Renata Hut, Tararua FP, Jan 2022

With only a half day spare the motorbikes trumped walking or mountain bikes for a hut-bagging mission into Renata Hut.

After a quick trip over the Remutaka Hill Road, and meeting Conrad at Upper Hutt service station we were on our way to the Akatarawa Road summit and Waiotauru Road.

Waiotauru Road starts with a steep little rock step which is always fun, and is left there, I assume, to keep the riff-raff from driving the 4x4 road through to the popular (for 4WD's and motorbikes) Waiotauru Hut.  As it turns out it doesn't achieve its purpose, with the road and steep banks littered with burnt-out and wrecked cars and 4WDs. 

A few hundred metres further on and another technical step proved troublesome for the pair of us - neither having ridden for quite some time.  Lifting bikes off the ground in this heat soon had us panting and considering the merits of riding in here on such a hot day!  

Wellington's coast can be seen left of centre

Nevertheless within an hour or so we were at Maymorn Junction and swapping out our heavy riding gear for shorts and runners for the 30 minute walk into Renata Hut.

The walk follows a prominent ridge line, dropping from around 820m to 670m and is in the shade of lovely open beech forest.

Renata Hut was originally built by the Wellington Catholic Tramping Club in 1953, however was substantially refurbished in 2020 by the ex NZ Forest Service volunteers, a super active group maintaining and refurbishing huts and tracks in the Tararua FP. 

Unfortunately I only got this poor quality picture from the front of the hut.

Renata Hut - Jan 2022

Renata Hut - Jan 2022

The walk out took five or ten minutes longer due to the climb, and the ride out was quick and problem free.

Our mornings adventure ended at the Martinborough Brewery around 1:00pm, where every great adventure should end.

POSTSCRIPT: Undertaking this ride - walk with crook AC joints and a dicky knee was unwise!

  

  

A Tararua Crossing - well almost, Tararua FP, January 2022

 Logistics is one of the difficulties of an end-to-end tramp, no more so than a crossing of the Tararua Range, so I was in luck with Nicola having to work while I had time off.  In luck in terms of a driver, but I was to head into this trip without my usual tramping partner.  It was me and Charlie this time.

The plan was to get from Poads Road, east of Levin, to home near Mt Holdsworth over 3 1/2 days.  The loose plan was to follow the Te Araroa Trail to Waiopehu Hut and duck off at Waiopehu Peak for Oriwa and the upper Otaki.  

From Otaki Hut I'd hump it up to Kelleher on the  main range and either head north toward Dracophyllum Hut or south to Nichols Hut depending on weather, fitness and timing remaining.  

I had read about trout in the Park Forks area so hoped to have a look there for a future fishing trip before climbing to McGregor, and home over Jumbo and maybe Holdsworth.  I had a hard deadline with friends arriving on the 7th. 

The weather forecast for the 4th and 5th was perfect for the Tararua's, and the 6th wasn't looking too bad, just a little rain, so at just after mid day on the 4th I was deposited at Poads Road and bidding farewell to Nicola.

Day 1 - Poads Road to Waiopehu Hut and on to Oriwa

I'd travelled the route across private farmland to the junction a few times in recent years, visiting North Ohau, South Ohau, Waiopehu and Te Matawai on separate occasions, so wasted little time getting onto the ridge track to Waiopehu some 8km and 750m higher than the carpark.  

A BIG shoutout to the landowner who generously allows us to cross his farm for our enjoyment.

Still fresh, 20 minutes from the carpark

The long and gradual climb toward Waiopehu passed with Charlie getting used to her new dog-pack.  At two years old she's finally able to carry her own food, so carry it she can!  In order to keep it balanced, as food is eaten my gear replaces it - a win-win. 

Bush Corner is a non event being nothing but a slight bend in around 7km of bush track with many bends, but it's an indicator that the hut is only 1.5km away.

A quick stop at the hut for a chat with a nice couple who have seen a lot of the Tararua's over the years and I was on my way toward Waiopehu and on to Oriwa Lake for the evening. 

View north along the Waiopehu Ridge

I took a route directly from Waiopehu to points 975, 970 and 1015, then onto the dry lake just shy of Oriwa peak.

