The Tararuas - Days 69 - 73

Day 69 (4 December)

Makahika Outdoor Pursuits Centre to Te Matawai Hut (18km)

Well today we head into the Tararuas proper. This area is notorious for being one of the most dangerous areas in New Zealand for tramping. While not overly high, changeable weather, unseasonal snow etc and strong gales and exposed ridges conspire to challenge trampers and frequently, unfortunately, claim lives.

Before leaving we checked the forecast and while it is good for today it is marginal tomorrow then clearing the next day before deteriorating again for a few days. So seems we might have a narrow albeit marginal window to get through here before it goes really bad.

After getting a ride back to Makahika, Robin and I leave with our packs at the turn-off to the track and return to the Outdoor Pursuits Centre and walk back from there. Again, the anal purist not wishing to skip the 4km!

This morning, yesterday’s seediness has deteriorated to a full-on gastro situation so unfortunately multiple stops for that (I probably don’t need to provide too much detail!!). Needless to say, this has both caused me to shun food and sapped my energy a bit, probably not the best condition to be starting this section in.

After the road walk back to the trail start and collecting packs the trail crosses a wet boggy farm which ensures the day commences with muddy wet feet and a fair bit of cow shit just to ensure the aroma of shoes is enhanced!

After leaving the farm the trail climbed steeply for about 5km which took a bit over three hours, an indication of how it was a pretty tough it was.

The bush was stunning and again I continued to appreciate how lucky we are in New Zealand to have such unspoilt bush available to us.

While it became a bit cloudy and drizzly the weather generally held and late afternoon I arrived at the Te Matawai Hut.

I was continuing to feel pretty seedy but having mixed a few Imodium pills with the ibuprofen and a double dose of antibiotic I figured it would be Wellington before I needed a toilet again. If you’re asking why a double dose of the antibiotic, the reason was they were some knock-off ones I had purchased in Nepal and left over so I figured they might not be as effective as the real unexpired thing so doubled up on them!

Unfortunately I was also not feeling like food which I knew was an issue as I needed the energy especially as the forecast for tomorrow had deteriorated a bit and it was likely tomorrow may be pretty tough.

The weather continued to deteriorate during the evening with heavy rain and some wind although we were below the bush line and sheltered so difficult to tell howe it would be once you got to the tops.

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Day 70 (5 December)

Te Matawai Hut to Nichols Hut (14km) – An horrendous day!!

Not many (actually only two) photos today for reasons that will become apparent in the following.

Woke to heavy rain but like last night where the hut was located not particularly windy so difficult to tell how it would be once I got up on the tops.

Still feeling pretty crap and was a bit slow this morning so followed Charlie and Dave out of the Hut with the others behind me.

Start of the day before the storm hit

The day started with a 1.5Haka (500m) climb to the ridge line, known colloquially as the Tararua tops. Unfortunately there was a real storm brewing and the rain was coming at me horizontally, in fact at time it was rising up the ridge so as a first I had rain coming from both above and below.

One of the issues with doing the TA is your gear is all a bit of compromise. Frankly up here you need boots and decent rain gear together with more layers than I have. Rather than carry my good Gore-Tex shell all the way I’d settled on a lightweight rain jacket. It was supposedly waterproof and had performed reasonably well in light rain but up here soon proved to be insufficient with me becoming wet to the skin. Once this happened I became very aware of the dangers of hypothermia and kept moving along at a pace hat ensured I remained warm(ish). Largely for this I can thank my trusty old fleece which has kept me warm over the years in numerous bad situations. It even worked in snow at 18,000ft when I decided to get to the Tibetan border in shorts! So hopefully will be good today.

This first section whilst pretty cold and treacherous was not un-enjoyable. The wind was strong but you could walk in it and the ridges were sufficiently wide there was little chance of being blown over and falling. It did, however, confirm some of the tales you hear about the Tararuas.

As this went on however and the weather continued to deteriorate I started to realise i needed to take real care, both to ensure I didn’t fall or get blown off one of the ridges and also ensuring I kept going hard enough to remain warm and not risk hypothermia. Above the bush line now I was also keeping an eye for routes back down to ensure I had a “plan b” should it become untenable to carry on.

