A Taste of the Ruahines

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A Taste of the Ruahines Rhys Burns The Ruahines bigger, more rugged and drier than the Tararuas or SO l'd heard. It sounded too good to be true. My first trip to these ranges was to be a Fit trip with Paul Critchley and our driver, Roger Bolam. Je arrived at the SH1 W turn-off late Friday night. Paul was nowhere in sight, leading us to speculate on the likelihood that he was stuck in a Taihape traffic-jam. He soon turned up and we sped off. All the trips were heading up to Rangiwahia Hut and soon a procession of headlights and torches could be seen, struggling up the hill. We arrived at the hut to find it packed with school kids, who through a combination of their bodies and gear, seemed to take up all available space in the hut. We were up just before 6 am and away by 7.00, following a Howletts Hut Kirsty Woods rutted track up the remainder of the ridge. A glimpse of the main range, swathed in a glorious white coat, enticed us At 4.45 am we were woken by Paul being as loud as on. The snow gradually increased in size and frequency possible cooking his bacon breakfast. Roger exclaimed until we were walking through nothing but snow. It had with shock that he hadn't realised a 5 am start meant it a frustratingly thin icy crust, which would hold your would still be dark outside. We eventually left at 6.45 weight in one footstep, then give way in the next, with am, a little behind schedule. your foot plunging down to ankle, knee, or occasionally thigh-deep. Each new step was a lottery and often re- We reached Otumore about 9 am, then followed the sultedi in a surprised gasp as the leading person dropped track down the ridge to Iron Gate Hut. was grateful for a foot or two into the snow. the people who had cut the track through the leatherwood, which enabled us to quickly descend to Iron Gate From the Whanahuia Range we headed north-east, si- Hut. We arrived by about 10.30 to find the Easy/Medidling past Maungamahue until we reached the winding ums still at the hut having a leisurely breakfast and baskridge that led to the main range. The ridge was remark- ing in the sun. We stopped for a brew and a chat, and ably clear of snow and took a steep dive into a saddle left at 11.15, heading up the milky Oroua River, to bebefore climbing just as steeply up to the highest point gin our big climb up the spur to Mangahuia. of our trip Te Hekenga (1695m). The demise of the beech forest, evidence that we were Te Hekenga soon became enshrouded in mist and the gaining altitude, was tempered by the subsequent domiweather started closing in. Visibility had dropped to nance of the dreaded leatherwood. Three pairs of 50-100 m after lunch andwe quickly ascended the small scratched thighs and a 250m gain in height later, we rises of Taumataomekura and Tiraha. From Tiraha we emerged into tussock and had a quick lunch below the dropped to the left of the obvious ridge, down a steep summit, out of the wind. slope into white nothingness, which we were assured became a ridge which would lead to Howletts Hut. This We reached the summit of Mangahuia by 2.30 and Paul proved to be the case, and we arrived at the cute upped the tempo to get back to Rangiwahia Hut by 3 pm. Howletts Hut at 3.30 pm. Roger immediately made it We quickly descended in the midst of a sudden deluge, clear that he had had enough for the dayl by climbing into to arrive at the coach by 3.30. A great trip, and I'm lookhis pit and falling asleep. ing forward to getting back to the Ruahines again. Tramping and Mountaineering 1997