This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
by Darren Hammond
San Lunch at Standfield Hut (Photos: Mike McGavin)
For the first time I can recall in my WTMC memory, 7 blokes were joined by exactly no members of the fairer s*x. I won't say that I was looking forward to that, but I guess it does make some things simpler...
Anyway, as we drove to points west of Dannevirke, the rain began after Woodville, which was not promising. It was still raining a little as we parked the cars soon after 9, and no-one was too keen to join me in exploring the camping options. Thanks to the help of a friendly local, we found our way to a decent camping area with a picnic shelter and a toilet block. We had the flies up by 10, and everything seemed fine. The wind was fairly strong, but I was confident our shelter would last the night. Well not exactly, but it only came down 3 times during the night! Thanks to Alex for restoring the status quo each time.
It was a windy old day as we climbed gently to Holmes Ridge, where we joined a 4WD track for about an hour, before descending to the West Tamaki river, and following that to Standfield Hut for lunch. The rain set in during lunch, and was persistent during a solid 200m climb to a ridge line. 4 of the group went ahead, and I went back for the other 2, who were struggling. Eventually we all made it to the ridge, and slogged through the mud to the point where we dropped steeply down to Cattle Creek Hut. The last few hundred metres were very exposed, and I was struggling to hold my feet in the incredibly strong winds. I had lost touch with the other 2, so turned back, and eventually found them heading back the other way, as they had not seen an orange marker for some time, and weren't sure they had gone the right way. I explained to them that sometimes you have to use your instincts. It was an interesting lesson for me as a trip leader, as it is not always possible to ‘lead from the back' as that pace is much slower than is comfortable for you. But you always need to be aware of what the guys at the back are doing... Anyway, we all made it to Cattle Creek, and listened to the wind rattling the hut, and the rain lashing the roof.
Thankfully the weather cleared by morning, and the wind had dropped, but by consensus, we decided to walk up the river (Cattle Creek, I guess), rather than make the severe climb up to the ridge. After 1 1/2 hours or so of pleasant river walking, we found the little used track that joins the spur back down to Standfield. It was off to the left, marked by a cairn, as well as a small red sign. With hindsight, ! would recommend taking this route to Cattle Creek Hut, by turning left at the top of the spur. The track is a little overgrown, but is marked in places, and is easy enough to follow. If it is windy, this will definitely be an easier option. than the ridge.
After lunch at Standfield Hut, we walked down the West Tamaki back to the car park. This was an easy 1 1/2 to 1 % hours, mostly on a wide shingle bed. The river was coming up a little because of the recent rain, but was no more than shin to knee deep, even down towards the car park. The weather made this Easy Medium a little closer to Medium, but it was a good walk, with a variety of terrain, and challenges. Watch out for the wind though! On the way home, stop at the Cheesecake shop in Woodville, you will not regret it!