Kime Hut in Three Days, $100, A Storm and Half a Pair of Overtrousers

by Tess Shewry

We got to Otaki Forks and disappeared in the rain and the dark unknown…
We wandered…lost amongst tussock flats and false ground trails… We turned back at a side stream and wandered…lost amongst the tussocks some more…

It was Parawai Lodge…
Was it the sad wooden bunks (lonely from having no mattresses)? Or the fun loving possum (mistaken in a sleep haze for a pig)? What would see us return to Parawai over and over and over again?

Saturday morning and some wisdom: Eat your emergency Two Minute Noodles for breakfast on day one - people don't get stranded these days.

"We lived the track, we breathed the track, we ate the track". Eating the track wasn't out of the question as in storm/rain/wind/mud/slushy snow we headed to Kime. At times propelled up vertically in a run by the wind. And all this in no more than half a pair of overtrousers.

Kime Hut: A cruel and greedy but admittedly cunning person stole the one mattress. The one big, fat, comfortable mattress. We slept on hard, cold wooden bunks and dreamed of the six fat mattresses per person, fire and ten candles at Alpha.

Sunday morning: A strange desire to return to Parawai but mainly softness induced by someone sleeping on a mattress saw us returning to Otaki Forks. The track was riverish as we tramped/ran/slid down it.

Nastiness. Yes. The ranger informed us of nasty slips/washouts/pine trees/rivers/above all the blown away TV aerial & general carnage on the access road. We were trapped - hemmed in by an angry storm and a maniacal, power wielding, crazed and dangerous ranger.

Sunday night. Our three new friends cooked us dinner, occasionally breaking into song, thumping their heads on the roof and having startling conversation topics. The fire burned, we played cards, moaned and whined and cagily hackled over gossip: "Oh yes, I do know some gossip…" "What?" "Oh no, I couldn't tell you…"

"Books about prostitutes are good…Any prostitute makes a good book."
Yes, in pit the next morning someone was being his/her usual self. I was writing my essay and being subjected to harassment. Last Card and Black Bitch were being played and such genuine happiness at landing someone with three fives or the Queen of Spades has never before been found. One smoker lolly was rationed out to each for breakfast.

Barrelling, rafting and pack floating down the Otaki, ropes over fords, 5 am escapes over slips, hijacking 4 wheel drives, demanding Jeremy bring his landrover in, bashing up pine tree plantations or calling for Eric to be sent in were all discussed…But our sleeping bags weren't that uncomfortable…

Then a chopper came. It cost lots. We flew, high in the sky. Then we sat on the road and by as many ways possible, including the back of a road worker's truck, a train and a taxi, got back to Wellington via Pizza Hut.

Quote of the trip: "If these helicopter guys don't get out of here now I'm going to stone their helicopter to death" (upon the helicopter crew overstaying their welcome on our $500/hr time). Wisdom of the trip: "Don't listen to old men". The survivors were: -Brown Cardigan wearing old man: "I would/ I would/ I would…if only it wasn't raining/blowing/I had blisters/if only Eric was here…" "You've got more chance of not drowning if you can't swim" -Boot Drinker: "Um tommorow is my first day of work but I sort of can't make it…" "Eat as much as you like…within reason" Jean Paul Gaultier's Overtrou: "Adult students…grrrr" "My essay!" "The chess club!" "My essay!" Hack Hack Hack I'm Not Sick: "I want to murder something" "Demolish the stone fence" "Throw rocks at the digger" "I'll throw myself in the Otaki" "They've got me on real life TV" (and see also quote of the trip).

Ruahines

While the squad was reduced due to injury, keen were Peter, Hannah, Kathryn, Ben, Daniel and myself. Dinner in Levin, then we headed through Feilding, Kimbolton and Apiti to our starting point. Friday night was an easy 30 minutes to Heritage Hut.

