This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
By Chris Collyns
This trip started as most Tararua trips do, on a wet, miserable Friday evening. It was good to see four other keen punters ready to tramp to the ends of the earth, well maybe! As far as Herepai Hut anyway.
Things started looking up when our transport was replaced by a Super Shuttle as the Duchess was full. This made a very comfortable trip to the roadend at Putara where we arrived three hours later. It was difficult leaving that nice comfortable environment, piling into a dark, wet, cold night in the middie of nowhere. Pulling on our raincoats and packs we set off into the night leaving a rather bemused Super Shuttle driver shaking his head at his now departing passengers.
There is something magical about the bush at night, especially in the rain. The bush dripping wet, the track trailing off in the darkness, rocks, roots and overhanging branches waiting to catch the unwary tramper, the stillness and calm as you start to climb, leaving behind the rush and roar of overfull creeks and rivers. Some two hours later we arrive at Herepai Hut. It's good to strip off wet clothes and crawl into a warm, dry pit. Sleep is hard to come by and! drift in and out of dreams, broken by the sound of rain on the roof and the snores of my companions.
We wake to a misty morning, the rain has stopped and every so often the mist lifts and a glimpse of the tops is caught with this enticement. I shiver into damp clothes, gulp down a quick breakfast, pack up and start climbing. The climb is welcome as the body is cold from damp clothes and low temperatures. An hour and a half later we reach the top of Ruapae or what we estimate to be Ruapae, as visibility is down to 5 metres and the only indication is a subtle change in ridge direction. Half an hour later, patches of blue sky begin to appear and the mist starts to lift on the Western side of the range and we are treated to views of the Mangahao Valley and the Horowhenua Plains. Apart from a small detour off East Peak, we press on to Dundas Hut. The weather closed in again and we are literally walking in the clouds. Strange rocks and shapes loom out of the mist. It becomes difficult to pinpoint our position as the high points merge-inte-each-other. Only-time-measures our progress and after 4 hours tknow-Dundas Alt isnot faraway. Conch is put off until we reach the hut, then it is one last climb and a short, steep descent and the hut looms out of the mist.
Lunch is quickly devoured, and the body begins to return to normal with a hot brew. We decide it is not worth battling on in the mist, so bunks are chosen and I snuggle into my pit for a tramp in the land of dreams. A Fit trip of course!
I crawl out of my pit a few hours later into a totally different world. The mist has lifted and I am surrounded by mountains. On one side are the sheer, rocky bluffs of Pukemoremore, their harshness softened by the now setting sun, bathing them ina fiery orange glow. The serenity and timelessness of my surroundings fills me with a sense of gratitude just to be there. It's great to be alive!! Experiencing a moment like this makes a weekend, sweating up hills, grovelling through mud, being cold and wet, all worthwhile. Dinner is a simple affair with mince and bean stew on rice followed by paviova with peaches and cream. That's another good reason for going tramping, the food is better than at home!! After a session of stargazing , watching falling stars and the occasional! satellite blipping past, it's back into my pit ready for an early start. The day dawns with a spectacular sunrise and with blue sky as far as the eye can see, we decide to retrace our steps back along the tops, instead of taking the intended route out over Cattle Ridge. A short detour to the top of Logan gives us great views of the Tararuas, stretching away south down to Kapakapanui. Mount Taranaki rises out of the sea to the west, Mounts Ruapehu and Tongariro are surrounded by cloud. Looking towards Arete, Bannister and the Twins, future tramps are planned and calculated. Tod, who has done numerous tramps in the Tararuas comments that this is the first time he has actually seen them!! Then it is time to be on our way. The grunt up Pukemoremore is a good warm up. Half an hour later our brilliant clear day has packed it in as a large cloud bank rolls in from the Wairarapa side and we are engulfed in swirling mist again. We arrive at West Peak and prepare ourselves for the 200 metre drop down to the saddle and the grunt up the other side. The descent is very gentle and the climb up the other side is a bit of a dawdle. The compass is out again and our direction checked. It is decided either the Tararuas are shrinking or we are getting fitter or we are now standing on West Peak with a 200 metre drop bearing off to our right. Trusting the compass we drop off into the murk. A cairn looms out of the mist letting us know we are on the right ridge. East Peak is conquered after a short steep grunt. The sun decides to reappear so we spend some time on top of East Peak enjoying the view. Then it's on to Herepai Hut for lunch and a slow amble out to the roadend meeting up with the Mediums along the way. On the way home we are treated to a tiki tour around Ekatahuna and a fish and chips stop in Carterton which seems to be a good way to finish an excellent weekend. Members of the trip were: John Sim, Tod Rutter, Daniel Mears, Gerard Galvin and Chris Collyns (Leader and Scribe). Thanks guys for a terrific weekend.