Oriwa Ridge Biv (Topo 50: BN33 982 863) was removed in 2007, surviving 40 years on the ridge, and the Oriwa Lake is long dry, however I knew there was a water-tank at the lake, fed off a small roof constructed when the biv was removed, and good camping just inside the bush edge on the east side.

Oriwa Lake water collection

The Penthouse suite for the evening

The Oriwa weather station

I was woken at 2:00am by a dog barking nearby, setting off Charlie in reply.  I was a little concerned that I'd soon be visited by a hungry and wild dog, but by 3:00am had decided I was safe so drifted off once again.

Day 2

I was away from the 'lake' by 6:30am and navigating down a long bush-clad ridge that met the Otaki River at the confluence of Murray Creek.

Oriwa is the high point. Route from there down to Otaki Hut

Otaki River at Murray Creek

Otaki Brown

Around 2015 DoC put a two-bunker hut into the upper Otaki. This is the first hut in the area for over 35 years, since the original hut was removed in 1979 to become the new Andersons hut. Although DoC has requested that the public don’t stay in the hut, it is open and would be a useful emergency shelter. In any case there is great camping around the hut.

Otaki Hut

Arriving at the hut at 8:30 I was surprised to meet four others.  They'd hopped into the Otaki below Butcher Saddle and were headed to Waitewaewae Hut then onto Island Forks - a beaut trip over a few days, and one now on my list.  These jokers knew the Tararua's very well.

 NZMS1 1979 shows a part of my intended route, from the Otaki River (top left) to Kelleher, Nichols and onto McGregor Biv.  These tracks, apart from the stretch between Kelleher and Nichols have not been maintained for many years, but can be followed occasionally!  

 

One of the the guys I'd met at Otaki Hut warned me of the steep climb onto the ridge behind the hut. For 120m it was bloody steep alright, but once on the ridge the pace was easier, from around 550m to around 950m. From there to Kelleher at 1182m it was a grind once again.

While hard going, it only took 2hr 20min to top out on Kelleher for a well earned apple and a break. I'd seriously under-estimated my water need on this trip, travelling with one 1-litre bottle only.

The route finding is relatively easy due to the steep drop offs from the ridge, but the compass around my neck was getting regularly checked and adjusted as needed. Paired with my Suunto altimeter it makes for fun navigation.

The odd disk shows the way 

Kelleher is but a brief opening in the bush ridge that extends from Nichols in the south right through to Pukematawai 4 1/2km to the north.  It was bloody hot out of the trees, with the last 280m a decent grunt.

From Kelleher it's a short drop down to the Te Araroa Track that runs along the main range.  My route was south to Nichols Hut, then down to the Dorset Creek confluence with the Waiohine River for the evening.

However, dropping off Kelleher I somehow twisted my left knee.  It didn't seem too bad at all to start with so I wandered off towards Nichols without giving it to much thought, but quickly I slowed as it worsened.  What should have taken an hour eventually took me just shy of 2 1/2 hours, and by the time I got to the hut I was using two walking poles, with very little weight able to go on my leg.

Nichols Hut

Once at the hut I knew I needed to hatch a plan as there was no way I was walking on.  I met a bloke at the hut who offered to do all that he could, but with a Garmin 66i at hand I was well self-contained, if needed.

The bloke was on a week long trip visiting the last of the Tararua huts, so knew his way around well.  Having only lived in NZ for five years, I was well impressed with his Tararua resume.  

A loo with a view - the Waiohine Valley from Nichols Hut

I had thought of waiting overnight to see if things improved, but knew the weather was going to worsen and the reality of walking out was slim, very slim, so I fired up the Garmin 66i and suggested to Nic that she plan on two for dinner.  

Nic contacted the Police and was soon relaying a damage report and weather forecast for the hut.  Interestingly the Wairarapa's own Amalgamated Helicopters is not used when it's a 'medical extraction' and not a S&R.  This seems bloody stupid given my predicament.  In any case within a couple of hours the Westpac Rescue team from Wellington were landing at the hut and did a superb job of getting me out of the hills.

We're very lucky in NZ to have such a great rescue service.  On the day I was picked up both the Wellington Westpac Rescue and the Palmerston North's Greenlea Rescue teams were flat out getting people to hospital or out of predicaments like I was in.