On Saturday morning we headed up onto Tunupo on the Ngamoko Ridge. Once we got out of the bush and onto the tops - we felt the full effects of the wind. As the wind was coming at right angles to us, we ended walking on a strong lean into the wind! After a few more hours on the tops we dropped down to Longview Hut. It has fantastic views over Central Hawkes Bay out to the sea, and must be well secured to have stayed put in those wind gusts.

On Sunday the weather had closed in and it was raining, although the wind had calmed down a bit. We headed back onto the tops, stopping for lunch at Iron Gate Hut via Otumore. After lunch Ben, Peter, and myself headed down the Oroua River. The girls and Daniel took the track which sidled above the riverbank. Going down the river was lots of fun with many crossings and some required pack floating. The river was pretty refreshing! The girls won - but I think we had more fun. On our way home we called into the Kimbolton local for a beer and to watch the Kiwi women's hockey team at the Olympics. We timed the trip perfectly, as a few hours after we got out of the bush a big front dumped heaps of snow in the area down to low levels.

Of course on every good trip there has to be a quote: Peter: "Kathryn I'll do you later tonight" Ben: "I know we're mates Pete, but don't you think that's going a bit far" (Apparently the conversation was about arm wrestling.)

Sunrise at Sunrise Hut, Ruahines, Photo: Richard Davies

Hiking in the Haurangis

After hearing tales of the spectacular Labour weekend hut-bagging mission I felt it was time to bag a hut or two of my own. However, a small adventure a while back involving rain and a helicopter had made me cautious about venturing into the usual VUWTC habitat ie the Tararuas. Instead I thought it would be good to visit a completely different locale - the Haurangis. This small mountain range stands proudly on its own in the southern Wairarapa and has about 4 or 5 huts within a relatively short distance of each other. The highest point is just on 1000 metres, while the position of the park means the weather is usually fairly settled unless a roaring southerly happens to drive in off the Antarctic.

The benefit of planning a trip to such a small park is that most of the walks from hut to hut are quite small and after picking up Eric and bike in Wellington at 11.30am, Eric, myself and Catherine were able to lounge around at the flying fish café in Martinborough for one of their fine pizzas. This resulted in a comparatively late arrival at the Putangirua Scenic Reserve and it wasn't until 4.30pm that we made a getaway.

Our intended destination was Washpool Hut - a point we thought was between 3-5 hours up the track. As we travelled up the track in the blazing Wairarapa sun the sweat poured off us and there were a few worries about taking enough water to last. Drinking water in the park is limited to a handful of fairly small streams. After passing a few punters who thought we were overdoing the gear for a small ¾ hour loop to the Putangirua Pinnacles we sighted the Pinnacles. These are impressive structures rapidly created by the loose rocky soil of the area and well worth a visit on their own merits.

After the Pinnacles we followed a four wheel drive track ascending to about 500 metres. This eventually turned into the Washpool track proper. The track was well marked and apart from the odd fallen tree was very easy to navigate through. The Haurangi vegetation is relatively sparse, reminiscent of the Orongorongo area. Ongaonga is abundantly present and quite difficult to avoid.

It was just over three hours before we dropped steeply into the washpool creek catchment and found the light had faded enough to justify using our torches. Just half an hour after lighting up we arrived at the hut startling the two inhabitants who seemed somewhat unused to night trampers. They turned out to be from the Manawatu Tramping Club, with another seven of the group tenting down at the stream. As if to show how small the hills are in New Zealand, it turned out that some of them had encountered the VUWTC just the previous week when making their way to Carkeek at Labour weekend.

The spacious six bunk Washpool hut, built in 1962 but rebuilt in 1968 after meeting an early end under a large Rimu, soon set the scene for a superb meal topped off by an excellent Cairnbrae 2000 Marlborough sauvignon. The dark cloudless night provided a wonderful window of stars from the hut doorstep and it was well after 11 before I retired to warmth of my sleeping bag.

Morning saw a huge breakfast eaten before the lack of an easy return loop back saw us retrace our steps relatively late in the morning - once again the sun appeared from behind the clearing drizzle making for a hot 4 hour walk back to the carpark. The clear day afforded excellent views of the Wairarapa over Lake Ferry and towards the Tararuas and Orongarongos.

