The Reluctant Tramper - Tawhirikohukohu

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THE RELUCTANT TRAMPER TAWHIRIKOHUKOHU : September 24/27 I was the reluctant tramper and take up my pen to tell you the tale of Tawhirikohukohnu. My partner in my trials "Nuts" was to help with this write up but since declares that he is not very interested, now, but will furnish the technical details - and so he has, at the end of my story. "It was stew time Saturday evening and "Honk" (H.V.T.C) and a Continental girl, a newcomer to tramping had just arrived at Avalanche Flats. The lady seemed to be moaning and we were informed that on this, her first trip she had fallen in the river THREE times, soaking everything and crushing her egg which she had thought quite safe in a plastic mug in a side pocket of her pack! Moreover she seemed put out that all she had seen of the Tararuas was the next place to put her foot. However, we all experience that when we start and some when they finish too. "Nuts" and I had made an early start so had not been with the main party. We had arrived at the Hut alright but everyone else had passed a big waterfall :

and we had not even SEEN one; this was very annoying as they might get a better red line apart from the fact that according to the map they had followed THE TRACK, But not to worry, next morning we were away at 6.35 amo to do a round trip by climbing Tawhirikohukohu. All we had to do was to climb up and drop down the other side, but unfortunately, although at no stage during the ascent did we turn round we found ourselves to be travelling in the opposite compass direction. This was very confusing and after much running forwards and backwards all the while just praying for a clear patch, we decided to follow a compass direction of North. Now we were obviously over the main divide and the big thing was whether we were in the North Ohau instead of the Wai-iti. This would be proved when we found out if the first stream flowed in from the left or right and when we found it came in from the left we knew that it was right and we both cheered up considerably and I took a photo of the spot. With our minds at rest in this direction our next problem was to get out in time for the truck - "Nuts" was really fit and I was beginning to lag, The creek bed was full of waterfalls and we soon found ourselves swimming through pools although "Nuts" was in the unfortunate position of having to walk on the bottom as his pack was not watertight, In order to have a photographic record I very politely requested "Nuts" to "hold ith when he had only his hands out of the water but he rudely ignored me - so you must take my word for it. Next we came to a really large waterfall and the climb around took an hour. This seemed a long time especially to me, I had not been out for four weeks and was feeling quite exhausted, It was steep going and we made our descent too soon and were forced to retrace our steps - up! # Nuts" however, was extremely considerate and when he saw that I was dead beat standing there, hanging on to a tree root ( in mid-air) he gave me the opportunity of saying whether I could or would go on. After very careful consideration I decided that I would sooner lie down and die. Eventually we were back on the creek bed and "Nuts" would occas ionally wait for me at a river bend. He would encourage me to go faster by saying It now keep as close to me as you can" and then he would move his arms around in circles quite quickly as if to indicate legs running along but quite frankly I would sooner he had run off and left me to my fate. I could then, I thought, have quite cheerfully taken a couple of days over it, and I would have too. We came upon a big river flowing instead of South, It did not / North. satter now how fast or how slow we went: * - we would NEVER get out to the truck in time but would win for ourselves a wonderful big new red line, We wended our way down the Mangahao and out to Shannon instead of down the Wai-iti to Levin, We made camp just above the lower cage which is truly in sad condition, The river here though has no cliff sides to its gorge and we could have crossed without getting our feet wetter, The next item of interest was the lake which we found had been drained I the lake bed was well silted up and the drowned bush completely dead except for those "tufts of grass" which grow in the higher branches of tall trees and to whose height the water level had never reached.

The drowned bush looked like dead prehistoric forest. In a few thousand years time trampers should be able to get a of coal for their fires. The future of your art is limited - "Frank" Mion There is a small group of houses at the dam and a truck leaves from there quite early on most mornings for Shannon or districts. We had missed seeing that truck but were given a lift by a private car the owner living in one of the houses. The driver said that we were the third party to go wrong in that particular spot. He had also been called upon to rescue people by boat from across the lake, Apparently it is really rough country, worse than the West Coast (according to a Deer Stalker from the South who had been lost for five days in that area.) We reached the dam about 9 O'clock and arrived in Shannon at, I think, 11,40am,after a 1ft- by car practically all the way. Neverthe less - it was a good trip to look back upon. # Dave- Note on Tawhirikohukohi : When viewed in the light that we were the fourth party in comparatively recent times to go wrong in the murk on the top of Tawhirikohukohn, we can claim that either (a) the general standard of navigation is dropping or (b) the map is wrong. We shall now discount (a) and disouss (b). A blazed ridge track runs from the Mangahao river to above the bushline where a disc and painted-rock tops track is met. This track runs N.E, - S.W, The only track shown on the map runs N,W. - S.E. We headed N.W. by compass and ended up in the headwaters of the Johnson Creek instead of the Wai-iti - hence we conclude that we should have followed the tops track S.W. for a while (see Tararua map). We advocate a party going over Tawhirixohukohu from the Wai-iti in fine weather sometime and clearing up the topography. "Nuts" Let us impart all the blessings we possess or ask for ourselvos to the whole family of mankind. Georgo Was shington.