High Ridge

Tramping with Adrian Wood

Friday 27/04/2012
This weekends aim is High Ridge. Adrian and I head from Holdsworth car park into a wet night walk to Powell hut. Stop for a wee break at Mountain House shelter.

As we got higher we saw a few weta's out on the track, female and male.

Weta - f

Weta -m

And the big native slugs and snails also on the track. Wet nights are good.

Adrian relaxing after midnight

Got to the hut and it was empty so we put on dry cloths and had some beer and whisky before sleep.

Saturday 28/04/2012
We left Powell just before midday and headed off up to the High Ridge turnoff. A bit of a damp claggy day.

Start of High Ridge

Got into the sheltered forest where the track is well defined and easy to follow.

Adrian

And on we went and slowly the weather got a bit better.

Looking thru the green snagged my non existent soul

Got to an empty Totara Flats hut just before five and set ourselves up for the night.

Sunday 29/04/2012
Early get up and gone just after nine, leaving Totara Flats hut.

Totara Hut

Adrian on swing over Waiohine

Happy tramper

Travel Times

Friday 27/04/2012
2050 Left Holdsworth car park
2131 Rocky Lookout
2155 Juntion
2212 Mountain House shelter
2315 Powell Hut

Saturday 28/04/2012
1144 Left Powell hut
1218 Into the trees
1426 At Flaxy Knob
1642 Back onto the OT track
1649 Totara Flats hut  
 
Sunday 29/04/2012
0918 Left Totara Flats hut
1112 At Junction 

Map

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Density
just not happening...

North Ohau

Anzac day remembrance used for tramp by Carl and I in the Tararuas, by heading off Tuesday night to North Ohau hut and returning on Wednesday the 25th Anzac day.

Tuesday 24/04/2012
Started walking just past nine, so dark already.
Interesting growth on this log, healthy bunch of mushrooms.

A good night for travel as saw a few eels.

Got to the hut in the first quarter hour of Anzac day, got a fire going, constructed comfy sofa's  and had some beer and whisky to relax with.

And I got my toes comfy ready for some sleep probably around 0300 hours Wednesday, almost dawn parade time. Thought of the men who enjoyed tramping in the Tararuas and went across the seas and died in a foreign land. There is a sadness there; if mumbo jumbo was part of life their spirits would have been buzzing.

Wednesday 25/04/2012
Out of bed rather late and sluggish and eventually left the hut at half past four, heading back to Poads Road. Got to the car at seven twenty and off home.

Trip Times

Tuesday 24/04/2012
2104 Left Poads Road car park
0018 North Ohau hut

Wednesday 25/04/2012
1626 Left North Ohau hut 
1922 Poads Road car park

Hopeless Hut

A first trip to Hopeless hut for Tariga. As this is one of the huts often discussed at home with friends when we speak of great places to go in Nelson Lakes, and it being of historic importance with Sir Edmund Hillary opening it in 1967.

13/04/2012
Drove off to Lake Rotoiti to meet up with water taxi for a quick trip to Coldwater hut. And then off to Hopeless hut.

And a bit further on the seat in the park, been there for a few months now.

Had to use torches for the last half of the Hopeless track. Nice to get there and as it was a clear crisp evening we cranked the fire up.

14/04/2012
We did not bother to get out of bed until lunchtime when another person arrived. Later we did wish he had never been told by his son about this hut; his snoring all night was like sleeping with a chainsaw.

We went for a day walk up the route to climb Hopeless, at the start there is this big stone.

Once above the bluffs it is a nice place to sit and watch the world and enjoy the sunshine.

Then it was back to the hut for a night of raucous noise and no sleep. Had to get out of bed and have several slugs of whisky so that I could pass beyond the reach of the chainsaw.

15/04/2012
We did not need to get out of bed early and had a relaxed walk out to Coldwater for a return boat ride to Kerr Bay.

On the way down Hopeless creek we stopped at where the water comes from, the Hopeless spring.

And on the rest of the way out there where several interesting fungi.

 

And a last good view looking back at Travers.

And back in Nelson by 6:00pm.

Map of Walk

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Whisky
Had Ardbeg 10yo as the trips whisky.

Walk Times

Mt Travers

Carl arrived in Nelson and I picked him up and eventually we drove to Lake Rotoiti much later than expected and got to the lake at about 5.00 p.m. and headed off up Lakehead track soon after.

30/03/2012 Friday
Walked from Kerr Bay to John Tait on Friday night arrived just before 11.00 p.m. taking the Lakehead track. One interesting fungi was out there. Looking good.

Aminita muscaria

Nice bridge just before the turnoff to Hopeless.

Hopeless Creek bridge

Sat out on the verandah for food and beer; so as to minimise the annoyance to those already in bed. But they still came out and asked us to be quiet. We where having a drink and a yak and a laugh about other trips over time, reliving the fun of the past and using that to build the dreams of the future.

31/03/2012 Saturday
Saturday we headed off with full packs as we where thinking of bivving out somewhere up high.

Mt Travers from down the valley

Mt Travers getting up valley

Heading for Upper Travers hut as a lunch stop and to drop a bread crumb before heading on up some ridge. Nice hut nestled there in the trees.

Upper Travers Hut in the trees

Upper Travers hut sign

We stopped at the hut for food and drink before heading off up one of the ridges. This is roughly our route.

Route up Mt Travers

Kehu center

Begley Saddle

East face Travers

Travers East face a bit more North

Zooming in on Kehu

Carl above the talus field

Looking North to Lake Rotoiti

Begley Saddle Low point to left Kehu center

Mr Hickton smiling up high

Carl and valley below

Mt Cupola

Mt Hopeless

View looking back down the ridge we came up from Peak 2127.

Looking back down the ridge

Mr Carl Hickton on the top of Mt Travers 2012.

Carl on top of Travers

On our way down into Summit creek

The view down Summit creek

Got back to John Tait hut in the dark after a bit of a hectic wander down Summit Creek, seems much more of a bush bash than last time I was here; and last time was in the dark too.

01/04/2012 Sunday
Walk out day, so sad to leave this most comfortable mountainous place.

Axe

John Tait hut

Some fungi

Mt Travers

Seat with out Tariga

More fungi

Bye bye Coldwater hut

Trip Times
30/03/2012 Friday
1722 Parked up at Kerr bay and headed off the Lakehead side
1924 Lakehead hut
2036 Crossing Travers swing
2253 John Tait hut

31/03/2012 Saturday
0818 Left John Tait hut
1037 Upper Travers Hut
1127 Left Upper Traver Hut

01/04/2012 Sunday
1152 Left John Tait hut
1543 Leaving Coldwater hut...

Map showing route up to Travers