After a couple of hours Robin caught up with me, I’d spotted her a hundred or so metres behind during the climb, and we decided to walk together for safety. Despite having a better coat than me, she was very cold, and I was a little concerned for her.

About 12.30 we arrived at Dracophyllum Hut about 12.30pm, this is a two bunk DOC hut and decided to stop for a quick hot drink and some food. This was probably a good idea but it also meant we got very cold (by this stage being as wet under our coats as outside). I did consider staying here as the weather continued to deteriorate but after a hot drink and a bit to eat (I was still off my food so just a boiled egg for me) decided it best we continue on especially as I knew there were potentially five others following who might need to stay here.

Just as were packing up Silus and Rose arrived so we said a quick hi and headed off back into the storm.

By this stage the rain was torrential (periodically turning to hail) and the wind was blowing perhaps 50knots gusting to 70 or more. In the gusts you needed to stop and crouch or crawl on all fours otherwise risking being blown off the side of the ridge. Staying warm in this was a challenge as it was impossible to maintain a decent pace.

For periods after Draco we were either on the sheltered side of the ridges or just below the bush line which did make it viable to keep moving forward.

The route on the tops was marked using waratah standards with orange tops which were generally quite easy to see from each other so reduced the risks of getting in the wrong trail. In the bush it was a different matter as with the numbers of tree fall the track markers were very hard to spot and we did get lost several times. The issue with this being each time we stopped to check the GPS you could feel your temperature dropping and needed to get moving again.

The one time we got lost on the ridge was at a point that two ridges met and the trail followed neither, it went straight over the ridge into the bush below. We took a while to sort this out as there was no obvious trail, it was only upon looking at the elevation chart on Guthook and looking at the contours carefully it became apparent we should have been headed down not up as we were. Reading maps was challenging as everything was dripping wet (including my glasses) and fingers were so waterlogged using a touchscreen was nigh on impossible.

The final time we lost the trail below the bush line I decided to head straight back to the ridge above us where the trail ran. On leaving the bush I was hit by what was the strongest wind yet and forced to spend a fair bit of the next half hour or so on all fours.

Finally, after nearly three hours we reached the turn-off to Nicholls hut. The trail to the hut supposedly follows a water course down the hill with the hut about 200m off the track. Unfortunately, the day had not yet stopped giving as the track was now a sort of waterfall and the 200m took ten minutes. I must say there was real relief when the hut finally appeared.

Nichols hut is a six-bunk hut and on entering there were already six there. Charlie and Dave had made it an hour or so ahead of Robin and I and the other four were trampers who had sheltered there from the day prior. One (had a badly hurt knee so was waiting for the weather to clear before activating his locator beacon to get a chopper ride out.

A soon as we stopped walking you could feel your body temperature drop and, frankly modesty went out the window as you stripped off all the wet gear (which was everything) and got dry clothes on. Due to the compromises of the TA I only had a tee shirt and puffer jacket left dry but fortunately given I’d managed to stay pretty warm through the afternoon was soon warm. Robin on the other had had gotten quite cold and took a good hour to warm up in her sleeping bag.

About an hour after our arrival Silas and Rose appeared at the door, like us cold and wet. Given it was now starting to get pretty dim we thought that would be last of the group from last night to arrive here, believing that Ken, Susan and Bruce would have stopped at Draco Hut. You can imagine everyone’s surprise when not long before dark Bruce arrived. Surprisingly while he was tired, he was not as wet as everyone else largely due to the poncho he wore that covered both him and his pack.

The hut now had had 11 occupants and 11 sets of clothing hanging from rope and string running across it at various angles. Remembering this hut is only the size of an average bedroom it can be imagined how crowded it was. There was only room for a couple of people at a time to stand up and get food etc and the sleeping arrangements allowed each person half of a single mattress to sleep on.

The one benefit of being crowed in was despite there being no wood for the wood burner it was very warm, in fact during the night it became oppressively hot.

