down to the Waiohine/Dorset forks - I'm intending to head down to point 912. Plan A had me continuing down to the river and back up to Shingle Slip Knob via 1145.  I decide to pull the plug on this as I figure this will likely have me bivvying on the steep spur or the tops.

The route down to pt 912 is what you would expect from looking at the map. From there it's back up to McGregor Biv for a late lunch around 2.30.  Both the tops and the valley floor are in clag so there isn't much to see but it's pleasant in the middle and not cold.  The wind has dropped right away.

Bushline and cloud line looking down spur near McGregor Biv

McGregor Biv

The next goal is the Broken Axe Pinnacles. I have read about them and am aware that there is a snow poled sidle route around the steepest section.  However, someone has put a spot-height on top of one of them so I see no choice but to go over the top all the way.

McGregor is one of the +1500m peaks in the Tararuas - I've been here before and in the absence of a view merely pause to text confirmation of continued existence to home command.

McGregor

The pinnacles emerge, one by one from the clag and it's easy but careful work to follow along the spine. An unmissable DOC sign indicates the sidle route - there are pretty clear indications that people have been over the top though so I'm pretty comfortable following suit. It would probably be more scary on a clear day and it isn't really until the last wee scramble down to the ridge line that I feel that there is any real challenge (someone with a shorter wheelbase may have more trouble). It's about 4pm as I turn my back to head towards the Kings.

The first of the pinnacles

And the next, and ...

Looking back at the last - note bypass sign at base

Just below South King I'm back on familiar turf for the 800m drop via the well named Baldy to the saddle below.  Somewhere en route I figure that I can either put the hammer down and maybe get out tonight or will have to find a source of water and campout.

Last day

Pinnacle ridge is very nicely tracked and marked so I can rocket along as best as aching legs allow. At 846 I'm back into new territory for the crossing from one ridge to the next via a saddle, however it is still well marked and travelled. At 862 I divert NNE to pick up a spot height at 800 - there is an old trail with little marking and a bit overgrown, but a mostly discernible foot trail that sidles to the east of the ridge.

The race with daylight is now on. The track makes a short climb through clearings to Pinnacle itself. On the way up I startle a couple of kereru stooging about on the ground - I can't see I've seen them doing this before.

At the top I stop to not look at the non-existent view and to call brother number one ascertaining that, yes he is available for a pick up and we reckon I'm about an hour out (all going well). There has also apparently been a SAR call out in the Holdsworth area - a group of three lost on a trip to Rocky Lookout - given the highway nature of the tracks you have to admire the determination that must have been involved to get mislaid.

The track down continues to be well formed and marked albeit somewhat slippery.  It is a well used predator control route with a virtual museum of trap types.

The track eventually emerges at the top of a large slip near Donnelly Flats (about 8.30pm) then works its way down the true left. It's getting quite dim in the trees but I'm determined not to stop to hunt at a light. The track parallels the river sidling up and down and along terraces. Eventually it pops out right beside the main foot bridge over the Atiwhakatu. 

A few minutes later - just before 9pm I'm at the carpark and meet bro number who one has kitted up and is just about to head out and miss me completely by heading up the main track to Donnelly Flat. Apparently the missing party managed to self extract with the help of the DOC ranger and were currently taking a member to hospital with a strained back.

I relax into the car seat and take an inventory - being out for four days has meant double the number of the usual minor injuries including a hole rubbed in one leg by the gaiters, a large bruise on the bum, a weepy eye from a stick poke and diverse other knicks and bruises. Nothing that a hot bath won't fix.

I thought that sit down was a bit hard

Postscript

A lot of ticks in boxes this trip.

• Oriwa ridge is enjoyable jaunt - long and a few challenges but nowhere near as tedious as expected.
• The wander up the Otaki river is pleasant culminating in Mid-Otaki hut.
• Now that I have a an idea about the eastern spurs onto the main range I would be pretty confident about tackling most of them (some of the headwater ones could be a bit scrubby though). 
• Caution is warranted dropping into the Park Valley, the spurs are steep and can bluff out.
• Some challenging scrub on the spur I choose to get on to Carkeek Ridge - I think there is a more travelled route further down valley.
• Carkeek Ridge is isolated and has dramatic views. Would like to see it without the cloud. The hut looks like a good spot and has some of the mossiest goblin forest - sort of like a green bouncy castle. The spur to Waiohine is navigable and been used before.
• The spur up to Dorset is apparently an old route - not a lot of indications left but perfectly fine.  The hut is aways off the ridge and is a perfectly fine retreat. The route down to Dorset Creek is marked and navigable. The Creek itself is right nice.
• Spurs below McGregor Biv have good marking on the main route to the Dorset/Waiohine forks. The other spurs not so much.
• Broken Axe Pinnacles - not as scary as I was expecting. 
• Pinnacle Ridge was a delight, again. Pinnacle is a nice jaunt and route to the road end. 

Gear - The Tararuas are always dishing up weather lessons. The forecast was accurate enough but snow in summer!? I decided to take a lighter rain jacket and this was fine. The DD Hammock's fly is light, small and useful but the width demands careful pitching.

The pack explodes in the sun