Dundas Loop

An excellent fine weather weekend where sun tan lotion was required. A trip from Putara road end to Herepai hut on Friday night. Then on Saturday around the tops to Dundas Hut with a side trip to Mt Dundas. Sunday was a return to Putara road end by taking the track down into the Ruamahunga and then up onto Cattle Ridge and down to Roaring Stag and out. Did this trip with some guy.

Friday 25/01/2013
Tried to head away just after work but got stuck in the city due to a couple of bus break downs. Didnt get onto the motor way until after six. Stopped for food in Carterton so it was after eight that we finally headed off to Herepai hut. One big bit of mushroom on the way.

It was a slow walk in, took two hours and normally its thirty minutes quicker. Maybe the track got stretched after the rains.

Saturday 26/01/2013
Leaving Herepai hut real early for me, it being all of 0640 hours!

It was a bit hot as we headed up Herepai, but once on top hit a bit of cold wind and cloud started gathering. Feared that the forecast weather was on a change.


Sunday 27/01/2013
Some guy woke me early saying it was time to get out of bed and to head away. He was gone just after six am. I didnt head off until eight. I wanted the sun in the valley so I could have a swim at the first river crossing. Was really a dip as there was no deep pools.


Trip Times

Friday 25/01/2013
2021 Left Putar Road end for Herepai hut
2056 At last swing bridge
2132 At junction
2221 At Herepai hut
Saturday 26/01/2013
0640 Left Herepai hut heading up Herepai
0724 Stanley Evans
1039 Pukemoremore
1122 At Dundas hut
1348 Left Dundas hut for Mt Dundas 
1443 Mt Dundas
1512 LEft Mt Dundas for Dundas hut
1603 At Dundas hut
Sunday 27/01/2013
0745 Left Dundas hut
0829 Into Ruamahunga 
 

Map of Trip

Notes
Removed some rubbish from Roaring Stag, will give it back to Seek Freedom crowd. And there was no whisky for this trip.

Triangle Spur

This was the third attempt and was an easy wander due to the exceptionally good weather.

Friday 18/01/2013
Drove to Poads Road end and just before 8pm headed up the South Ohau river to the South Ohau hut, getting there sometime before 11pm, the river being up slightly made the going a bit slow. As there where people at the hut went straight to bed.

Saturday 19/01/2013
Got out of bed once the party of older trampers had headed off and yarned to Pete, who got a young stag up Butchers the previous evening.

Sometime later headed off up Dowling Falls to Girdlestone Saddle and then down the Mangahao track. Stopped at the pool where a creek joins the Mangahao for lunch.

Then off down to Mangahao Flats hut. Got there about 3pm and was worried that the hut would be full. Stupid worry as there was no one there. Much later another couple arrived.

Rained a bit in the evening.

Sunday 20/01/2013
Left the hut and headed off up the Mangahao for the Triangle Spur, a "Track Not Maintained". The track however is still easy to follow with just a few minor bits of tree fall. No real bush bashing at all. Its surprising how clear the track is after a few decades of no maintainence.

The worst bit was getting a few scratches pushing thru the leather wood. Strange conditions in the open as barely could see Dundas due to clag, it looked clear further South.

Had lunch at Dundas trig and then carried onto Arete, used compass to ensure I went the correct way a few times as the clag killed visibility at times. No wind, not cold, was a real hot day. Nice flowers about.

Signed hut book at Arete where three people where hanging out and continued to Te Matawai for the night.

Monday 21/01/2013
A very hot clear day. Went down to South Ohau hut for a snack and meet some more people on there way out. Had a slow walk out down the Ohau stopping for a few swims. Twice in the rapids saw fast moving fish, not trout. These ones where out getting some sun.

Trip Times

Friday 18/01/2013
1943 Left Poads Road carpark
2040 Into South Ohau
2112 North South Ohau junction
2254 South Ohau hut
Saturday 19/01/2013
1112 Left South Ohau hut heading up South Ohau
1139 At the start of the marked track up the ridge to get above Dowling falls
1209 Off the ridge back into the creek
1243 At Girdlestone Saddle
1310 Creek joins Mangahao and has pool
1448 At Mangahao Flats Hut 
Sunday 20/01/2013
1006 Left Mangahao Flats hut
1038 Crossing creek approx 30 minutes from Managhao Flats hut  
1106 Heading up Triangle Spur
1221 Out of the bus
1252 On Triangle Spur
1456 On Dundas
1517 Leaving Dundas
1652 Arete Hut
1709 Left Arete Hut
1733 Pukematawai
1826 Te Matawai hut
Monday 21/01/2013
1121 Left Te Matawai hut
1215 South Ohau hut
1244 Left South Ohau hut
1611 Paods Road

Map of the Trip

Speargrass Hut and some other Ridge

Tariga and I decided that we would do a bit of a blast into Nelson Lakes for a few days. Somehow it got truncated to an over nigh trip. At least we threw in a random ridge on the way out. Thought it would be a bush bash but turned out to have a well trodden path on it.

Thursday 03/01/2013
Drove away from Nelson on a sunny Thursday morning and got to St Arnaud and had lunch at the Lodge. Good food and coffee. A prep for the walk into Speargrass. Drove up to the Robert Ridge car park and after being stuck behind a shalom mobile at 5km an hour I finally managed to fish tail past them at high speed hopefully scaring the shit out of them. Ready to go.

And so we was off and had fun thru one river and got wet feet, almost like the T-rua's.

And just about at the hut and there is a missing bridge! Almost empty hut, just a warden

So we got to the hut and made food tea and settled in. I went for a walk up valley to check the place out. Got back and the hut was full.

Friday 04/01/2013
After a night of bad sleeping in a hot stuffy hut we decided that we would head out, so a ridge we had never walked become our objective. The one in the foreground.

So we headed off after a decent interval of eating drinking and giving the hut a sweep.

It was very easy to get onto the ridge and we quickly discovered a nice trail and soon we came across the remains of a departed possum.

And on we went up the gentle ridge and near the end of the forest we decided to stop for snack time.

We heard some weird rattling and humming noises and spotted a glider out cruising.

Furthur up on the ridge we got a look back at the forested ridge and then a wee bit furthur on we could look back at the Speargrass hut.

Spent some time checking out the grass hoppers, as there where a lot of them hopping around and the green ones where the most obvious.

Then there was the Tariga on the ridge.

More Tariga in the grass.

And even more Tariga in the rock field.

With some views of the very yummy Nelson Lake mountains.

And towards the end some low hanging cloud

And now one last picture of Tariga with the lake in the background

And finally the end, as this is the car in the carpark and we are off back to Nelson.

Map of the Trip

And this trip had no whisky as a new year resolution is to deny oneself for a while...