Searching for Owhango Canyons

I was expecting a gravel bash with some big falls in between. I figured it would be an easy trip but with some interest from the decent sized falls..

When we got to the river, my jaw dropped from what I saw. Solid solid beautiful rock (looks like the solid stuff in the Tararua's) a 2m waterfall with jumpable plunge pool then a 2m wide, chest deep slot wade; all within the first 30m...

Downstream we found a couple mor small jumpable (but avoidable) obstacles, places where you could float along, some nice downclimbs, canyon sections and then the first rappel! It was a two tiered fall, probably about 12m all up.. I figure you could almost jump into the plunge pool that seperates the pitches, but definately jump the lower half of the falls into a huge (10m diameter) deep pool... and thats even before you get to the two marked waterfalls... The rock was generally super solid, and there were enough small trees and boulders to give ample anchors..

Slack Lining

After lunch I got a call from Travis for a bit of slack lining at the Massey Campus. We had a great afternoon’s entertainment, though I only managed a few stable steps the whole afternoon!

Upper Manawatu Fishing

I went for a look at the Manawatu River, just out of Woodville. The river was clear and low, with large slow moving pools between small riffles and runs. Almost immeadiately I began to see trout. The sun was shining and the wind was light which made the spotting pretty easy.

I was fishing with a spin rod (my fly rod on order didn't arrive as expected) and the trout weren't interested in my lures.. I had about 5 or so follows, including one half hearted nibble, but mostly the trout were chasing away my lure rather than trying to eat it...

Oh well..

Ruamahanga River Fishing

Tararua Gorge Section

Despite looking a bit bleak from Palmy, Cindy and I had wonderful weather for a nice day of fishing on the Ruamahanga. We saw several large Trout, but the water was so low and clear that they spooked all too readily. A beautiful river and a wonderful days outing.

Waikoko Canyon, Kaimanawa Foothills

Our little group of three arrived just before lunch to the road end in glorious sunshine. Only a short drive from the Desert Rd, the area has several promising feeder streams that lead into the death trap of the main Tongarirro River Gorge. The real trick was to ensure that we’d have a viable way to get out of the watercourse before it tumbled us into the Tongarirro and its associated death hydraulics..

Scouting around from the Rd bridge and the exit point, we spied an easy out on canyon right, so it was game on!

Whilst Steve had done some ‘kloofing’ in South Africa, this was to be Andrea’s first canyon experience. We’d spent several hours the previous evening at the abseil wall practicing rappelling systems and methods to ensure we were all on the same page. Both my partners are experienced rock climbers and picked up the Canyoning specific rope techniques very quickly.

As we waddled down the 50m from the car to the river, a gentleman and his daughter sidled over with raised eyebrows.. “You guys going Canyoning?” he asked… Instantly he had my attention. Turns out this gentleman (whose name I forget) had done a number of the gorges in the area and was just scouting the entrance to Waikoko. I told him all about Kiwi Canyons and he’s hopefully going to be able to share his knowledge with us in the near future.

The stream had sufficiently low volume that I was feeling happy about the descent. We had a bag full of pitons, nuts, mallions, ibis hooks, sling plus 3 ropes. The plan was to always have an escape, weather it was upstream via prussik or sideways via a gully or climbable cliff. If we couldn’t keep our escape, we’d bail and come in from the bottom and then the sides until all the obstacles could be scouted and evaluated.

Immeadiately the stream enters the soft volcanic canyon. We downclimbed a 3m fall which could have been jumped safely. Only 40m or so further through the 4m wide and 10m deep canyon we arrived at the first major obstacle.

I used a massive wedged tree about 15m back from the lip to set up a self belay to check out the falls. Having heard that this might have once been done commercially, I scanned around for an anchor. Finding none, I set about building one at the lip.

One knifeblade piton was driven home quickly at chest height on canyon left, whilst I struggled to find a second point for the anchor. There was a nice stopper crack, but the stoppers I’d brought along were just too large for it. In the end, I set up the self belay line as a back up to the piton anchor. I’d get Steve and Andrea to clip into the self belay, make their way to the lip and rappel on the set up. If the piton held both of them safely, I’d remove the safety and rap on the piton.. If not, then I’d sling the big wedged tree and recover the piton.