Landing at Nichols Hut

50m to the front door - closer than the hospital for the Westpac crew

And now it's off to the doc to assess the damage.  

Trip Times

Carpark to Waiopehu Hut        3hr 30 min
Waiopehu Hut to Oriwa Lake     2hr
Oriwa Lake to Otaki Hut         2hr
Otaki Hut to Kelleher              2hr 20 min
Kelleher to Nichols Hut            2hr 25min 

Alps to Ocean - a gravel bike adventure, January 2022

A few spare days on our brief Christmas trip south gave Nicola and I the chance to complete a ride we'd been thinking about for some time.  Kevin and Lana had offered to babysit Charlie so we had no excuse. 

The Alps to Ocean starts at Mt Cook Village (800m elevation) and runs 321km in a south-east direction to Oamaru and the Pacific Ocean.  If there was to be any wind, we were hoping for north-westers as we're not yet old enough for e-bikes!

The ride is advertised as 72% gravel, 2% grass or dirt, and 26% tarseal, so nothing technical, but fun all the same.   

I was on my Scott Speedster gravel bike and Nicola was on her trusty old mountain bike, Juliet.  I won that lottery.

Day 0  -  Monday 27th Dec

Well fattened from Christmas feasting we spent the day covering the 330km from Christchurch to Mt Cook, including a beaut lunch with friends JB, Jane and Asher in Geraldine.  

The Old Mountaineer, our planned dinner stop, was a no-go as, we guess, the owners vaccination view-point allowed takeaways only.  The pouring rain had us heading to the Hermitage for a buffet dinner.

Pitching the tent and setting up bikes was done in the wet at the DoC White Horse Hill Campsite just up the road from the village.  It'd been many years since I'd had a night there.

Day 1  -  105km

Mt Cook to Lake Ohau

The first day started wet and cold, with us on the bikes by 7:00am for the short downhill to Mount Cook Airport where we had an 8:00am flight booked to get us across the Tasman River headwaters to Tasman Point.  From there the real riding would start, with the first 10km on rough 4wd track to the Jollie River carpark and the start of the gravel road that would take us in a southerly bearing along the eastern side of Lake Pukaki for 30+km.

A wet and cold start to the day, but smiling and fit

But it was not to be.  The cloud was low, not quite low enough to stop the chopper flying when we arrived at around 7:20am, but we weren't keen to hang around until 8:00am to see, and in any case a ride down the eastern side of the lake would provide no views today.  Mixed with the cold, my hands were numb, we decided to keep going down the western side of the lake.

The 67km to Twizel started with pouring rain, cold and low cloud, however as we moved further south down the Tasman valley the weather improved.  Our route down the western side of the lake had cut 10km from the trip, and being on tarseal had cut a couple of hours from our days work.  A scary 8km along the highway had us in Twizel drying out by late morning, and enjoying a coffee and toastie sandwich.    

Our afternoon had us covering only 38km to Lake Ohau Lodge.  Heading out of town on quite country roads we passed Loch Cameron on our way to the Pukaki Canal.  

Loch Cameron

Crossing to the north side we headed south along a very quite and picturesque canal road to the junction with the Ohau Canal.

Pukaki Canal

A Salmon farm in the final stretch of the Ohau Canal meant there would be plenty of fat trout about and this wasn't lost on the many holidaying in the area.  Both sides of the canal were packed with 4x4 utes, deck chairs, spinning rods and hopeful anglers.  

We didn't see a hooked trout on our ride west to the Ohau control gates.

From the control gates at the south-eastern edge of Lake Ohau we followed a gravel farm road for 10 minutes to the weir, and crossing of the Ohau River.  A quick climb over rough gravel and we were on the Lake Ohau Track, a well graded single track that skirts the lake for around 8km.  Lupins frame the track for much of its length, and as we neared the end views open up, firstly of Ohau Village, then further up the lake to the Hopkins and Dobson valleys.  

Before exiting onto the Ohau Road we stopped at the Pou, provided reminder of Te Maihāroa's legacy of peace following eviction from a nearby settlement in the 1870's.  

