Carkeek Ridge - Almost

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Carkeek Ridge - Almost John got away to an early start, as made for us, and talking for a while, he was on the kombi, so Dennis and we dropped down off Arete Bench into I, who were on the bus, were expect- the Park. About an hour down the ing to have a fast, non-piking trip up river, we pitched the fly over the least to South Ohau on Friday night to swampy bit of ground we could find. catch up. But we might have known Soon, with a strong, spicy stew inside I John had piked already, and was us, we hit the pit under a starry sky. camped about five minutes upstream Éven before we got to sleep, the from Ohau Hut. So we stopped too, crud came back over, and the fly began and after a lemon crystal brew, hit to flap, violently in the wind. "Never the pit. When the drizzle started get- mind, it won't rain", we thought. We ting heavier a few hours later, we got woke up later to stuff sodden sleepingthe fly out and spread it over the top bags into their covers, and I learnt for of us, but we were quite wet in the the first time that mine wasn't watermorning. proof. We left early (eight o'clock is early In the morning it was raining steadily, for John), and didn't stop until South and after a snack we stuffed our Ohau, where it was time for a brew. A sodden gear qtc our sodden packs and few of the mediums started dribbling fought our way up through the leatherin, so we left for Te Matawai where wood on to the Main Range, somewe had an early lunch and started the where in the saddle between Pukeclimb on to Pukematawai. Just matawai and Butcher's Knob. We felt above the bush, the crud cleared, and our way along the ridge to the bush, we staggered upward in bright sunlight and from there made good time to and strong winds. We stopped for an Dracophyllum Bivvy, where Messrs hour or so on the Main Range to en- Mumme, Higgins and Goodwin were joy the sun before pushing on over still in their pits. While we were here, Pukematawai to Arete. Here we stop- we decided to drop down off Kelliher ped again, exchanging yells with some and spend the night at Mid-Otaki Hut. unknown voices somewhere below us. None of us had been along the Main Then, after a bit more sunbathing, in Range before, so we didn't know how typical Addison style, we piked. to find Kelliher in the mist, but we We decided on Arete Bivvy for the stumbled on. We crossed three steep night. It was duly found, but an NZFS little peaks of about the same height, culler was in residence. He informed found a poorly blazed track off the last us that Forest Service bivvies were of these, and followed it to the Otaki. for the use of cullers only, so we told Twenty minutes down the river and him we'd go and in the Park we were at the hut, and it was still Valley. He immediately cAPofferche us the raining steadily. A look at the map use" of Dracophyllum Bivvy, as he showed that we'd come off Puketoro. wanted to go for an evening shoot in After a good deal of trouble, we finally the Park. After drinking the brew he got a fire going, and were soon drying out our gear and eating another hot- got across by sliding along a log which type stew. As soon as the pits were dry, stuck out over the stream, and then we got into them and were almost leaping after our packs on to a small asleep when our culler friend burst in. rock ledge on the other side. The only He was staying here the night on his other incident in the 312 hours to Waiway out to the Forks, after being at tewaewae was John disappearing up to Arete Bivvy nearly two weeks. his shoulders while attempting to cross It was still raining in the morning, a small backwater he didn't even heavier than ever, but strangely enough touch bottom, and it was only about the river wasn't even discoloured. How- six inches out from the bank. Den and ever, after 45 minutes' travel we were I found it better to cross via the branch forced to climb up on to the track, as of a small tree. Just as we reached the river had risen about two feet and Waitewaewae, the rain stopped. Most was still rising rapidly, and becoming of the mediums had left, and by the too dangerous to cross. All along the time we had finished lunch at 12.30 p.m. track, little creeks had become raging we were the only ones there. We were torrents, and large areas of the track out at the Forks in three hours, and were submerged. At Kelliher Stream as we had only an hour to get to the we had to go upstream about 10 min- bus, we crossed the Waitatapia and folutes, and then only just got across after lowed the stock-route down the true a near wipeout in the middle of it. I right of the Otaki, to cross at the old lost my. footing, but John managed to stock-bridge. No sooner were we on force his way above a large boulder, the road than we were picked up by I stumbled below it, and Dennis, who the kombi, which was acting as a taxi was in the middle, was dragged over service for stragglers. The bus arrived it. The culler would never have got on time, but it was five o'clock before across by himself unless he went much the last of the medium trip came out further upstream than we did. and the bus could leave. A bit further along the track, we came to another bad stream, and only LAURIE GALLAGHER