This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
What possessed me to lead two demanding tramps in the darkest days of winter? I had been wanting to visit Te Matawai Hut, and finish off the climb to Mt Mitre, and it just happened that both of those opportunities fell in the month of July.
There were five others also wanting to climb Mitre, and we set off from The Pines roadend at about 9pm on the Friday night, on the track to Mitre Flats Hut. It was an ambitious plan to walk to the Hut, it was a longer walk than I remembered it from a few years ago, but we had no choice because we needed all of Saturday to climb the mountain. Things weren't helped by one tramper omitting to bring a torch, and in my estimation, this added another hour to the walk as we took turns struggling to find the way in another's torchlight. I was reminded of another tramp to Herepai Hut, with Ruth Parnell leading, when the bulb in my torch broke. Rather than fussing around replacing the bulb, Ruth produced another torch from her pack and we carried on without delay. Not all trip leaders would be so prepared!
Let’s just say it had crossed over into Saturday morning when we arrived at the Hut. Unfortunately, this meant getting up later than we should have. To climb Mitre in winter, you need a very early start, and to motor your way up the hill. We were unsuccessful on both counts.
On Saturday morning, we were greeted by snow lying all round the Hut, a taste of things to come. It was a leisurely start, and we ‘strolled’ up the hill, with snow all through the bush. We had some lunch at the bushline, and continued up the hill. The snow was thick, and very icy in a lot of places. It would have been very useful to have had ice axe and crampons, and the lack of them slowed us down even more. It was a lot of fun however, playing in the snow, and some views of the snow-covered mountains were nothing short of spectacular. We could see Mitre Peak coming and going in the cloud and occasional snow shower, still a considerable distance away. I estimate we were three quarters of the way when the decision was made to turn around.
Photo by Paul Andrews
Back at the Hut, we were pleased to have the company of John Hoffeins’ Easy/Medium group, who arrived at the Hut about the same time from Atiwhakatu Hut. A roaring fire was started, dinner was enjoyed, and conversation continued ‘late’ into the night (well, for a tramping trip anyway). Sunday's weather was disgusting. It was snowing, and very cold. We all walked the main track back to the Pines roadend, and John got the heaters in the van going until those in the back were dripping with sweat. A couple of weeks later, with boots finally starting to get dry, and it was time to take on Te Matawai. It was a complete change of personnel, with the exception of Paul Andrews, who was joining me for some more mid-winter madness. And it was a very competent group, I was possibly the weakest person in the party! This time the Friday night walk was much more reasonable, about an hour from the Ohau roadend (near Levin) to the beginning of the Gable End Ridge track. There is great camping available at this location, next to the South Ohau river. On Saturday we ascended Gable End Ridge. It was raining of course, but we did get some views of Waiopehu Peak, and the Dora Ridge, mostly in outline, and even a brief view down to Levin. At the higher end of the Ridge, the bush turns to low-lying scrub, and this part of the track would be a highlight of any trip in fairer weather. At the top of the Ridge, a left turn is taken to follow Dora Ridge to the Hut. It's a mystery to me why there’s such an enormous Hut so far into the Tararua Range. It officially sleeps 18, but you could fit 50 or more people sleeping inside. Soon after we arrived at the Hut, we were joined by Alistair Young's Medium/Fit party, who came to the Hut by way of Deception Spur. Hot drinks were appreciated all round, the fire gradually started, and it was time for dinner. Alistair was producing one of his specials from the Gourmet Tramping book, featuring spicy steak. Tasty I'm sure, but the spice mixture was so intense, it had us all coughing to the point where all the hut's windows and door had to be opened wide. Amanda Wells was having a birthday, so out came the Birthday cake for dessert, to go with all the balloons floating around the hut. We were all up early on Sunday, to another wintery day with no visibility outside. It was back along the Dora Ridge, and back down Gable End Ridge. The original intention was to exit along the Waiopehu Track, but the weather wasn’t good enough to climb to Waiopehu Peak. Interestingly, there is a sign at the junction of Gable End Ridge track and Dora track, stating it takes 3 hours to walk to Waiopehu Hut. But looking at the short distance on the map, I find this hard to believe. Is this sign really accurate? It takes a long time to descend the Gable End Ridge, and we weren't mucking around. To enjoy a tramp to Te Matawai, you have to really love the Tararua bush, thrashing around in the mud, slippery slopes, and all. When you reach the end of the Ridge track at the South Ohau River, the track which follows the river back to the carpark is beautifully flat and well formed, and we were motoring along it, underneath rain, thunder, lightening, and very dimly lit conditions. Back at the carpark, we received news from another party that because of an injury, Darren's Easy group, who were intending to stay at Waiopehu Hut, had to turn around short of the hut and return to the van. Maybe, Darren, this could be the subject of a trip report for the September issue of the Mouth'n'Ear? So ended our marathon effort from Te Matawai, and there were 6 happy trampers sharing the van home, pleased with their achievements, or maybe just pleased to be heading home to a hot shower!
Michael