Still off my food, I forced down a dehydrated meal and was asleep pretty early. Sleeping was fitful as being so crowded every time the person beside you moved you woke as invariably you were nudged or shaken. For most of the night the hut was lashed with wind and rain which added to the difficulty sleeping.

On reflection this was a pretty hairy day, although at no stage did I feel it was getting out of control it was character building. It is days like this that really test you and make the TA the adventure it is.

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Day 71 (6 December)

Nichols Hut to Waitewaewae Hut (11km)

Woke in the somewhat clammy confines of the hut with 10 others all crowded into six bunks. Outside the day couldn’t have been more different to yesterday (or for that matter most of the night), clear blue sky, very little wind but still quite cool.

The day commenced with the rescue helicopter arriving to pick up Marty. He was planning on activating his PLB to summons them but had told his wife last night by Satellite message so she wasn’t alarmed when they contacted her. She had used a bit of initiative and rung the rescue people and arranged for the chopper to arrive at first light. This caught him pretty unawares and there was a mad scrabble as he packed up to go with them.

Chopper arriving to get Marty

Hard to believe but 11 of us stayed here last night

Everything that was wet when we arrived (which was everything) was still wet in the morning, just a bit smellier! So after waving goodbye to Marty (that chopper did look enticing, presumably they have meal service en route) I got into the wet stuff and headed out. Given the weather it didn’t take long to both warm up and start to dry out.

The waterfall down to the hut yesterday was a watercourse with a gently flow of water today so the climb back to the ridge was without any difficulty. Really hard to believe this is the same place as yesterday.

The trail today climbs to the top of Mt Crawford then drops down to the Waitewaewae Hut. My original plan was to do a really long day today and go further than Waitewaewae today probably to Otaki Falls and hence make Waikanae tomorrow. After yesterday’s big effort and seeing how slow some of the progress here is I decided to make today a shorter and slightly more restful day.

The climb to top of Mt Crawford took less than two hours which seemed pretty good given it was pretty steep in places and required clambering up a number of sheer faces. There were many places where a foot misplaced would definitely end in tears or worse.

All the way to the summit and once there the views were glorious! This is what we missed while fighting the storm yesterday. It really is hard to believe it it’s the same place.

One interesting thing was a large worm on the track. When I first saw it there was about three inches out of a hole. I grabbed hold of it and pulled it right out and was astounded that it was about a foot in length overall. Interestingly I left it there and Ken and Susan who passed by here late in the day reported it was still alive on the track when they passed by.

Robin, Bruce and I at the summit

After the summit there was a long descent of over 1100m to Waitewaewae hut which took over four hours. Robin, Bruce and I did this together and all agreed the descent seemed interminable. By the time we finally got to the bottom knees were feeling the pain.

Waitewaewae hut is quite new and sleeps about 16 although only seven of us this evening. Getting there mid afternoon gave me an opportunity to empty my pack completely and dry gear out from yesterday.

Finally, after four days or so, I’m starting to feel like food again and enjoyed a good meal followed by chocolate and gummy bears!

Day 72 (7 December)

Waitewaewae Hut to Parawai Lodge (11km)

Now before I start this, I want to dispel any assumptions that today I’m “glamping” and going to stay the night in a “lodge” something like Huka Lodge or the likes. Today’s destination is called a lodge but is actually a local tramping club hut and while I’d love to think I’d be met by a French accented doorman and escorted to my room by an English butler it is more a case of drop wet gear at the door, remove muddy shoes and socks and pick the least mouldy of the mattresses for the night.

Today started wet, again, hence undoing the gains I’d made drying stuff overnight! At least down here in the bush it wasn’t windy.

Being back on food again I’m feeling full of energy which is great after a rough few days

The track out today follows a new route due to a major slip having made the old track impassable. It started with a long uphill section then was either flat or downhill for the balance of the day.

Seems while the new route misses the slips it doesn’t miss fallen trees and the morning was punctuated by clambering through large fallen trees or trying to find a way past them either climbing above or below. Nothing is an easy option in torrential rain and carry packs. This did make the going pretty slow and we were only moving at a little over 1km/hr.

