A Visit to Avalanche Flats

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A VISIT TO AVALANCHE FLATS - 10th and 12th May, 1957 At 11 p.m. on Friday, a cold waterfall. The map is deceptive moonlight night with scattered here as its scale appears to be clouds driven by a high wind above compressed thus giving the which presaged the coming of bad impression that the track enters weather, we set out from the the bush on the true right bank swing bridge for the Ohau Hutt. soon after leaving the waterfall. The first third of the track we However, this is wrong. The found to be in excellent condition. correct procedure is to continue up it having been carefully built up the creek to the next forks and to with ponga logs by the Manawatu take the left branch continuing up Tramping Club and was conse- this until you come to an extensive quently more like a cut farm path slip on the true left of the stream. than a bush track. Thereafter, On climbing this slip the blazes can however, it deteriorated into a be picked up easily as they follow series of windfalls and thick mud the top edge of it. pools into which an unwary step In consequence of our mistake would cause one to sink above we lost some time in unnecessarily the ankles. climbing a ridge which led us to Since every stage between fitness a point well to the North of the and unfitness was represented in Girdlestone Saddle. After crashing the party we arrived over a period around on top of the ridge for a of about thirty minutes between while looking for a suitable way 12.15 and 12.45, the first group of down we found blazes which we course inevitably led by Bill Harvey followed for some distance but who has a stride like an ostrich and then lost. At this point we gave eats up the miles effortlessly. On up and just crashed straight down arrival at the hut we had a cup to the Mangahao River reaching it of tea and went to bed. at a point some distance below the On Saturday, after the agony of beginning of the saddle track. We getting out of the sack and cooking sheltered here for a while to put breakfast we set out for the South on our parkas as it was now rain- Ohau Hut. The shooters left ing, ate a couple of biscuits each, first because they "might see and allowed the smokers to have something" they did, and after a puff. From here three-quarters a fusilade of four rounds the deer of an hour of river work took us disappeared into the bush where to the Avalanche Flats Hut where much searching failed to reveal a we found a party of the M.T.C., a carcase (it had, of course, been and Merv Rogers in occupance. hit). We stopped at the confluence Merv had taken a different route of the North Branch and the Ohau from the rest of us, had found the for a while for a rest. At this saddle, and arriving first at the stage the weather was quite good hut lit the fire and put on a brew. although the clouds were lowering At this hut we spent an unand looked threatening. The day comfortable time until we went to itself being very dull. Another bed, for the smoke instead of going ninety minutes boulder-hopping up the chimney filled the hut brought us to the hut where we causing us much watering of the had lunch and discussed the route eyes, thus giving rise to some reover Girdlestone Saddle to Ava- strained cursing (restrained belanche Flats, cause Dot was with us). We Those who were going to Te suffered likewise at breakfast and Matawai branched off here and as Don put it, "We emerged from made their way up Yeates' Track the hut like smoked fish." while the rest of us made our way During the night the weather up the South Branch of the Ohau worsened; the rain came down like hut had some difficulties in finding a waterfall and we expected the the blazed track and took to the hut to disappear downstream with bush too soon after leaving the every gust of wind. This of course D gave rise to some speculation in On leaving the river we followed the early hours of the morning as a disused track and within ten to the condition of the river. When minutes were on the saddle. A I went outside at about 6.30 a.m. quick trip down the poorly blazed the river, though it was flowing track on the other side of the ridge a banker did not look too bad, and a run down a slide brought us thus we were disappointed in our again to a tributary of the Ohau expectation of a few extra days from which we reached the South at Avalanche Flats. We left at 9.30 a.m. and spent Ohau Hut at 12 noon and had lunch. most of the next hour and a half Much to our surprise the Ohau in the river which though fairly was up very little so we made high, and în places swift, did not good time to the Ohau Hut where cause us any embarrasment though we met the rest of the party and is did cause some amusement on had a brew. Those who had had the one or two occasions that enough of creeks for the weekend people fell in through inadvertantly went out via the track while the stepping in the slimy rocks which rest of us went via the lower curse this river and also the Ohau. gorge.