The fall was quite powerful, and the geometry of the chute/lip didn’t give you any chance to rappel out of the fall line. Steve was confident in the Contingency anchor system we’d practiced the night before, so showed little hesitation going over the edge. He completely disappeared from view in the falls, and I was just about to break the munter-mule to lower him when I felt the line go slack. Soon he came into view, swimming out and giving me the I’m ok signal..

As pre arranged, Steve began scouting down canyon to check out escapes. He quickly found one about 50m down stream on Canyon right, so I called Andrea up to the anchor. She looked a bit worried as she edged her way to the lip. I told her that the flow is going to be scary and directed right in her face for the first little bit; the best way is to take a deep breath and go quickly…

She took my advice to the nth degree and literally threw herself off the fall.. Did the trick though, she was down in only a few seconds.

Well, if the piton can withstand that abuse, it should be sweet for me rappelling carefully….

Downstream of the 15m fall, the canyon momentarily opened up before restricting again.

There were no further obstacles in the canyon and before we knew it we were at the pre-scouted canyon right escape point. We edged over to peer into the main gorge and shuddered.. Any slip or fall here would be either ultimately terrifying or fatal…

The escape was easy to make, but we concentrated till we were safe. Strolling down on the volcanic formation of the Tongarirro on canyon right, all that remained was a 5m jump from a ledge into a massive and incredibly deep pool before swimming and exiting canyon left.

It took us 3 hours car to car, but would probably be closer to 2 hours on subsequent descents.

One Long Day for the Tongarirro Northern Circuit

What to do with your last spare day of leave and great weather? Why not go for a walk? Why not go for a long walk?

I was originally keen to get up Mitre in the Tararua’s as a long day tramp, but strong wind warnings dissuaded me. It wasn’t until about 9pm that I decided on attempting a one day circumnavigation of Mt Ngauruhoe…

Normally taking 2-3 days according to most tramping books, I figured I could fast pack the whole thing in about 12 hours. Fresh from blitzing the track times on the Rees Dart, I was confident that I could do the same on my home turf.

Waking at 5am, I stumbled around for lack of sleep but eventually managed to make my getaway. Such was my incoherence that I forgot any tramping shorts and had to wear my cotton cargo shorts. Pausing only for fuel and food at National Park, I was on the Track at 0855h.

My welcome companions for this mission were IPOD and walking poles. Without either, I would have foundered and failed to complete my task.

Starting out from Whakapapa Village, I resolved to make it an anti-clockwise circuit. Rationale being that if I was behind schedule at Waihohonu Hut, I’d have at least visited the Tama Lakes, which were one of the few major points of interest I’d yet to visit in the area.

The track was pretty cut up in places, with deep trenches and multiple social trails avoiding the worst of it. At the Tama lakes I kept to the main track till I was in a position to see the Lower Lake before powering on. I started to get a few hot spots on my feet; not a good sign this early in the day, so I paused and took the time to tape them all up as best I could.

At Waihohonu hut I sculled down a liter of Raro an inhaled a couple of sandwiches. Happy to have cut the track time neatly in half, I wanted to keep up with the pace.

Doing the math as I climbed north from the hut, I figured that I could do a 10hr circuit at this pace. Switching my cool dri shirt for a cotton T, I enjoyed the extra cooling ability of the cotton in the sweltering dry heat.

Out east from Tongariro I marveled at the barren terrain. The ground seemed even more arid and inhospitable than on the western slopes, with barely any vegetation and no water in the streams. The land held a beauty all of its own, in wonderful contrast to our normally lush mountains.

Up above the Waihohonu medial moraine, I met a European woman who was quite taken aback when I replied to her query as to where I was coming from and heading to. She expressed grave concerns for my sanity and ability to complete the circuit and was almost condescending in manner. I had no time to justify myself, argue or even listen, so I smiled and excused myself.