The usual New Zealand bush areas of mud in some places knee deep. Something the TA has taught me is it’s pointless trying to avoid the mud, best to just plough on forward and keep moving, even if you can skip around most of the mud eventually there is an area you can’t avoid and either way the day finishes with muddy feet.

There were numerous stream crossings, most pretty simple but, with the heavy rain, three that were character building. One especially was not to be toyed with but Robin and I managed to get safely across all of them.

After the final stream the trail joins an old logging railway (again thanks so much to those old loggers of the late 1800/early 1900’s). Finally, we can revert to normal hiking speed from Tararua speed.

After following the side of a hill above the Otaki River and crossing one area where the track showed signs of starting to fall away, we were on a large flat area with the GPS showing the hut being only 200m to the west. Unfortunately, it was not visible and after walking in a large circle it became apparent that there were two levels of the plateau and the hut was somewhere below us. At one stage, believing we’d found the correct route, Robin even left an arrow made of flowers to assist anyone following us. I’m not sure anyone saw this as it seems we were the only ones who got hopelessly lost at this point.

Eventually we did find the hut/lodge and given we were again wet to the core and it had a working fire box and wood it was a welcome sight.

The “lodge”

More wet gear to dry!

Later that evening Ken and Susan arrived. We’d not seen them since setting off into the Tararuas. They had wisely stopped at Draco hut in the storm then the next day not quite made it to Waitewaewae so had camped in the bush and finally caught up with us tonight. Like all of us they were wet and glad of a warm dry hut for the night. There was much joviality with them joining us.

Silas and Rose had pretty much run out of food and gas so everyone gave them any surplus we had, given we will be back in civilisation tomorrow.

As a group we decided to walk the road way out to Waikanae due to the ongoing bad weather. The only issue being there was a notice in the hut advising the road out as closed to walkers due to an “active slip”.

In the group there were varying levels of concern regarding this ranging from Ken and I who saw it as probably a H&S over-reaction covering someone’s backside and it would all be ok through to Bruce who was very concerned.

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Day 73 (8 December)

Parawai Lodge to Waikanae(30km)

Awake at 5.30 and everyone in the hut quite cheerful and chatty with the anticipation of rejoining civilisation after nearly a week out.

Wet clothes again and there is a distinct smell of wet dog following me around. If everyone else didn’t smell the same it might be a bit awkward but frankly we’re all in the same boat.

Silus, Susan and I all have very sore shins, I’m presuming tendonitis from the road walking between Whanganui and Palmerston. As a consequence though the Voltaren gel and ibuprofen are in demand. I’m sure there’s a side hussle of selling this stuff at huts, perhaps getting the DOC concession for Voltaren vending machines in huts!

Departed in drizzly rain again although it does look like its clearing. When we got to the slip it was underwhelming. Frankly if it wasn’t for the signage we could have wandered past barely noticing. So another case of Health and Safety leading the way. Despite our having battled across the Tararuas with sheer drops and inclement weather etc. it seems once back in civilisation the tolerance for risk plummets.

The rest of the road walk was pretty mundane. Most of the others decided to get rides in one form or another while Robin, Silus and I chose to remain purists and walk.

There was one long section on the shoulder of SH1 which was not at all enjoyable and felt a little dangerous. Robin and I deviated off this onto an unfinished service road and were accosted by the construction guys telling us it was unsafe as there were some culverts that had yet to have handrails fitted. Now to put it into perspective these culverts were about a metre high. I suggested to the guy that walking on SH1 was significantly more dangerous, he accepted this but was obviously in a quandary as rules are rules and he was there to enforce them. We resolved it with me agreeing that if one of us did fall off a culvert the other would drag him/her onto the highway and claim it was a car that did it.

Finally arrived in Waikanae and we made a beeline for the first pub/restaurant we could find, only to be greeted by Ken and Susan who had been picked up by a friend and had stopped there on the way to Wellington for a few days R&R.

Ken recommended the brisket burger which turned out to be the biggest burger I’ve encountered. Testimony to hunger you get is that to the amazement of the guys at the

adjoining table I, like Ken, demolished it!