Where Did We Go?

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WHERE DID WE GO? Friday night-weather, doubt- away at first light. One hour to the ful, Typiel at last the two buses arrive Mangahau, so our experts tell us. Two at Tawa on time, and before long we and a half hours of sidling, scrambling, are dumped at the bridge. A couple and pack pulling through a pool finds of minutes along Ciadonde Road, and us at the river. During the pool episode it's a night's rest. our computer expert, Chris, in best Up before dawn, and away soon after, form, throws the rope across without along the road, until the end, where we holding on to it! find a Tararua Forest Park sign. Funny, Here we split, with Lindsay and Chris but the only. access is along an old going out via the dams, and the three tramway, which we follow. until it of us head on up the rising river. fades away, and we use Makahika Creek Finding myself up to mid-chest level instead. in a pool we take to the track which After another half hour, a snack stop, has us to Harris Creek in a flash. A when Lindsay mentions that the stream couple of hours later arrive at the forks is flowing north, which brings mixed and our passing of Avalanche Flats is reactions. According to the map, by queried, but time is limited, and we climbing out on the true left, we would must push on, to the hut and the real find a spur onto Makahika. forks, to meet the fit trip below Girdle- A couple of hours of every possible stone Saddle. variety of lawyer, stunted scrub, fallen Over the saddle and down to South and bad language; a hunter's bivvy Ohau Hut, where we find we have lost loresen followed a major bump is Dave. Eventually he turns up, after havreached. Brian ard Lindsay name it ing missed the waterfall sidle. Makahika, but after pointing out that The fit trip had long ago decided it is too high to be Makahika, we per- to forget the bus, and now this little suade them to call it Markee. By check- incident had blown our last chance. ing on the map we decide that our route Lastly a routine stroll out the Ohau, to was via a spur that didn't go near arrive at the Pipe Bridge just before Makahika. Then it was on to Camelback, dark, and long, after the bus. along the prominent Leatherwood( due Those on trip: Lindsay Cuthbertson east instead of south) to Camelhead. (leader), Brian Hunt, Dave Ramsden, More compass and map checks, and Chris Barker, and Neil Woodrow then down into a creek which Brian (author). claims must provide good travel to John- P.S. Tuesday lunchtime saw Brian and sons Creek. After a 100-200 ft vertical I at the Photo Library, finding out discontinuity, and a couple of other just where we went. In reality it was obstacles, the main creek, and a camp over Makahika, which was an insignifisite is reached. cant bump, and the rest we knew al- Again up before dawn, but this time ready. N.W.