Again, arriving at the next hut in just a shade over half the track time I was pleased to be on schedule. Oturere marked the halfway point, any failure from here would be a failing upwards. I was just plonking down my pack and making a casual hello to the people on the porch, when I realized that those people happened to be Woody and Elisha..

Turns out they were on exactly the same mission as I, if only begun in the opposite direction. It was uncanny to meet them exactly at the halfway point, having come from the same town at about the same time. We chatted, exchanged some food and well wishes then continued on our way.

Heading west from Oturere, again I was enthralled by the bizarre terrain and incredible rock formations that passed by me. Soon I was at the base of my first significant climb, ready to see how much energy remained in my limbs. As I climbed I had to dig deep; the previous 26 kilometers had eaten well into my reserves. Picking intermediate rest goals and doggedly continuing upward, I made it to Emerald Lakes without too much bother.

Resting and eating for just a moment, it felt comforting to be on familiar ground. However, the next section would prove to be one of the hardest of the day. The slog up and over Red crater was just soul destroying. The loose scree, hot sun, sulfurous gasses and tired limbs all conspired against me. I barely smiled as other Trampers skipped effortlessly down hill. Reaching the top seemed to take forever and all it did was begin the painful hobble down the other side.

The way down to south crater was treacherous, so I took a steep scree run detour straight down the fall line into red crater, no doubt saving me a good amount of time and energy. Part way down, I took a reasonable fall, which caused my camelbak hose to detach from the bladder, sending valuable water into my pack and down my back. Time was ticking on and I was fully aware that I still had a third of the circuit to do.


Descending the devils staircase was painful and slow. The hotspots on my feet had long ago turned to blisters and the ‘track’ was steep, sharp and occasionally loose. Boardwalks of the Mangatepopo valley seemed blissful in comparison. Drawing near to Mangatepopo Hut, my water leak had left an embarrassingly shaped wet patch on the front of my light brown cotton shorts. Trying to act as though I hadn’t just wet myself, I detoured slightly to the huts water tank for a refill. There I watched in disbelief as a girl in full purple and white polka dot cotton pajamas nonchalantly brushed her teeth..

Still 9 long tortuous kilometers to go. I’m starting to remember what it feels like to wish you’d never started. The final stretch through to Whakapapa was badly eroded and slow to walk in many places. My batteries were really starting to fade and I began to take rests occasionally.

Crossing gully after gully, I scanned the horizon for the final gully I had to crest before the finish was in view. When the Chateau came into view, the first smile I’d warn for many hours beamed across my face. The last few k’s to the end were horrible, as I had to force myself to keep plodding no matter how good it felt to sit and rest.

I arrived at my car sore and tired. Slightly satisfied, but mostly sore, tired and confused as to why I’d begun in the first place. 10hrs 30mins for a 3 day tramp. Though I’m confident that I chose the worst direction to do it in..

Walk Stats (track times in brackets)

Whakapapa to Waihohonu Hut 14.7km 2:45h (5:30h)

Waihohonu to Oturere Hut 7km 1:50h (3hrs)

Oturere to Emerald Lakes 4.3km 0:54h ( 2hrs)

Emerald to Mangatepopo Hut 6km 2hrs (4hrs)

Mangatepopo to Whakapapa 9km 2:25hrs (3hrs)

Total 39.7km, 10:30h including stops, 1645m of ascent (and the same descent)

Paynes Ford Rock Climbing

Kay and I had originally planned to spend several days here, but the inclement weather and change of plans ended up with us having a grand total of 12hrs..

We’d recce’d our climbing area last night, so early in the morning we were all keen and eager to go. Following track 5 to the Little Lost Wall, we began with the wall all to ourselves.

I lead Doo-Little (16), Ecological Itch (14), The wrong trousers (14) and Damsel in distress (15) whilst Kay lead The Bell Ringer (10). I found the climbs very steep and the jug holds very sharp. The climbs were a little sparsely bolted and often the first clip was quite a ways up. Definitely not bolted in the spirit of the low grade of the climb..

After neatly schredding our fingers, we wandered around the base of cliffs checking out the other crazy routes for a while before returning to pack up and get ready for the bus ride back to Nelson.