After a quick rendezvous at Eric's parents house, there was the obligatory vineyard stop before joining the Sunday drivers over the Rimutaka hill and eventually ending up in Wellington about 5pm. All in all a most relaxing place to tramp and it would be well worth spending the 4 days required to 'bag' all the huts in this tiny park.

Bagging Huts

What a weekend! Slippery conditions at Baring Head on Saturday, back home, then Sylv's 21st. Great party; much wine, beer, fire and vodka jelly later I hit bed around 3:30am - only to be woken before 10 for yet another classic session at the head. Home Sunday and doze turned to sleep… only to be woken by a concerned flatmate to take a phone call - an emergency. Visions of dead or dying

"Gidday Dave, it's Eric"
what kind of emergency could it be?
"I'm calling about the hut-bagging weekend, Pete got lost..."
hope he's ok. SAR call-out, injury?
"...and so didn't get all the huts he was supposed to - they need to be bagged, it's an emergency!"
questionable that, but infinitely preferable to the scenarios I'd imagined.

"So, Dave. What you doing tomorrow?" ahhhh. Labour weekend Monday; sleep in, stretch, relax, play some poi, hang out in the sun… "cos we need someone to head in to Neil Forks, Totara Flats and Sayers".

Hmmm. Maybe I'll catch up on everything some other time, right now it's time for Dave to look at a map!

A few hours later and it's all arranged. Caroline to pick me up from Garden Rd at 7am, drop me off at Walls Whare for a solo tramp up Cone, along and down to Neil Forks, back up then down to Totara Flats and Sayers then out to Holdsworth for an afternoon pick-up.

Sleep. Wake up, pack and put on my boots as Caroline walks in the door. Road-end, map glance, tally up the times and I reckon 9 ½ hours. "See you around six".

Set off fast (I thought) and made good time (maybe, hard to tell without a watch) to the top of Cone. Magic! Cloud filled the valleys while the peaks of the main range stood tall. Great place to be; sat down, ate, dealt a pre-emptive strike to any blister revolutionaries, then a short siesta in the sun.

Fast again along and down to Neil Forks, where a swim didn't appeal at all, decorated the log-book then the grunt back up the hill - and the first not so pleasant moments of the trip. Rock climbing makes you soft and no tramping for three months doesn't prepare you for this sort of stuff! Got to the top and decided it was time to tone things down, definitely no more running - instead a switch to cruise control. Down, down to Totara Flats to sign in, then down the river. Tried to remember why river crossings in bare feet are a bad idea, but couldn't, so had dry boots and bruised feet at Sayers. Managed to keep everything dry in a waist deep crossing, cool. I'd never been to Sayer Hut before - nice place. A quick log-book perusal, mine the first VUWTC sheep on a mountain - omitted by earlier Vic. visitors - the Captain, Richie, Dunc, Kylie, Kathryn… If Eric convenes this year's selection panel, they'll need to find some form! Food, back across the river, a quick dip then a drying out snooze in the sun.

Dressed again and soon brought back to reality by Totara Creek - I've never headed up feeling fresh which may explain the unpleasant associations, time for yet more of them… Then the hill, decide to charge and it soon flattens out to join the Holdsworth track. Thought about running out. Thought about how stupid that would be. Thought about walking out instead. Nice wander, bumped into Alice and Berber playing in the Atiwhakitu and on to sign out and see Caroline at the car. 9 ½ hours exactly, but splits weren't as expected (unexpected sleeps and bursts of speed). A joyous Eric soon heard that the emergency had been dealt with and disaster averted - chocolate ice cream to celebrate, but then the hardest part of the trip in the form of a nearly bursting bladder. Back to Wellington feeling good, sleep!!

Well, the club did it. All the huts in a single weekend, I personally had a great time - kudos to the other hut-baggers, Caroline for transport and Eric for running mission control.