Some More Tramps

The slip along the Otaki Forks tramp

In the past few weeks I have managed to get out on a few more tramps (or hikes for those not familiar with Kiwi terminology). Last week the group headed south to the Tararua Ranges and a hike in the Otaki Forks area and this week we went north to the Ruahine Ranges for a hike in Oroua River.

The hike in Otaki Falls area had to be altered from our original plans due to the weather forecast. At first tramp was to go up to a hut that required at least an hour or so of walking up a stream. However the forecast was for rain and given how quickly the water rises here in New Zealand it was decided that this was not a safe option. So we instead decided to combine several smaller tramps to make a day of it. The first was a small loop that had us end at a nice hut just in time for morning tea. Then we walked back to the vehicles and drove further up the road to another parking area and set off on a longer tramp. This was an out and back on a trail heading towards Field Hut with the trail bordering the Otaki River and running along Judd Ridge. The hope was to make it to the swing bridge but about 30 minutes in the rain started and it just didn’t stop. We marched on undeterred everyone here being quite used to tramping in wet weather.



Ruahine Ranges



Part way in we had to cross a large “slip” (or what we call a slide). It had happened last year and a temporary trail runs across it at mid slope. It is pretty steep and the soil is quite unstable. At the time we crossed it on our way out the rain had just started. As we continued on so did the rain. By our designated lunch time stop it was still pouring. There is pretty dense forest growth in New Zealand so we tried to take shelter under the trees but we just couldn’t escape the rain. We had a short and soggy lunch stop and then decided to head back. By the time we reached the slip we could see the water at the bottom entering the bordering river and turning it brown. The ground seemed even less stable and we decided to keep our distance from each other when crossing and also to get across as quickly (but safely) as possible). We had to be careful of moving rocks and so everyone was relieved when we had made it back to the other side. It was amazing to see how much the little streams we had crossed on the way in had already risen doing our short tramp. We headed for the warm vehicles and drove just north of Levin for a nice cup of warm coffee and some cake.



Mount Ruapehu in the background



The hike into the Ruahine Mountain Range was on a nice clear but cool sunny day. The weather is starting to feel like fall and I am not hiking in my tank top anymore but have started to wear my wool t-shirts and even long sleeve light base layers. We hiked into a beautiful hut called the Alice Nash Memorial Heritage Hut which is only a short way in and had morning tea here. Then the majority of the group decided that they wanted to tackle the uphill to the ridgeline towards Turnupo peak instead of heading downstream to Iron Gate Hut. I liked this idea as it was such a clear day and I knew we would get some spectacular views from the ridge.



Farmland west of the Ruahine Ranges



It was a good steady climb but we eventually got out from the dense forest into the brush. They have a shrub here called leather wood that would make walking off trail impossible so even though we were above the treeline I still couldn’t see much. Finally we got a little higher and the views opened up. I was able to see out to Mount Ruapehu (the active volcano that is the highest mountain on the North Island and also the ski area) and to Kapiti Island on the West Coast.

 

The Alice Nash Memorial Heritage Hut



On the hike were several retired professors from Massey University so we had some “shop talk” on the hike up. One of the club members, Margaret, is a wealth of knowledge in terms of native plants and she has been pointing out many of the different species to me. I told the group that they were like a tramping/naturalist club and this comment was received with horror. Apparently many people here think naturalist means nudist so they asked that I please not call them a Naturalist group! Next week the plan is to head into a hut on east side of the Ruahine Ranges which is an area I have not yet had the chance to explore. Hopefully the nice weather lasts because although I am a keen tramper I haven’t fully embraced the New Zealand rain yet.