Golden Bay Kayaking

By now we were well and truly ready for a change and some good weather. Thankfully things seemed to be coming together. Meeting at Pohara again, we organized our stuff then got driven out to Tata Beach to begin our paddle trip.

Our Kayaks were still out on a trip apparently, so out came the novels again… Eventually they arrived and we were finally underway. It was a mostly sunny day with the odd cloud and just a little bit of wind to make things interesting.

Paddling away from the beach, we made a bee line for the Tata Islands. Ngawhiti and Motu Islands are part of the Abel Tasman National Park and are home to huge breeding colonies of Shags and the occasional rookery of Penguins.

Rounding Abel Tasman Point proved a little exciting, with some descent swells making it interesting. I was in the rear of the Kayak doing the steering, so Kay had a little getting used to my initially wayward efforts.

Once back in the calm again, we pulled into a random beach for our first break. We really didn’t have far to go today, so we resolved to take it slowly and enjoy the good weather. I found a nice rocky outcrop and set myself up for a bit of fishing. Kay found another rock outcrop and became again engrossed in her book. The first thing I caught on my line wasn’t a fish, but instead a very angry and quite large Black Backed Gull. The thing had swooped as I cast my line and had hooked itself in the beak. Hauling in a half flying half swimming thing on my line was interesting, but soon I was faced with de-hooking the blimin thing.. The Gull wasn’t that pleased with me, but I managed to get the hook out with a minimum of fuss.. Needless to say, he didn’t come back.

Kay came over to keep me company and had a crack at fishing herself. Together, we caught a handful of Spotties, small Kahawhai and a Yellow Eyed Mullet. None were worth eating unfortunately..

Paddling on around the shallows in Wainui Bay we kept our eyes peeled for Sting Rays like Nigel had told us. Before long we were rewarded with sightings of several large Rays.

Round to Uarau point, we traveled in amongst the rocks, where Kay spotted a good bunch of Green Lipped Muscles. She steadied the Kayak on the outcrop whilst I reached over and pried off a dinner sized catch of yummy shellfish.

Our campsite at Taupo Point was just like I’d expected. A steep golden sand beach overlooking delightful limestone headlands and islands. You could nearly have convinced me I was in Thailand. Kay set about exploring the area whilst I went to check out some campsites. In the end we resolved to camp on the Beach and set about erecting our Tent.

Cooking an early dinner of Muscle Pesto Pasta, we sat and enjoyed our wonderful surrounds. After dinner, I did a little more fishing and caught much the same as before.

When the sun began to dip toward the horizon, it was time for dessert of Pancakes and Jam. Kay and I sat out and marveled at the clear night sky for an hour or so before retiring to the Tent.

10 Jan

Sunrise was delightful, but by mid-morning the grey clouds had gathered into an overcast sky. Soon light rain began to fall, causing us to scurry around and weather proof our campsite. With a good supply of food and literature, we hunkered down and read some more

The rain abated in the early afternoon, so we made the decision to make a run (well, a paddle) for it. During our quick preparations for departure, we spied a huge Sting Ray skimming a foot or so from the shore line. We took a bunch of hurried photos as it effortlessly flew through the water.

It was reasonably cool out, but the paddling kept us warm. In one go, we paddled through Wainui Bay and to Abel Tasman Point. My trepidation about rounding the point proved unfounded, as we made it comfortably despite the wind and swell. Our double Kayak really was like a tank, slow but stable.

Safely on the happy side of the point, we stopped in for a little more fishing and reading before continuing on. Today we paddled the whole way back to Pohara Beach, arriving to a very low tide and wide beach. Nigel and one of his staff members came down and between the four of us we carried the Kayak back up to his house.

After cleaning ourselves up, we caught a Taxi the short way through to Hangdog Campsite at Paynes ford.

Having heard lots about this climber bastion, we were suitably impressed by the hippie set up. ‘Flidges’ store cool food, everyone plays hacky, lots of people have dreads, bare feet, no shirts… That evening after dinner and quick shower, Kay and I went to scout the crags out for climbing in the morning.

