Killdevil and the Teeth of the Dragon

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Killdevil and the Teeth of the Dragon Don Goodhue The track had been built a long time ago, in the days when the lure of the yellow metal drew men into country they would probably never have contemplated for fun. It must have been a tough life, if the weary bodies that eventually walked out along the Anatoki track were anything to go by-and we had only been there for four days. Two hours into day one, we were toiling up the Killdevil track onto the Lockett Range. How appropriately named it was. Earlier in the morning Woody, Pat and I had met up with Lyndsay and Eric at the former Rat Trap Hotel for a trip into the northern Kahurangi, in search of the Dragons Teeth. Perhaps the tanker we followed down the Takaka Hill with great clouds of smoke pouring from its brakes Lonely Lake Eric Blumhardt should have been a warning. The day was hot and would get hotter After wandering along the tops, the Lake Stanley during the 1929 track eventually dropped into the Murchison earthquake. A couple of The Killdevil track, built in the days Waingaro in a long, descent to Stanley hours of easy walking brought us to when men took to the hills in search Forks. Not long after leaving the tops, Lake Stanley and Smokey Drip Hut. ofgold, had been built as a pack-horse the track entered the bush, and it was The name was certainly appropriate track. It climbs up from the a pleasant afternoon walk, descend- it was the sort of hut you would only Uruwhenua Road in a dizzying series ing gradually along a benched track use in desperation. The place was a of zigzags until it eventually eases off through stunning stands of beech. By pit, and given DOC's current position onto the top of the Lockett Range, late afternoon, we had reached on unsound structures, must be in uroverlooking the Waingaro River. The Waingaro Forks Hut, at the confluence gent need of demolition. The beach odd derelict fence-line and an aban- ofthe Waingaro and Stanley rivers. Al- outside seemed like a good place to doned shepherd's hut amongst the though the hut was dry and habitable, stop for a brew and laze in the sun, scrub and rock are about all that are we opted for a campsite on a sandy under the watchful eye of a weka. left of earlier attempts to turn the area terrace above the Stanley, a short disinto farmland. As a result of those ef- tance from the hut. The evening was On our way again we followed the forts, most of the original bush is gone, spent sitting around the fire, fending track that sidled the south shore of leaving only scattered scrub. off the insects, and mulling over the Lake Stanley. From the track, a short day's walk and what lay ahead. bush-bash took us down into the east A farmer tending his pine trees at the branch of the Stanley River where an beginning of the track had warned us: The next morning saw another fine, extended lunch-break was had, lazing "It will be hot up there-there's no hot day, SO we headed away reason- in the sun and swimming. From here, water for miles." Lyndsayhad! been this ably early. It seemed that Woody had the walk up the river was reasonably way a few years earlier and assured already been up for hours, thrashing straightforward. Closely-packed conus that once we got onto the tops, around in his bivy bag, trying to push tours on the map gave us an idea that there was a solitary beech tree that the intrusive insects back out through things would get trickier further upwould be an ideal lunch stop. Isn'ti it the holes in the insect mesh, and then stream; a gorge about an hour upt from funny how distances get greater over bemoaning the early morning chorus the lake slowed our progress for a the years! Even Lyndsay had to admit of the local bellbird. The intention was while. The gorge was deep and narthat the tree must have shifted further to find a route from the head of Lake row, and a number of natural bridges along the ridge. In one ofthef few shady Stanley, up onto the Douglas Range had been formed by large boulders. spots, we found a puddle of water; via the east branch of the Stanley River, We initially started climbing up the within minutes all but the sludge in and along to Lonely Lake Hut. A domi- middle of the gorge before eventually the bottom had been consumed. nant feature of the landscape in this abandoning it for an easier route up Lunch was pleasant-the chill-check area is a large slip-so large in fact, the left bank. Once out of the gorge, on my pack showed 28° in the shade. that it was responsible for forming the going was again straightforward. TRAMPING & MOUNTAINEERING 1996

