Mid-winter Kaimanawas

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Mid-winter Kaimanawas Bruce McKinley "Sean, Sean!" the North Arm by mid-afternoon in a "Typical of the man to hide the tent in driving northerly rain. the scrub and then go to sleep in it!". But no, I did the man wrong - out of We raced off down the river, arriving the broom and manuka appeared one soli- at Mangamingi Junction at about 4.15 tary figure complaining of the fact in continuing rain. We were heading that our bus was late and that it was for Boyds which was still some distance cold. away. After climbing onto the terraces at dusk we spotted the wind sock and We were quickly ensconced in the tent at about 5.25 (dark fell at 5.30) we at Access Ten at the start of 9 days reached Boyds Air Strip. None of us tramping. Tim and I had caught the had been there before. Somewhare was night bus from Wellington and had that desperately needed hut. Just by arranged to meet Sean, who had been chance I happened to glance up an shooting goats with Chris Garton in the adjacent gully and there was the Lodge Wanganui, at Access Ten. sort of poking out from the trees. We staggered up to it and lo! there The next day we were up early and after were 4 hunting types in residence. re-dividing the food we set off down the road to the start of the climb onto "Gidday" Umukarkari. After a reasonably quick "Yeah, gidday" climb we had lunch at the bushline and "Where have you come from?" headed out, just before the rain set "Ngapuketurua" in, along the ridge with some of the "Where's that?" most fantastic views of the inside of "North etc. etc." a cloud going. Having been along this ridge before I was able to give quite They seemed quite impressed with the eloquent descriptions of the views to distance we had covered, though they be had off both sides of the ridge. probably thought we were nuts (quite We reached the Waipakihi Hut by late rightly so!). After dinner which afternoon. Instructions in the log was deservedly gutsed we collapsed book led us to a pile of firewood up into bed. the hill a short distance, ready to cut, courtesy of NZFS. Although it was Next morning, Tuesday, after a leisurenice having ready harvested wood for ly breakfast, we dropped back to the our use there was already quite a large airstrip and looked for the lodge which space on the hill where trees had been was hidden quite successfully behind chopped down in past years. the trees. Goodness knows how we found it the night before. The next day, which brought cloud around the high peaks pushed along by In bright sunshine and a light breeze a fresh breeze, saw us climb Junction we cruised back up the Ngauroro and Top, drop into Ignimbrite Saddle and hung a left into the Mangamingi which then head towards Ngapuketurua which was a pleasant stroll. We wandered was a slow grunt. It took us until up the stream half looking for the old late afternoon to sidle around Nga- Mangamingi Hut. Well we found it but puketurua with occasional views down I doubt whether anybody will sleep in onto Lake Taupo, and drop off on to it again as it is just a of malthe low saddle between the head of the thoid and beech logs. We heap continued Tauranga Taupo and Kakapo Stream where up to the head of the stream and we camped in a sheltered little spot. in a patch of forest at the base camped of the climb onto the Mangamingi Saddle. Next morning, in persistent rain and Sean went out for a looksee with his low clouds, we climbed onto the ridge rifle while Tim and I made camp, but which leads N.E. to Cascade Hut which no luck. we reached by morning tea time. Upon arrival we were greeted by an opossum We were up and gone by 7.30 next morntrapper who couldn't get over the fact ing in a steady drizzle. We plodded that we were just tramping and not up to the saddle in half an hour and really in for serious hunting or other then dropped into the stream which took purposes. After a brew we headed up us down to the Mangamaire. The cloud the other branch of the Cascade towards was less than a thousand feet above us. the saddle with the unpronounceable Having reached the Mangamaire we took name which leads into the North Arm the first available spur and plodded of the Ngauroro. We had lunch less up it. We were heading for Makaroko than halfway up, being mislead by the and Ecology Stream. After reaching the steepness of the hill and exactly which top of the spur and donning full storm ridge the track had disappeared up. gear we started to fumble along the We finally reached the grasslands of ridge towards Makaroko in nil visibil- ity. There were cairns every so often The next day, Friday, was a rest day but they were only just reassuring. as we waited for the weather to marginally improve so we could make About 1 p.m. we decided that it was our dash across the tops. Well Saturlunchtime and that we had better drop day turned up better than off. We assumed that we were out of Friday so off we went (marginally) - up a real grunt the Mangamaire catchment and only hoped of 1,000 feet and out onto the we weren't dropping off north, to the We bowled along north to Thunderbolt tops. head of the Rangitikei. We dropped off and then headed west towards (basically) on to a grottier spur and down, after Ruapehu and National Park, etc. We a bit, into an even grottier creek. were just below the cloud base and in It had been raining all day which didn't the sunshine for a lot of the travel help matters. but a very cold northerly whisked away any thoughts of sunbathing. We had Well we kept stumbling down Ecology lunch on the side of the last hill Stream, getting rather worried about before dropping into the the lack of a decent (or any) campsite. looking out to a cloud covered Waipakihi, National In the later afternoon the first Park. campsite appeared and we seized it by the throat and pinned it to the ground We then headed off down the river to with tent and fly. After several goes get below the gorge as we didn't trust the fire still wouldn't light. It had the weather. We made good time and been raining all day. And so for the reached the campsite below the gorge first time on the trip we cooked dinner in the early afternoon. Just as we on the primus out of the pit. were making the last crossing we spotted two deer in the middle of the Next morning, because the previous day's river. Sean almost lost his bolt and rain had got into the batteries of fell into the river trying to get a Sean's clock, we had a late start but bead on one of them, but to no avail. we still managed to arrive at the The largest meal of the trip was Rangitikei for lunch. At no stage consumed that night (i.e. most of the had the stream changed from a little excess and emergency food) and we chasm with log jams scattered liberfelt bloated. ally about like confetti. The next morning we were off in good After a quick meal in the rain and time down the river. We arrived at the another good laugh at Tim's T.Bs big hunters' campsite about ten crosswhich by this time had been minced ings from the roadend to find two into a complete powder of which a cupblokes from Auckland in residence. ful was consumed each day with jam and After a brew we were off again and margarine mixed in food for reached the road in about 4 hour. In (not champions). fact, from the campsite to the road took only 1 hours. I was staggered After lunch we started off downst tream when I realised that on past trips as our objective was the southern it took us a whole day. accessway, but after one or two arty river crossings and a hurried confer- We had lunch down the road and then ence it was decided that we didn't walked out to S.H.1 to await the bus like the look of the river and instead home which was a rather insipid way we decided to head upstream and camp in which to end 9 days good tramping just across from the Trick Creek Track. in, to me anyway, one of the better Which we then proceeded to carry out areas of the North Island. and we were in our pits by 2 p.m. 9 days June/July 1980