Takaka

After the anticipated excitement of my climbing holiday in the Darrans, Kay and I had scheduled a bit of a relax up in Golden Bay. Meeting her at Nelson Airport, our first adventure was finding a place to stay. Kay had booked a backpackers, but they had stuffed up and cancelled her booking somehow. Fortunately they found a spare room at a nearby backpackers that was nice and comfy.

That night we strolled into town, did a little food shopping and had a yummy curry for dinner.

07 Jan 08

Keeping to the grand plan, we awoke in the wee small hours of the morning to catch our bus out to Pohara. The bus driver from Nelson to Motueka was a real character, though we seemed to be the only ones awake to enjoy his commentary.

Finally underway!

Crossing the Takaka hill, we arrived in Golden Bay to overcast skies and light drizzle. Bugger. Making our way out to Pohara, we turned up at Golden Bay Kayaks to be greeted by the owner Nigel with a awkward look on his face. Apparently the 7^th and 8^th were both unsuitable for Kayaking, both due to the rain and a mystery wind that was supposed to arrive.

Kay and I contemplated our options, which didn’t take long because we didn’t have many. Without a car or some sort of transport we were a bit stuck. In the end we agreed to Kayak on the 9^th and 10^th and planned to just chill out in Takaka for two days.. Lucky we brought a few books to read!!

“Now you lean that way…”

We managed to hitch a ride into town from the ‘Fuel Sharer Seat’ with an old Farmer dude. Staying first at the Kiwiana Backpackers then the Barefoot Backpackers, we spent our next two days reading, going to the cinema and checking out Takaka.

Rees Dart Track, Aspiring National Park

02 Jan 08

Going for a Tramping trip was about my only option being a singleton. I guess I could have gone for a drive around and explored some other areas, but I figured a bit of a walk would be good for the soul and would clear the mind.

It was a pretty simple choice to go for the Rees Dart. Easily accessed by Track net, well trodden, not too hard and with a glowing reputation.

Before meeting the shuttle bus at Glenorchy, I chatted with a chap from England who’d been doing a bunch of NZ Tramps. Turns out he’s an ultra light thru-hiker who’s done the Triple Crown in the States (Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail and Appalachian Trail) among other things. He had plenty of interesting things to say ;0)

On our way with a geriatric driver and rickety old bus, we drove up the Rees valley to the end of the public access. Here the track follows farmland for about an hour before reaching the National Park boundary.

I decided to put the pace on, just to see how I’d go. Passing all the other trampers (many with absurdly large packs) I relished the open farm land that afforded me endless views of the mountain peaks above me. Earnslaw dominated the view to the west, whilst a number of potential Canyoning streams caught my attention to the east.

Once at the National Park boundary, the trail meandered neatly through delightful Beech forest and through the occasional grassy clearing. Soon the track emerged gently from the bush line and sidled around a number of gnarled side streams. The wind had really risen, forcing me to lean into the hills and power up the track. Before long I found myself the first arrival to Shelter Rock Hut.

The bunkrooms were something else, more like a backpackers than a mountain hut. Eventually the rest of the busload began to trickle in. Most of them looked knackered and with the size of their packs, I’m not surprised. The stark contrast between hut life at Homer (with some of NZ’s most talented climbers) to hut life here on a tourist tramp (where people were carrying 3 pairs of spare pants…) I made myself dinner in the cooking area, but didn’t really interact much; I just felt so disconnected with these people…

03 Jan 08

The weather forecast called for morning rain and we weren’t disappointed. Yesterday I’d halved the track time, so was in no hurry to do the ‘4-6hrs’ in the rain. Lying in my bunk listening to my MP3 player, one lady asked “Are you feeling ill?” I just smiled and told her my patient tactics..

Eventually the rain eased a little and I gave into my boredom. Soon I was zooming up the trail in my polypro, nearly at a run. My fast pace kept me warm enough in the wet and windy conditions and soon had me passing my hut mates who were in varying states of trudgery.

