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Medium Tramp - March 2-4 by Michael Lightbourne
Upper Makaroro Hut Photos: Rona Davidson
This weekend we had two hired vans, one for the Easy tramp and the other for our Medium group. We left at the usual time, and stopped for some delicious fish and chips in Carterton. Then we continued our drive up SH 2, and it was long. In fact we almost got to Napier when we turned left off the main highway. We finally arrived at our destination, Mangleton Road, at about 11pm. A short walk was required to our accommodation for the night which was Sentry Box Hut, a 4 bed hut which already had two occupants. Craig set up his small fly, and some of us slept on the floor of the Hut. The two people already there rose at about 6am, which dashed any hopes of a sleep-in for our group. After breakfast, we packed and the 7 of us started our tramp up to Parks Peak Ridge. A lot of the climb is exposed and would offer good views on a clear day, but we saw nothing. When we got to the Ridge, our direction of travel was then south along the ridge to the Parks Peak Hut. This was the destination of the Easy group, however they were approaching from the south, a much longer route. At the Hut our group then dropped down towards the Upper Makaroro Hut, which is situated in a very pleasant clearing next to the Makaroro River. Arriving at 1 pm, it was time for lunch. The plan was to pack lightly, and head up Totara Spur to the Main Range for the afternoon. However this on-track plan was too boring for our Chief Guide, who was plotting a much more ambitious plan to head down the Makaroro River a bit, then bush-bash his way up a ridge leading to Kylie Biv. Then walk along the Main Range and come down Totara Spur. I wished him luck and advised him to pack a torch. Sam expressed an interest in Craig's plan and I agreed they should go together. Rona decided to have an afternoon at the Hut, and the rest of us headed up Totara Spur. This was the second major ascent of the day, and it was beginning to get quite cloudy around the tops. This affected my motivation, considering the purpose of this extension was to reach the tops for a view of this part of the Ruahine Ranges. However we carried on up and finally reached the bushline. The cloud was patchy, so we got some views but it wasn’t worth carrying on to Kylie Biv. There was no wind and it was warm, which made it pleasant and worth coming up. In fact this weekend was one of those rare tramping weekends where the whole trip was able to be done in a t-shirt and shorts. The four of us then turned around and went back down Totara Spur, arriving at the Hut at 5 pm. Rona must have been a bit bored or hungry, because she then chopped up all the vegetables, and proceeded to cook the dinner single-handedly, and delicious it was too. No sign of Craig and Sam, I suggested we should try and hold off on dinner as long as we could and wait for their arrival, but the group wouldn’t have it and we ate at the normal time. Following dinner was a few rounds of 500, then it was 8pm, getting dark and drizzly, and still no sign of Craig and Sam. I struggled to enjoy our dessert of Ginger Loaf and custard, having become a bit concerned about their continued absence. In fact we started planning a Search and Rescue mission for the next day, which would have seen some of us head up to Parks Peak Hut where there was hopefully cellphone coverage, and some of us head back up Totara Spur towards Kylie Biv. None of us were going to try and bush-bash up this ridiculous way to Kylie Biv. I certainly wasn’t alarmed about the situation, because I knew that if anyone was going to survive a night out in the open, it would be these two well-built and experienced trampers. At 9pm, totally dark outside, Craig and Sam finally appeared, uninjured and actually looking reasonably fresh. They had just completed a massive 13 hour day, having left Sentry Box Hut at 8am that morning. Apparently they arrived at Kylie Biv about the time we were having dinner. They then had to find their way across the broad tops in poor visibility and with darkness setting in, before the final stretch down Totara Spur. They must have appreciated the dinner and dessert we left for them.
On Sunday, we had to climb back up to Parks Peak Hut. This was the third major ascent of the weekend, and these hills are not to be taken lightly. I was sweating like a tap and drinking enormous amounts of water. Fortunately, water supply in this area is not a problem. At Parks Peak Hut we did a key swap with the Easy party, who were looking very relaxed. Our route was south along the ridge, and it was fantastic to have a mostly level path to follow. We slowly dropped down towards the Makaroro River, it’s a really long track, but well-formed so progress is good. At one point along the way, we came across a very confusing junction that almost took us to Barlow Hut. The track to the Hut exists but is not marked on the map. The turnoff is marked by a large orange triangle with the words “Barlow Hut” scratched in tiny capitals in the middle of the marker. There is nothing to indicate the continuation of the Ridge track — it must be assumed you can see the Ridge and the way is obvious. However there was a lot of cloud around, and we couldn’t see the Ridge, and started taking the track to Barlow Hut. Fortunately the back half of the group realised what was happening and alerted the rest of us to the fact. I wonder how long we would have carried on if we had not realised the error!
Rona and Austen study the map Left: Parks Peak Ridge (Photos: Mike McGavin)