This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
During the weekend of May 25,26 and 27, a group of six trampers were led into the Waiohine River Gorge by Murray Worsop, destination ... Totara Flats via the Cone Ridge Track. Is this just another Tararua story you ask? Maybe for some, but certainly not this American on his first (medium-ha!) tramp with the Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering Club. Friday evening at 9pm we arrived at the Waiohine Gorge roadend and began sorting our packs. After stumbling over tree roots for fifteen minutes we found a suitable spot for setting up the rainfly. Mark and Aaron mumbled something about going back to the truck, so five of us settled under the fly for a good night’s sleep. Since Saturday’s tramp would be quite long for a short winter's day, Murray wanted to be out of camp by 8am. By 8.03 we were crossing the Waiohine River on the wire swing bridge. Once across, we turned north and began tramping upstream in surroundings that reminded me of the Southeast U.S. After about 15 minutes, Murray and Stuart decided that we were on the wrong track, so we turned around and headed back to the bridge. We reached the bridge at about 8.35 and this time tramped south a very short distance where the track started to climb towards the Cone Saddle. This was quite unlike anyhting I had tramped in the U.S. Now we've got a number of 1600m hills, but most tracks are graded less steep, utilising switchbacks. Murray informed us that the first two to three hours were all uphill before leveling out for Cone Saddle. Ugh! Austin, Bob, Mark and Aaron pulled ahead while Stuart and I brought up the rear. Although Stuart's pace was similar to mine, he seemed to have an easier time with the steepness of the track. I, on the other hand, was regretting every biscuit and sweet I had eaten during the past eight months. We took several rest stops as Murray and Stuart reminisced about their first trips with the Club and how strenuous they were. Around 11.45am we regrouped at the junction of the Cone Saddle Track on Cone Saddle. It was Clear to all of us that we would not reach Totara Flats by nightfall via the Cone Ridge Track. After a brief discussion, the decision was to take the Saddle Track down to the Lower Wailohine River Track for a faster pace to Totara Flats.
After a much welcomed lunch break we crossed the Clem Creek and continued down to the River Track. Several times the map was consulted due to the Saddle Track being undefined. Twice we could see Totara Flats in the distance, which sparked a debate of whether ‘real’ trampers sleep under a rainfly or in a cozy, dry hut.
The junction with the River Track was made about 3.15pm, and we turned upstream. The trail made a long, steep descent into a camp situated beside Long Flat Creek where the track was once again momentarily lost. We continued by fording the creek and climbing the steep bank into thick bush which sheltered us from the rain which had begun falling. The track alternated from the thick bush to open areas where it wound through waist high grasses. One minute we would be down by the river, then climbing uphill to avoid an obstruction, then walking along the edge of a cliff looking at the river fifteen metres below. Approximately twenty minutes from Totara Flats, a recent slip had washed the track down to the river, twenty metres below. This presented us with three choices - 1) Move above the slip and bushwhack to the rack opposite the slip; 2) downclimb to the river and traverse the slip; 3) turn back and find a suitable place to set up camp. . Each possibility was scouted and we decided that: 1) we could not bushwhack across before nightfall; 2) even though we could downclimb and traverse to the Flats now, the rain could cause the River to rise and block our exit on Sunday. We decided to turn back. The first camp we found was in an open grassy area close to the river, but since the rain was getting heavier and winds were increasing, everone agreed it was best to return to the sheltered camp beside Long Flat Creek. , Murray, Stuart and Austin went ahead to set up a rainfly and fire up the primus for hot water. Mark and Aaron followed, their task being to collect the firewood. Bob and I reached the camp at 4.45, and while I got a second primus going, he set up a second rainfly. Mark and Aaron drew a hearty round of praise because thanks to their efforts, we had a warm, cosy fire made from heaps of wet wood, where we could sit around and enjoy a meal that Murray had arranged and prepared. — Sunday morning dawned to high wind gusts and typical New Zealand horizontal rain. The rainfly that Stuart, Bob and I were under had leaked, and with the help of our plastic ground covers, had created a mini Lake Taupo. However, by 9am, the weather had cleared for a brilliantly fine day. Some people enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, some found solitude on the boulders by the river, while others searched for that ever elusive ‘classic’ photograph. Bob, Stuart and I broke camp at 11am to head back to the truck via the Lower River Track. The tramp was similar to many in the Southeast U.S. where we climb down into a small gully, cross the stream, then scramble up the other side, over and over. Just before we reached the swing bridge, Mark and Aaron ran past us ... not enough weight in the packs guys? We reached the truck around 1pm, followed shortly by Austin and Murray. I was asked to write this report in hope of giving a different point of view. I do not know if that is possible, after all, it’s simply putting one foot in front of the other and experiencing all that surrounds us. The Tararuas have retained a ruggedness that, unfortunately the Southeast U.S. has lost. In too many instances the feeling of being in a wilderness cannot be obtained. However, this trip was quite fulfilling in a whole range of wilderness experiences (yes, Bob, except the bears). The land is steep and rugged. The weather is harsher, with stronger winds, heavier rain, and horizontal rains. But then after all, that’s why I'm here in New Zealand. On the trip was: Murray Arthur-Worsop, Stuart Lusty, Austin, Bob Haig, Mark Hadfield, Aaron Howard and Gordon Seals. .