I meandered upstream through the schist screes toward Rees Saddle. Above, I admired the huge slabs of Mt Cunningham and wondered how much pro there wouldn’t be up there. At Rees Saddle I paused for a photo and a quick survey of the surrounds before continuing down Snowy Creek. It really was a neat area up there, but the rain and wind combined with the downhill had me hurrying to keep warm.

The last hut mate that I passed was the oldest.. A bloke in his late 60s early 70’s I’d imagine, complete with old school external frame backpack. He was doing pretty well indeed! Not far from the hut I spent a while photographing a large Weta that had decided to rest on the track. After my photo session I removed her to a safer off-track location.

Perhaps this track should be renamed “The Cairn Track” every 10-20m an obvious and slightly obnoxious cairn marked the way, even through the obvious sections. Seems its lowest common denominator stuff, but I really think it spoilt the natural beauty of the place.

The rain ceased just as I neared a well occupied Dart Hut. Claiming one of the few remaining bunks, I had a late lunch out in the new sunshine and admired the views that were unfolding as the clouds receded.

It was only a bit after 2pm, I was already at the Hut and the weather was almost clear. Stuff sitting around here going insane I thought to myself. Resting a while longer in the sun, I eventually stuffed some semi dry stuff in my pack and strode off for a walk up the Upper Dart.

I originally aimed to see how far I got before time and/or lack of enthusiasm forced me to return. To believe the track times, I was looking at a 8-10hr return journey to Cascade Saddle, but I backed myself to halve that with a bit of effort. After crossing a few moderate streams and loving the great weather and neat views I resolved to push for the saddle.

Rounding the corner of the valley, I caught a glimpse of the terminal moraine. A complete change from the terrain I’d already covered, I looked forward to the chance to do something quite different. The track bashed its way through the loose moraine debris for some time before climbing aggressively to a grassy bench that would have marked the top of the glacier at its zenith. From here I looked down over 200m and marveled about how much ice there once was.

Thinking I was nearly at the Saddle, I got a bit of a shock once round the following corner. Despite the great views it was feeling a little like masochism, but regardless I continued on. Finally I reached Cascade Saddle and set about enjoying the vista that I’d worked hard for. My eyes traced up French Ridge to the Bonar Glacier and up to Mt Aspiring itself. I looked at the Dart Neve and some of its Cirque peaks Mts Maori and Wahine. It was a glorious panorama and well worth the effort.

Looking at my watch and cognoscente of my solo status, I didn’t linger long. With the change of light, a cool breeze sprang up that had me reaching for my soft shell. Once well clear of the Moraine and the worst of the rock fall danger, I allowed myself to listen to MP3’s as I powered home for a 9pm dinner.

04 Jan 08

Feeling just a little sore from yesterday’s long walk, I resolved on different tactics for the remainder of my voyage. Given the daylight I had and the track times, I took my watch off and tried to see how slowly I could walk. The pace I arrived at was of the ‘stroll in the park’ variety and allowed my head to swivel constantly to enjoy the views that surrounded me.

I rested and snacked often, slept on hot rocks occasionally and still arrived within an hour of the track time. Sandflies were the only reason that I wasn’t able to enjoy the evening outside as I cooked my dinner. That night I engaged the others in a bit more conversation and enjoyed tales from a Finnish couple living in Korea, an Irish Backpacker and a couple of Queenstown locals. It definitely gave the evening some fullness..

05 Jan 08

Getting away from the hut at a reasonably early hour for the first time of the trip, mist still hung over many of the flats downstream of the hut. I walked and talked for a while with a mum and daughter before making my own pace once again.

Climbing over Sandy Bluff was slightly interesting, with a few ladders and some decent drop offs. Downstream of the bluff I found a spot by the river to sit and ponder. Soon I was watching Jet Boats from Dart Safaris zoom up and down river.

The final sections of track were garden path in quality, but gave me a good chance to spy a huge Canyon coming out of Lake Unknown.. A project for the future perhaps??

Arriving back in Glenorchy I got an ice-cream and soft drink before driving back to Queenstown to spend my final night in the bustle of town.