By mid-afternoon we were well up the river and had decided we would need to climb out onto the Douglas Range well below the head of the valley, as there appeared to be bluffs in the way of a route straight out of the head of the valley. We began our climb out, initially through open bush which soon turned into a dense mass ofscrub and dracophyllum. As we climbed it became apparent that we had left the river earlier than planned, and our route would bring us onto a ridge that would take another couple of hours to climb to reach the Douglas Range. Not far below thel bushline we stopped for a snack and again, out of nowhere, appeared the local weka. Once we made the bushline, travel was easier, but it was getting late in the day and Lonely Lake Hut was still Sweating up onto the tops Eric Blumhardt a number of hours away. There was a brief discussion on the merits of fcamp- another extended lunch was had while down the river. This was an interesting on the ridge. This was abandoned we discussed our options. Lyndsay, the ing area, with lots of sign of the gold in favour of continuing. Following ani- latent pyromaniac got a fire going for mining days; a long section off thet track mal tracks we sidled below an impos- al brew. From where we were, we still is formed on an old water-race once ing-looking ridge before eventually faced a further six hours' hard slog to used to bring water down for sluicing meeting up with the marked route to get to Adelaide Tarn. The easier route gold in the forks area. Lonely Lake. From here the route was down the river towards Anatoki Forks similar to the southern main range of Hut looked more appealing and it From Anatoki Forks, a benched track the Tararuas. Thirteen hours after leav- didn't take long for plans to be continues down the right bank, slowly ing Stanley Forks, we arrived at Lonely changed. sidling higher to Anatoki Forks before Lake Hut-not much more than a garheading over the hills to Takaka. Like den shed fitted with two bunks. From our lunch-stop we spent a lei- the Killdevil, this track was built for surely afternoon working our way pack horses, and was well-benched From Lonely Lake our original plan was down the river, stopping to swim and and graded. A number of side-streams, to head toAdelaide Tarn. Between the enjoying the views of the Dragons obviously once crossed by bridges, two was the Dragons Teeth and Teeth back up the valley. Towards mid- kept the route interesting. Anatoki Peak; however, reading thel hut afternoon we arrived at a grassy flat logbook made us unsure of this plan. and called it a day, spending the rest We had planned to camp in the There have only been 25 recorded of the day loafing by the river. Anatoki Bend area about 10km from crossings in the last 20 years, taking the road; however, the only campsite anywhere from 8 hours to 2 days, and A1 feature of thel Kahurangi is surely the (on the track) didn't really appeal as al lot of horror stories. The alternative abundance of birdlife from thei inces- much as the idea of a cold beer at the was to bush-bash down to the Anatoki sant bellbirds to the wekas. As we sat Collingwood pub, SO that idea too was River and then climb out the head of around the fire that evening we were abandoned. We still had a few hours the valley to Adelaide Tarn. treated to a chorus of the Kahurangi of daylight left SO Eric and I went on birdlife. There had been no insects up ahead to arrange transport. Wel left Lonely Lake and climbed up to at Lonely Lake; down at the river, howthe saddle, following cairns marking ever, they were back in force. Again By the time we arrived at the road, the route to thel Dragons Teeth. Just to Woody battled them from within his and had arranged transport, we were the west of the "Drunken Sailors", / we bivvy bag and spent the hours before all stuffed. Before long gwe were in the departed from the marked route and dawn cursing the local bellbirds. Collingwood pub, and all the efforts started down to the Anatoki River. The of the last few days finally seemed descent took the best part of three Our last day was spent following the worthwhile. We never did get to the hours, negotiating our way through Anatoki River downstream-the first Dragons Teeth-they will still be there dense scrub and a series ofl bluffs. By couple of hours down the river and another day-but we certainly got a the time we reached the river, the ef- then via the track. Shortly after leav- good taste of the Kahurangi; enough forts of thej previous day and the heat ing the campsite, Lyndsay, Woody and to convince us that we would be back were starting to take their toll. Feet Pat took to thel bush on the right bank. one day, perhaps when it would be a and knees were beginning to hurt and Eric and I preferred to boulder-hop bit cooler. TRAMPING & MOUNTAINEERING 1996