Windy Tops

Tag: tramping

  • Trip: Ohau, Dundas, Ruapae, Puketurua

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    Craig emerging from
    Ngapuketurua (with a slight
    vegetation problem).

    We were supposed to be walking through rivers all weekend according to the original plan, but the weather was so good that we just couldn’t help ourselves, and ended up on the tops. Eventually, we found ourselves moving very slowly thanks to some very overgrown ridges.

    Dates: 30th November – 2nd December, 2007
    Location: Tararua Forest Park, Poads Road to Mangahao Dam.
    People: John, Paul, Craig and me.
    Huts visited: Te Matawai Hut (0 nights), Arete Biv (0 nights), Dundas Hut (1 night).
    Huts seen: Herepai Hut.
    Initial intended route: Begin at Poads Road, wander up the South Ohau River to the old site of South Ohau Hut, wander up past Te Matawai, then down the Mangahao River to Mangahao Flats Hut, and out via the Dam.
    Actual route: With some really good weather, we went from Te Matawai Hut up to Arete, over to Dundas, from West Peak to East Peak, then around the ridge to Ngapuketurua, north-east along the ridge, and down the Puketurua Track to the dam.
    [Photos]

    This post is a trip report. You can find other trip reports about other places linked from the Trip Reports Page, or by browsing the Trip Reports Category.

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  • Trip: Cone, Alpha, Quoin, Eastern Hutt

    Going tramping on a trip organised by Sam is quite a lot of fun. Generally you end up setting something on fire.

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    Sam collecting water
    on Bull Mound

    This weekend we went for a trip into one of Wellington’s two main water catchment areas. For some confusing reason, the Tararuas were in the middle of experiencing several very fine days in a row, which perhaps makes the trip quite rare.

    Dates: 16th-18th November, 2007
    Location: Tararua Forest Park, Walls Whare Road-End.
    People: Sam, Marie, Eddie, Lee (a friend of Sam’s visiting from the Otago Uni Tramping Club), and me.
    Huts visited: Cone Hut (0 nights), Alpha Hut (1 night), Eastern Hutt Hut (0 nights).
    Intended route: Begin at Walls Whare, walk via Cone Hut up to Alpha, continue along Quoin Ridge down the spur, and out via Pakuratahi Forks.
    Actual route: Similar until Quoin Ridge, at which point we split up. Marie and Lee continued down the ridge and ended up drowning (accidentally) in the Western Hutt River. The rest of us followed a spur to the Eastern Hutt River.
    [Photos]

    This post is a trip report. You can find other trip reports about other places linked from the Trip Reports Page, or by browsing the Trip Reports Category.

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  • Trip: Paua Hut (and juggling)

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    Approaching a dodgier part
    of Browns’ Track.

    This weekend, Stacey and I joined a short (easy-rated) WTMC weekend walk to Paua Hut and back. Many people on the trip had a higher than average interest in juggling, which meant that this trip doubled as a juggling trip, whatever that amounts to.

    Dates: 3rd – 4th November, 2007
    Location: Rimutaka Forest Park
    Huts visited: Paua Hut (1 night).
    People: Bronwyn, Stacey, Sally, Danielle, Danniel, Chris, Andy, Harry, Geraldine, Gail, Deborah, and me.
    [Photos]

    I think the basic plan was to walk for a few hours towards Paua Hut, learn to juggle, and walk back again.

    This post is a trip report. You can find other trip reports about other places linked from the Trip Reports Page, or by browsing the Trip Reports Category.

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  • Trip: Doubtful Hut, Lake Man Biv, Top Hope, Hope Halfway Shelter

    This trip was a while ago now (last Easter), but I never wrote a trip report about it at the time. I thought I might try to document some of it now while it’s still in my memory.

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    Lunch at Lake Man Biv

    Dates: 6th – 9th April, 2007
    Location: Lake Sumner Conservation Park.
    People: Dirk, Dave C, Emile, Dave J, Justin, Dave B, Paul, Lisa, Kathryn, and me.
    Huts visited: Doubtful Hut (0 nights), Lake Man Biv (0 nights), Top Hope Hut (1 night camping), Saint Jacobs Hut (0 nights), Hope Halfway Shelter (1 night, camping).
    Intended route: Walk west along Doubtful River towards Doubtful Hut, up a spur and sidle around a bit to Lake Man Biv, over a convenient saddle in the Doubtful Range, then south-ish down a spur on the other side to Pussy Stream. Turn west at the junction with Hope River to Top Hope Hut. Visit nearby hot pools (half an hours walk further west), then head east and south-east along Hope River, past Saint Jacobs’ Hut. Continue along the river to Hope Halfway Shelter, then back to the road. (And walk or hitch several kms back up the road to collect the van.) This route is approximately the same as one that’s currently promoted on the DOC website.
    [Photos]

    This post is a trip report. You can find other trip reports about other places linked from the Trip Reports Page, or by browsing the Trip Reports Category.