     

We were soon scooting past Lake Middleton and more campers and boats on our way to Lake Ohau Lodge.  A flash residence with an indoor pool and life size (or bigger) lion statues in the garden made an unusual sight in an otherwise rural lakeside NZ scene. 

Still smiling after 105km

By 4:00pm we were settled in, washed, and at the bar enjoying a Three Boys IPA, a cider, and stunning views north into the Hopkins and Dobson valleys, these valleys separated by the Naumann Range, rising to around 2,500m.

In ski lodge fashion, dining was at shared tables so we had an enjoyable evening with Colombian-German and English-Kiwi couples, both couples also on cycling holidays.

Day 2  -  72km

Lake Ohau to Omarama - 45km

We were hoping for an easier day 2, at a mere 80km.  We were joined, however, by friends and adventure athletes Richard and Andrea Plunket.  Flash mountain bikes, fresh legs and better skills on the single track put rest to any ideas of a slow wander over to Omarama. 

The Tarnbrae Track had us climbing from the lake at 545m to a high point of 900m over 7km of easy single track before dropping down to Quailburn Road.  

Andrea (aka Ludie) and Nicola

The views from the track are superb and the track down from the high-point fast, but much better on a mountain bike than the gravel bike I was riding.  Taking it easy amongst the larger rocks is the only option on the gravel bike, and even so my rear tubeless tire started losing air before we reached the road.  The tire had split so a tube was installed and we were soon back on the road for the gravel ride into Omarama, and lunch at the Pink Glider Cafe (a must do - and thanks to local knowledge).

Team Ludemann-Plunket

Todays only rain-shower came while we were enjoying lunch. 

Omarama to Otematata - 27km

From Omarama we turned south-east and into the Waitaki Valley for the rest of our trip, although our afternoon only required another 27km to Otematata.

The well graded off-road trail heads around the side of Lake Benmore to Sailors Cutting.  From here the track heads away from the highway and toward Benmore Dam.  Unfortunately at around Sailors Cutting we got the call that Richard's new GSP pup had gone missing at Otematata, so we all decided to race back along the road and over Ahuriri Pass (a 140m climb into a head wind) to join the hunt for Bert.  Luckily Bert was found at the local park before we'd arrived on Otematata so it was quick showers and time for an ale, or two.

We were very lucky to stay with Richard and Andrea at their holiday home, and also to have them and family shuttling our ute all the way from Mt Cook to Oamaru for us.   

Day 3  -  127km

The Waitaki Valley - A food gathering highway.  For an interesting history of how Ngāi Tahu used the valley, for access further afield, and as a food source, see: https://www.kahurumanu.co.nz/ka-ara-tawhito/waitaki

Otematata to Kurow - 44km

Day 3 starts at 7:30am with us heading in the wrong direction for Oamaru, and north around the top of Lake Aviemore toward Lake Benmore - avoiding Highway 83 for the first leg to Kurow.  

Very top of Lake Aviemore

After the short climb to Benmore Dam we turn south and along the northern edge of Lake Aviemore.  This stunning ride of around 20km is a cyclists dream, with only four vehicles passed, even though the campsites were all full - a benefit of a 7:30am start I guess. 

Benmore Dam

Lake Aviemore Power Station

Kurow to Oamaru - 82km

From Kurow the cycle trail runs between the road and the braided Waitaki River.  At its widest the Waitaki is probably 2km as it drains the MacKenzie Basin.  The median flow of the Waitaki is 356 cubic metres, significantly more than the Waingawa, our home river at 3-4 cumecs for most of the year.

We could be in France

Crossing one of the many washouts on the Haul Road

The Duntroon Wetland

From Duntroon the cycleway heads south-east and away from Highway 83.

Rakis Railway Tunnel

As we neared Oamaru dark clouds grew to the south and as we passed through Whitestone, with only around 7km to go, the lightening, thunder and downpour arrived.  Those last 7km were a hard slog. 

The official finish line is at the jetty at the south of town, having ridden through the lovely Oamaru Park and Old Quarter to get there.  It's also 50m from the famous Scotts Brewery, where we were to spend an hour or two later in the evening.  

The end of our trip was celebrated with Andrea and Richard at, first Scotts Brewery, then Cucina - another must do if you're visiting Oamaru.

THE END.