This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
by Jenny Cossey It was to be a team-building trip for three in the hills, to discover our team strengths, to enjoy the views and to visit remote huts unknown to team members. Things soon started to go astray when our team of three ballooned into a group of five leaving at separate times, in different cars, and ending up in different places.
The advance party arrived at Gladstone Road end in daylight and cheerfully ascend the South Ohau River. Bush-dark arrived at the river, 100metres before the beginning of Yates Track, allowing the duo to be tucked up in bed at Te Matawai Hut before 11pm; a civilized late night for a fit trip.
The rear party arrived at the river and ignoring rule number one of rivers, do not cross in the dark, missed the major fork in the river and ended up at North Ohau Biv, before returning to the site of the old South Ohau Hut to sleep out. DOC in its wisdom blazes trails and positions large signs in many places, but an old fashion blaze on a tree near the old South Ohau Hut, or Yates Track, would not go missed by some.
The advance party of two rose at 6am to still, blue skies and wondrous views, climbed steadily to Pukematawai and Aréte, before partaking of an agreeable morning tea at the new Aréte Biv.
Alas the biv is already in need of repair as the roof was leaking in two places and a selfappointed team member was nominated a DOC Informative Officer. Much easier to find than the old biv it is well snow staked from the top of Aréte to the front door. A few cairns lead us towards the saddle south to Lancaster, where we could admire Pinnacle Spur with its knobbly ridgeline.
An airy step to descend Waiohine Pinnacles and then a pleasant stroll along Tarn Ridge to the hut, (located close to the ridge on the leeside with a visible track from the ridge to the front door). We escaped into the shade of the veranda and read the latest DOC ring binder folder of what to do in the area.
Sidling the top of Girdlestone and then veering SW to Dorset Ridge Hut the distant grey clouds began sweeping in. Dropping our packs we dropped off the ridge to visit the hut. The last party had come in by helicopter for an 80" birthday party and had left a banquet for latter travellers; boysenberries in syrup, salmon, thick hearty soup and enough pasta/noodles for a week.
The cloud had descended on our packs on the ridgeline, and the team had become complacent with the morning’s fair weather and the forthcoming banquet that night. The compass was found in a pack and some serious navigation required to get us back on the correct spur line to descend directly to Waiohine River and directly up the spur on the following side to point 1285 on Carkeek Ridge. There are hunter's markers if one stays on top of the spurs. A gentle descent along Carkeek Ridge from point 1285 lead us to the hut before dark.
The hut was a mess, mould through all the mattresses, over all walls and items left about. DOC needs to seriously sort out some ventilation as the vent in the door and upper wall is not enough. We ate and fell asleep after a solid days walk. Cloud and light drizzle all night, did not disturb our slumber.
An early start showed us 45-degree gale force wind and cloud swirling between us and the dunny. Carkeek Ridge Hut’s dunny stands alone, past the bush edge, a solitary outpost, braced with wires against the elements, sheltering soft, dry white paper.
Up the ridge in one of those gales that had been roaring into Wellington throughout October, passed point1285, the duo descended another hunter's trail with its smattering of tape to Park River below Dracophyllum Biv. Our worst wish occurred, the river was up and fast flowing. Neither of us wished to swim and with a choice of bush bashing up stream for an hour, (past a gorge and crossing two tributaries before the next likely river crossing place), six hours of walking into gale force winds across the arétes between Carkeek and Lancaster or another day in the hut, the later was chosen.
Three hours after leaving the hut, we were back. A lazy day in the hut followed. Sleeping, reading Brian Turner’s poetry from Six Pack, discussing its merits, savouring tins of bake beans and drying out the hut, the day passed.
Monday 6am and we were up and not going to work- the first time either of us had been late out from a Tararua trip. The day was fair, the wind had gone, blue sky and sun were in abundance and it was another perfect day in the hills. Two hours up the hill, the excuses for not being at work were phoned to respective employers and we spent the rest of the day enjoying great views, and stripped off to t-shirts in the heat.
Crossing the narrow ridge between the peaks of Carkeek and Lancaster we felt our decision not to cross in yesterday's gale was wise. The heavy rain that had threatened the previous day, but which did not thunder down until 1am, had filled the streams and white waterfalls hurtled down the headwaters of the Park River and its tributaries.
Retracing our steps to Aréte Biv, where we read the tales of those who were supposed to be with us but we hadn't seen so far, crossed Pukematawai to the welcome shade of the bush. Feeling slightly fried, we filled our water bottles at Te Matawai, before the endless muddy Gable End Ridge brought us to lower pastures and cattle meadows.
It was a great training trip for all. We covered numerous worse case scenarios in the weekend, and the only thing we would do differently with the weather forecast we had, would have been to by pass Carkeek Hut and beeline to Dracophyllum Biv, and knock the hut off another day.
Tony Gazley, Jenny Cossey and (lone wanderer) Mark Heartfield.