Olearia Colensoi or the Elusive Red Lion

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Olearia Colensoi or the Elusive Red Lion Jack McConchie If you look at the Tararua map you will track the Red Lion down into Chamberfind some red lines around Chamberlain lain Creek. The tricky going in the Creek, onto Haukura Ridge and Dundas, scrub soon improved, with sign of the indicating routes. Ridiculous sort of passing of our quarry every few yards, a place for a track you say - well at leading us onto a knob above the creek. least I did. So having conned Paul The descent provided few problems into getting away from "it" and Terry bringing us out just above the last and Matt from the Hutt Wellies, and swim in Chamberlain Creek. To celebrate being armed with the trusty but rusty the execution of a successful hunt, NZMS 1, compass and overtrou (two of morning smoko was called but I can't us being veterans of the Camelback remember what it was called. saga of '76) we left Wellington on the bus to go Red Lion Hunting. Then it was off up the other bank looking for sign of the other elusive Our particular trophies are domiciled beast. Once more sign of the beasts on the slopes of Dundas Ridge, an passing was evident but the "spoor" was area which sports some of the largest cold. Going above the bushline was natural, undisturbed stands of Olearia pleasant and we pushed on to the top of Colensoi in the Tararuas. Dome. By now the weather had deteriorated but with our magnum compass at the Having uttered our last farewells to ready we moved with caution along the fellow trippers and been thrown off ridge and bagged the other Lion where it the bus when Pete left to come back to had gone to rest on Pukemoremore. We Wellington - I suppose four under one decided not to celebrate there but pushed seat is a bit obvious, we strolled up on to Dundas hut where we had lunch and the Mangatainoka to the forks and after a hot brew at 2 p. m. a pleasant two hours arrived at Roaring Stag. The mattresses presented a strong An early start saw us away before too attraction - it may have been our much abuse was directed at the "Fit" magnetic compasses, but with two Red trip who held a boot-clad tap dance Lions in the bag and more a possibility, competition on the top bunk when they we were drawn back up the ridge and arrived. down into the Ruamahanga via the creek below the track. Only one waterfall With the day looking like being a necessitated the lowering of packs. cracker we shot off up the Ruamahanga past Ruapai forks to the bottom of the Feeling rather like trout we moved up gorge just below Chamberlain Creek. the Ruamahanga but all thoughts of The scent of the first Red Lion was spawning were left in the first deep strong and drew us upwards through open wade. bush to the scrub belt and out into a clearing. The pot at the end of the Camp was decided on at the confluence rainbow. As far as the eye could see of two branches of the Ruamahanga, and a veritable paradise of undisturbed while tea simmered we worked to flatten Colensoi, and to cap it off running the site. Soon only one "small" rock off to the left we spotted the first remained in the centre but with excav- Red Lion. ation befitting the best of MWD engineers we shifted our "small" rock which Travel through the Colensoi wasn't took the four of us to roll. We then too bad and we soon reached the bump had to bring back all the other rocks below Haukura bivy and started to to fill in the hole.

It was still raining when we left at The sand in the Ruamahanga (only forty seven, slipping and sliding our way minutes from where we had started the up the creek towards Waingawa. The day before) gave ample evidence of creek offered good travel right to the others who had passed this way so we head with the first directissimo being strolled off to have lunch at Unnamed performed up a thirty foot waterfall. Creek. Being by now close friends of Colensoi, our relationship became more intimate The primuses were stoked up and milo as we climbed higher. Finally with brewed by the time the fit trip arrived impassioned farewells we ascended the from Cow Creek. With a sip of our brew steep tussock to the antler and cairn they were off leaving us to pack in the just below Waingawa. rain. Now, with it only 9 a.m. we headed down Still, by now the troops were warmed the good spur to the Ruamahanga bend. up, and in a cheerful mood we strolled After the first 500 feet it was obvious out to the road bridge meeting the rest that better Red Lion hunting existed if of the trips on the way. we took it straight, so it was straight back into the Colensoi which greeted us All that remained to do was to mount with a "rasping" applause. With the our trophies on our walls back home. route finally being pushed into the creek Thus, even with the commercial heli- - after being bluffed twice, we were copter operating during the preceeding relieved to straighten our backs and weeks the Ruamahanga catchment still reconsider our intimate association has a lot of potential for the keen with Colensoi. Red Lion (Ooops - Line) hunter. A final look and laugh saw us moving Hunters were Jack McConchie, Paul down the creek, the next one up from Aubrey, Matt Warwick and Terry Craig. Cleft Creek, sidling one waterfall and lowering packs down another to arrive 17 - 19 March 1978 in the Ruamahanga at about 1.30.