Blackwater Creek - Waiopehu - Makaretu Stream

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BLACKWATER CREEK - WAIOPEHU - MAKARETU STREAM. This trip was on the Trip Schodule as Waiopehu (easy trip). When we left Wellington on the Friday night I don't think anyone knew just where they were going for the weekend - least of all Butch who started talking about Barrie's trip to Tawhirikohukohu and the Schorman Track and Eketahuna! Anyvay we all piled into a very small truck and Bill Rice began complaining that he had been to the Ruahines in this thing before and it was a good thing we weren't going any further than Ohau. I couldn't see just what he had to moan about as there were only 12 or 13 in the party but it did not take long to find out! At least we made a fairly fast trip to Ohau and got an early. start from the Pipe Bridge. From here the fast and kecn types E shed on and left us easy trippers to bring up the rear in our own time. We took things quite comfortably and reached the hut before the worst of the rain set in. There is one thing about being in the rear_of a party and that is that when you arrive at a hut about midnight the fire is going and the billy is already boiling just waiting for the brew to be made. Next morning the rain sounded very heavy on the roof of the hut and no one seemed tobe'tery anxious to get up. Horever there comes a tine when there is nothing else for it and by about a quarter to eleven Jim, Bill Jones, Lloyd and Denis left the hut and set off up the Blackwater or Ohau-iti whichever you like to call it. Most of the others were still in their sacks wondering rhether or not to do anything about lunch, or brunch. and some of them were st truggling with Titch's latest variation of noughts and crosses - the three-four-five game. By this time tne rain was nothing much and we found before very long that parkas were quite unnecessary. Before we had left the hut there had been a little talk of waterfalls and things up the Blackwater but these did not eventuate. There were one or two ra ther interesting log-jambs but nothing that was even approaching the impossible or impassable. After two hours up the creek we stopped for lunch and while the rest of us were trying to get a fire going Lloyd distinguished himself by chasing a goat up a cliff face. Just what this proved I don't know but both Lloyd and the goat seemed setisfied. After lunch we pushed on up the creek for another hour and then decided that the time had come to get up onto the ridge. The first few hundred feet were easy enough as all we had to do was go straight up the edge of a couple of first class slips. The rest however was not so good and there seemed to be a never-ending climb through and over dead tree trunks and scrub. As if this wasn't enough there were paiches here and there and everywaere of cuttygrass and after the best part, pf.t p hours just when we thought we ought to be getting into the clear we Si truck leatherwood. This slowed progress up considerably - not that we were getting anywhere very fast anyway a and at one stage I began to despair of ever getting out of the mess. However, just when things began to look their worst there was the usual silver lining and this one turned out to be an orange - an orange disc that is - and lo and behold thore we were on the Waiopehu Track and the trip to all intents and purposes was over. A quarter of an hour later we were at the hut and you all have a pretty fair idea of.what happens when a party arrives at a hut after a day'stromping, Somehow or another there is a fairly uniform routine which is followed. Well, we were just finishing off our brew and thinking about putting a stew Oli when in walked Barrie followed by Bill Potter, Wes and the two Australian visitors we had on the trip, Bill Francis and John Carter. They had left Butch, Titch, Hori and Bill to do the official trip and instead had come via the Gable End track and the tops. The evening passed quite plcasantly and after supper we all turned ino On Sunday morning there did not seem to be any particular need to be up and doing very carly and we all took our time about getting up and getting breakfast. Everyone seemed to be quite pleased with life when Barrie had to go and suggest that instead of following the track down to the Pipe Bridge that we should dron off into the Makaretu Stream and follow that down. This was not good enough for Bill Jones who had had enough of bush pushing for the time being and decided to go down the track with the two Aussies. The rest of us who had pushed up the ridge from the Blackwater the day before should have known better than to fall for tis idea but somehowor other we allowed ourselves to be talked into it. To make a long story short it took us just on 3 hours to get down into the Makaretu. This would not have nattered so much had we left a bit earlier in the morning but when we did reach te stream bed it was about a quarter to three and the truck was due to leave at five. In less than ten minutes we had a brew ready and lunch was a rather rush affair. With our brew over and only two hours befordthe truck we really got cracking down the stream. The bed' was fairly level with only a couple of log jambs and similar obstructions, while the depth was never anything more than knee deep - not until you fell into it. An hour or so down the stream we had a break for an orange or two and were off once more. Altogether we made good time and at 5 minutos past 5 we arrived at the truck. The remainder of the weekenders were there to greet us with a boiling billy and So after a brew and a wash we piled into the truck Wellington bound. Now usually the weekend's entertainment is over as soon as we clinb into the truck however, on this particular trip this was not So. We were soon tearing up the dust along the gravel road to the turn-off, when the driver gave us an excellent demonstra tion of just how effective his brakes were. The trouble was we were not prepared for ito "Must be a nice piece of goods he's got a date with back in Wellington" 9 says Bill Jones as the truck gathers speed. "How many people have their lives insured?" queries Butch. No reply but a lot of vorried expressions. "Bet our time will be good!" "No wonder, I1 says Bill, "He's got a spinnaker out my side to help him alongo Il A large piece of canvas canopy flaps vigorously in the breeze. In the meantime the turn-off is reached and the truck proceeds in a Southerly direction towards Wellington, "Don't look now, I comes a voice, "But I think that the wooden partition behind the cab is adrift!" The bod in the corner grabs frantically for his seat and supports the frame-work at the same time as the truck sways violently around a corner. "I wonder what he will be doing down the Ngahauranga Gorge,' 11 says someone cheerfully. Shortly afterwards the truck gave a shudder and a brrrrrrpt and rolled to a standstill. "A flat tyre!" "A beauty tool" "Bet it's a front one!" However the driver appeared at the rear of the truck to see who it was that fell out of the door! - - But we were all wrongo A piece of rope off the canopy had found its way under the wheels. A hurried repair to the canopy and we were off once more. We were approaching Paekaka riki when the truck gave another oninous cough and rolled to a standstill. "Out of Petrol!" "Nor we'll have to tramp home." But we were again wrongo A slight adjustment and we were on the road once more. By a stroke of luck we arrived at Wellington Station and so ended a most enjoyable weekend. Those on the trip were:- Bill Francis and John Carter (Australian visitors), Lloyd Wilkin, Bill Jones, Bill Potter, Jin Craigie, Denis Allison, Wesley Secker and Barrie O'Donnell. Denis Allison & Lloyd Wilkin. . e