Ōhau - Mangahao - Tawhirikohukohu

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OHAU = MANGAHAO - TANHIRIKOHUKOHU. The trip to the Pipe Bridge could occupy several volumes of psychological research on nervous reactions to an uncontrollable force but to cut a short story shorter we eventually arrived. We finally persuaded everybody else to put away their knitting and then found oursclves in the fast pack on our way to the hut. We found the track without too much trouble and the hut without too much time lost in falling into mud holes and climbing up eroded banks. Already in oceupa tion were two school boys sucking murderous looking pipes and after some hilarity we went to sleep to the sound of heavy rain on the roof. Saturday dawned as Saturdays will and with it the friendly patter of rain. Our leader, B.O'D., unearthed his nose from his pronounced the weather inclement, and called the trip and loudly for food. So did we poh2 but with much less response. We finally resigned ourselves to eating Titch's food but he wouldn't co-operate so in the end we ate our ownafter some exciting games with a definite ma thematical limitation. After breakfast it was afternoon and since the rest of the party had left us to go their various wayawe, Bill, Titch, Hori and I, decided to cross over to the Mangahao via Girdlestone Saddle, With the time at about one we headed up strean for South Ohau, The river was low, the rain had long since ceased, we had maps and compass and if Barrie was right still some distance to goo However Titch shot a deer at South Ohau and ran a goat down so that we spent some time there - in fact it was late afternoon when we started up stream to the saddle. As for most parts of the Tararuas the mep is not accurate. We passed a sizeable stream on the true right not long after lcaving South Ohau Hut. It is not marked on the map. At the next forks there is a disc to guide the way and at the final forks an arrow is extrenely helpful. But even if we had missed the arrow we soon found the waterfall correctly this timel placed on the map. If you tramp right up to the fall you are confronted with greasy wet rocks inside a gorge stream, a length of wire which we did not trust and on your right a disc beckoning you to sidle the "hill". The "hill" is steep and very little of it there. As Bill says there wrre plenty of hand holds but no foot holds and I'm no trapeze artist. However, we made and then a couple of hundred yards further upstrean a 0140051 up spur to the ridge top. We came out above Girdlestone Saddle and to the North of it. There is a blazed track along the ridge which we followed for perhaps ten minutes then dropped down a spur which took us very abruptly into the Mangahao about a quarter of an hour above the Avalanche Flats Bivvy. This Bivvy, cons tructed by the Deer Cullers a few years ago, is still nostly in good condition. There are three bunks over which the tarpaulin roof is whole but at the other end above the fireplace there is little roof left. We took

18 = little over four hour's travelling time to the Bivvy from Chau Hut so that it is a worthwhile and easy place to get to from Ohau. The Mangahao Valley appears different from most other Tararua valleys. The river is more confined although the valley itself looks very wide. There is some interesting flora there, particularly celery pine which is found on Tawhirikohikohu - it is not found to any great extent in the Tararuas. Sunday found us away at about 9, down river at first via the track behind the bivvy and then via a small stream back into the Mangahao. Again the map is not very accurate. There is a stretch of gorge between this stream and the next large one which rises on Pukemoremore. It is easily sidled and with the river low as it was then easily waded. We passed another stream on our left - not marked - then one with a huge fan of shingle and timber debris and a most spectacular waterfall in full view. Almost opposite is a huge slip and the next stream on the left is Tawhiri Stream. The new map marks a definite track running from here to Tawhirikohukohu. There are three blazes facing away from the Mangahao riverbed about 50 or 60 yards down from the junction of the Tawhiri with the Mangahao. We failed to find any others in the near vicinity but picked up a track some distance up the ridge. We followed this to the topo Tawhirikohukohu is some distance south of the point where we came on to the ridge but not knowing this we climbed the peak to the North which we havenot been able to identify satisfactorily. Although the Camelbacks appear on the map to be much too far North it looked uncommonly like camel backs. Hovever ve then up-packed and trekked South, and recorded a brief stay on Tawhirikohukohn which bears a stake with a strange inscription. If it makes sense it is "Gone to Ohau" which is quite a feasible trip after all - but who done it?1! We left the mystery behind and sat out of the wind to have lunch. The mist quickly joined us so rat ther than have to compass off we repacked and back-tracked to go down the sput to Wai-iti where lo!' and behold: a main highway beautifully disced met our astounded gaze. The biggest impediment to getting into the Wai-iti is bush lawyer which is nc respector of persons. But we finally arrived there and finished our interrupted lunch. Again the map is not accurate. There is a waterfall marked below the place where the track enters the Wai-iti. We regret to state we did not find it although there was a small one just above where we dropped into the stream. Still we were not broken-hearted and we were even less so when Titch produced a tin of pineapple at the road and two kind gentlemen carried our packs by truck to the Pipe Bridge! We arrived there ahead of Barrie after a swift road walk and then we reverted to nervous wrecks as the truck sped to Wellington where we arrived safely much to our amazement.

Although we do not advise pleasure seekers to climb Tawhirikohukohu from the Wai-iti - it is a long climb from the Mangahao it is pleasant and offers good vicws of the Northerns although it is only 3,455ft. higho Since the top is not bushed it is not necessary to scale trees for a view and the Pipe Bridge can be reached again either via the Wai-iti or the North Ohau. Marie Marshall.