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  • Nice panoramas

    I managed to get a couple of nice panoramas on last weekend’s trip, both on Sunday morning. They’ve been stitched using hugin, which I’m just now starting to learn how to use. The first shows a very snow-covered Ruapehu on the far left. (Click through to larger versions.)

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    1540641405_437cf50030-5934540

  • Trip: Purity, Pourangaki, Kelly Knight

    I’d seen some weather maps during the Friday afternoon before we left on this trip, suggesting that a massive splodge of rain was heading for the approximate area of the central North Island. This was to be my first attempt at a club trip rated as medium-fit, and I had completely forgotten to bring my umbrella. How embarrassing. I wasn’t the worst off, though. Alistair forgot to bring his shorts.

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    Dates: 5th – 7th October, 2007
    Location: Ruahine Forest Park, Purity Road-End.
    People: Captain (and gourmet chef) Alistair, Dirk, Paul and meeeee.
    Huts visited: Purity Hut (0 nights), Pourangaki Hut (1 night), Kelly Knight Hut (0 nights).
    Intended route: Camp at the Purity road-end on Friday night, then walk up past Purity Hut, Wooden Peg and Iron Peg. Turn South-East and carry on to Ohuinga, then head North down Broken Ridge, ending at Waterfall Hut for Saturday night. On Sunday, head up to Mangaweka via Trig Creek, back past Iron Peg and Wooden Peg, Purity Hut, and then out.
    Actual route: Similar initially, but due to some weather issues we picked up the track down a spur about half way between Iron Peg and Ohuinga, to Pourangaki Hut. On Sunday, we continued along the track up over Pourangaki, and down to Kelly Knight Hut for lunch, then back to the Purity road-end.
    Electric shocks: One.
    [Photos]

    There was no rain at all as it turned out, but the wind was a huge factor.

    This post is a trip report. You can find other trip reports about other places linked from the Trip Reports Page, or by browsing the Trip Reports Category.

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  • A dusty evening

    Well last night I went to clean the remaining dirt of my shoes from a couple of weekends ago, and it was challenging to say the least. It probably wouldn’t have been so bad if it hadn’t been necessary to walk through a bog (thanks, Cows) to get back to the van. As it happened, I could have made good use of a chisel. The calm, evening air made for a very dusty time when wiping the dirt off, but I finally got it to the point where I could put a bit mroe wax stuff on them.

    It’s back to the Tararuas tonight. The plan is to leave Wellington about 5.30pm and walk to Field Hut tonight. Tomorrow we’ll make our way towards Kime, and head down Tregear Ridge, camp somewhere on Saturday night, and make our way back to Otaki Forks on Sunday.

  • Trip: Te Matawai Hut via Deception Spur

    The muddiest part of this trip might have been the first 10 minutes scrambling through the Moo paddock in the dark, as we made our way to the Tararuas entrance from Poads Road. Given that it was lined with an un-advertised electric fence, Enrique even managed to get shocked several times as he tripped and grabbed the fence, before he realised what was happening.

    Dates: 7th – 9th September, 2007
    Location: Tararua Forest Park, Ohau Region.
    People: Alistair, Dirk, Enrique, and me.
    Huts visited: Te Matawai Hut (1 night).
    Intended route: Poads Road to Ohau River via Ohau Gorge, up Deception Spur to 865 metres, down to Girdlestone Saddle, then along the track to Te Matawai Hut, along Yeates Track to South Ohau river, back to the base of Deception Spur (via river), then out to Poads Road via river and track.
    Electric shocks: 3.
    [Photos]

    This was a medium-rated navigation trip with the Wellington Tramping & Mountaineering Club, and it was my first time back in the Tararuas since returning from overseas.

    This post is a trip report. You can find other trip reports about other places linked from the Trip Reports Page, or by browsing the Trip Reports Category.

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  • Trip: Cattle Creek Hut

    Windy windy windy.

    Dates: 17th – 19th August, 2007
    Location: Ruahine Forest Park
    Huts visited: Stanfield Hut (0 nights), Cattle Creek Hut (1 night).
    People: Darren, Alex, Clinton, Matt, Michael, Patrick and Meeeee.
    [Photos]

    I think I probably ate something bad for lunch on the Friday that we left. All of that afternoon I had a headache, and this became a bit more of an issue when I got sick at 10.30pm Friday night after setting up my tent fly in the campground 200 metres from the Tamaki West road-end. Fortunately for me, though, I began to feel quite a lot better after that.

    This post is a trip report. You can find other trip reports about other places linked from the Trip Reports Page, or by browsing the Trip Reports Category.

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