Totara Creek - High Ridge - Renata Hut

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At the bush edge there was an old off the track and down the south side. and well-padlocked hut looking to be We found spur after spur after spur in good condition and probably used of the ridge in pleasant open bush. by local shooters. From here on up as we sidled down towards the west we. were on, an old logging track again and then finally came across the one which provided good travel. This seemed we'd been waiting for. to pretty well run out at a fork in the creek, so at this point we took This took us easily to the forks in to the spur leading up from the forks. Totara Creek almost at the point where the main track joins the creek. We The first few minutes were a bit celebrated this good start to the trip of a struggle through second growth, with a biscuit and then set off up but once we were above the old milling on to High Ridge. level the ridge gave good travel. After a few changes of direction the After a bit of a climb up a scrubby landed us on the main ridge whier face we got on to a spur which gave the road follows from the Akatarawa reasonable travel. About an hour up Saddle to the Waiotauru River. We were this, where another major spur joined vaguely misled about our precise posi- it from the south, there was the most tion on the road to start with, but remarkable collection of singing birds after about half-an-hour's tramp along any of us had heard in the bush-birds it we arrived at the Renata turn-off. everywhere and all singing flat out for The bush track along to Renata Hut no apparent reason. was a pleasant change after the road Immediately after this the beand it wasn't long before we were having came a steep and loose ridge lunch. Alas and alack-there was no with relatively and face, thick covered scrublog-book in the hut so we couldn't from the look young of it, this be the first to use the new club stickers is a crush to record our visit. Even at mid-day zone associated with one of the fault the hut was still cool so we were lines in the area. glad to get underway again. Soon after this we climbed into the Our route out was the traditional snow-through a thaw zone of about one down into the top, end of Frances 100 feet where lumps of snow were Creek and over the saddle to Clouston- falling out of trees and everything was ville. dripping, and then into the snow proper. We added over-trou here as there was A few weeks after that again, with snow-covered fern to push through. the snow on the tops. Paul Carson Sometime later we got onto High Ridge and Barry Biggs arrived at the house and found route-finding a little confusing one Friday evening. We were up at as very little trace of a track was left 4.00 a.m. and away in the car by 5.00 with snow around. It took us about a.m, on the Saturday, and ready to an hour to get along to the bush edge leave Holdsworth Lodge by 7.30 a.m. with one or two back-tracking episodes after a chat with the assembled shiver- and considerable pushing through snowing, breakfasting trampers from a variety laden bush. of clubs. At the bush edge conditions were With our day packs we made good misty with a little wind. The snow time up to Mountain House. The climb was soft and deepish so progress was had me thoroughly warmed up and it fairly slow up to the turn-off to Powell wasn't long before parka and shirt came Hut. Once there we made good time off. The sight of someone in shorts in the tracks others had made from somewhat startled a crew of Tararuas Powell to Holdsworth, and the hut was who were leaving Mountain House as a convenient lunch stop: We bludged I arrived-thev hadn't warmed up and one brew from the crowd already there were still muffled up in parkas, gloves. and had another ourselves and then shirts, jerseys, scarves, balaclavas. and motored down to Mountain House for other woolly trappings. The comments another hospitable brew and biscuit from were generally rude. the club's easy trip. The trip finished at dusk with still another brew and After a brew and a chat at the hut chat with Paddy before we drove home. we set off to look for our spur. Before we got to the old hut site we ducked Nick Jennings