The Oriwa Ridge

Machine-read text (unproofread)

Read from the scans by software, so it contains mistakes. Typing it up properly would help blind readers: use Suggest an edit.

THE ORIWA RIDGE Remember 1936 ? To trampers this means the year of the great storm - the storm which sent the Rangatira on to the rocks at Wellington Heads, obliterated numerous tracks in the Tararuas and cost one tramper his life. Among the tracks destroyed was the one leading from Mt. Waiopehu across to Mt. Oriwa and thence down to Waitewaewae Forks. This track was never reopened and consequently few parties have traversed it in its entirety since 1936. It was this that led Hori and me on the weekend March 9 / 11 to decide on an attempt to go from Ohau Pipe Bridge to Otaki Forks via the Oriwa Ridge. Saturday morning and no raucous ringing of bells tore us from the arms of Morpheus owing to a small mechanical defect in Hori's alarm clock. So consequently we did not leave the Pipe Bridge till 9 o'clock. We were not quite sure about where the Waiopehu Track started but after one wrong guess we found it, and with buckets of sweat being sold very cheaply we toiled on up to Waiopehu. The day was fine but over-cast with no wind and very sultry. Arriving at the Hut we settled down to lunch and the Hopalong Cassidy comics some kind person had left there. By 1.30 p.m. when we left the Hut the wind had risen and the temperature had dropped considerably and sitting on 'top' taking compass readings was rather cold work. Having satisfied ourselves which was the Oriwa we forsouk the known way and headedtne very much unknown way. 24 hours and 200 windfalls later we came upon Lake Hollow on Mt. Oriwa. After having climbed over, under, and around numerous windfalls and pushed through thick bush and loya vine and then to come upon the flat open area of Lake Hollow which is about 100 yards long by a chain wide is somewhat uncanny. As we prepared tea a few spots of rain fell and during the night we had a few light showers but next morning we had just finished breakfast, dawn had just broken and with it came the mist and rain in earnest. We packed hurriedly and set off for the top of Oriwa hoping to get a glimpse of the ridge before the mist enveloped it. We saw nothing. Time, 6.15 a.m. Two hours later with a map in one hand and a compass in the other we were still wandering around looking for the ridge. We eventually decided to drop off. On our left was the Otaki and on the right the Waitewaewae and as luck would havê it we chose the Waitewa.ewae which winds considerably more than the Otaki. The Waitewa.ewae conforms to the pattern of most Tarma streams with supplejack, slimy rock, and tangled bush lying in the creck bed in the upper reaches, with log jambs and the occasiunal waterfall and deep pool further down till it eventually opens out at Waitewaewne Forks. We arrived at the Hut at 2 p.m. and after a very hurried lunch were away by 2.30 p.m. They tell me the Forks are one of the most beautiful spots in the Tararuas. I would not know. I blinked as we went past and did not see them. After a rather hurried trip out to Otaki Forks we were rather disappuinted to find the truck had not waited for us. We eventually found our way to Otaki by taxi only to find that we had missed the last train. Next murning, having slept on the Station platform we must have louked pretty disreputable. So much so that one of the lucals asked us if we were luoking fur work... And so back to Wellington. Times.... Pipe Bridge to Lake Hallow. ...6t hrs. Lake Hollow to Otaki Forks.. a ..122 hrs. Bill Rice.