Cone Hut Tramp

My friend Simon and I went tramping this weekend up into the local Tararua mountain range.

We started at the Waiohine Gorge road end with the idea being to climb up and over the hill into the Tauherenikau river valley and then to spend the night at either Cone Hut or Tutuwai Hut, before retracing our steps the next day.

The track started of in spectacular fashion as we had to cross a large swingbridge which spans the Waiohine Gorge. This particular bridge was constructed last year and is around 100m long and is situated 90m above the river. It is a testament to the bridges design and construction that it hardly swayed at all when we crossed, even though we had very high winds on the first day of the tramp. Crossing many swing bridges in high winds can be unnerving as they can tilt alarmingly, with the seeming intention of throwing you out and into the abyss.

Immediately after the bridge the track climbed steeply, before eventually levelling out at around the 700m mark. I don't get out and about as much as I used to, so my calf muscles in particular took a real pounding on this section. For the next hour or so the track the track levelled out and made for some very pleasant walking. It was around this time that the rain that had been falling lightly right from the start of the walk, started to get much heavier.

After a couple of hours we came to a junction in the track with one way climbing up to Cone (1080m) and the other way dropping down to Cone hut. On another day we would most likely have climbed up to Cone, but with the rain getting heavier and the prospect of winds well in excess of 100km/hr on the tops we decided it would be prudent to descend down to Cone hut.

After an hour or so we reached Cone Hut and decided to spend the night here rather than travel further down the valley to Tutuwai Hut. There were a number of reasons for this; two women we met at the roadend had said that a big party were staying at Tutuwai and as it was also getting late, we would have spent the last hour or so tramping in the dark. All in all it was a good decision, as Cone hut had a lot of character and we had the place to ourselves.

The stay at the hut was uneventful enough, although I didn't sleep that well, what with the noise of the rain (which fell all night) and the constant roar from the Tauherenikau river.

The next day was also wet, so it was a case of gritting ones teeth and getting on with it. By the time we got back to the roadend the rain had eased off. This a function of the mountains, in that the rainfall increases dramatically the further you go into them; we had around 150mm rain on this trip, yet just a few km's away it was completely dry

It would have been nice to have had a less "soggy" trip, but it was fun all the same.

At the start of the walk on the swingbridge.

Cone Hut.

Simon and I.

The Waiohine River.

Coldkiwi Rally 2008

My friend Neil and I traveled on our motorbikes to the Coldkiwi Rally.

This event has been held every year for the last 34 years near Waiuru in the central North Island. At this time of the year this is one of colder places one might wish to stay, particularly if you are camping; as we and another 2000 other masochistic bikers were.

The trip up goes through some great scenery, so was pleasant enough, even if it did rain for most of the way, though at least it was of the drizzly kind, rather than the torrential stuff we have had for most of the winter.

The rally site we stayed at wasn’t quite were we expected it to be. Somehow I had envisaged it being close to the main road. It turned out to be 5km down a gravel/mud track, which made for some interesting moments on my sportsbike, which is not really designed for this kind of terrain. If was worth it when we got there though as the site was in a lovely rural setting with views over to Mt Ruhapehu.

Events were in full swing when we got there, so we quickly pitched the tent and headed of to the fun. The fun included wheelie, burn out and hill climbing competitions. Needless to say we watched, rather than took part. The burnouts in particular were pretty spectacular, assuming you fancy blowing up (literally) a couple of hundred dollars worth of rear tire. Good to watch, but to take part you need to be very drunk, deranged or both.

In the evening a large bonfire was set alight, with a moped placed on top instead of a guy. Best place for a moped if you ask me. Later on there were some fireworks, followed by a rather good covers band and lots of beer.

We woke up in the morning to find the tent covered in a solid layer of ice, so in that respect the Coldkiwi certainly lived up to its reputation.

After a fry up it was back home to Wellington on the bikes.

All in all, a top weekend.

I took a few photo’s, which are posted below. My camera is not working properly at the moment, so my apologies for the standard of the pictures. I can heartily not recommend a Canon Digital Rebel.

We pitched the tent then headed off to check things out. Note the rather lovely SV1000S,

Me with the hill climb competition in the background.

The burn out competition.

A rather cold Neil. Note the frost and ice.

Mt Ruhapehu.

Lake Dive

These photos were taken on a tramp to Lake Dive Hut in the Taranaki National Park.

Mt Taranaki is a 2518m high dormant volcano situated near New Plymouth on the North Island. Other than the volcano this is one of the flatter areas in NZ. Consequently, Mt Taranaki is a very imposing and impressive sight and is visible from a long way away.

I had seen the mountain in the distance many times on my travels but never tramped in this area before, so when the Wellington Tramping Club arranged a trip up to Lake Dive I was first in the queue.

I was picked up from Wellington Station on Friday after work and joined eight other trampers for the five-hour drive to the road-end at Dawson Falls. The trip up itself was uneventful, with just a quick stop for some pretty dire Fish and Chips at Bulls. If only I had gone to the Kebab shop next door!

We stayed the night at a Lodge in Dawson Falls. It was raining lightly when we got there, but turned much colder overnight, the result being a very picturesque covering of snow in the morning.

We took the “low level” track to Lake Dive, which starts right near the lodge and basically sidles around the base of Mt Taranaki at around the 1000m mark. The time posted to Lake Dive was 3hrs, but it took the group 5hrs to get there. The snow while looking lovely also made things rather slippery, which certainly slowed us up, it was also very cold. Though the track overall stayed at roughly the same altitude, we were constantly either ascending or descending, often on ladders, into deep gullies; the track was rarely ever flat.

When we finally arrived at the hut, it was a real pleasure to find that it had it was equipped with a stove and a plentiful supply of coal. This was a real godsend as the temperature outside dropped well below freezing at night, and the hut would have otherwise have been unheated. To put this in perspective, the majority of DOC huts have no heating at all.

A very pleasant evening ensued at the hut, with some great food followed by 20 questions and charades. Games are not really my thing, but it was nice watching the other guys and girls enjoying themselves.

The next day we basically took the same route out back to Dawson Falls. There was some talk of taking the alternative “high level” track. In the end we decided against it as there was a lot more snow and ice further up, and though I’m sure we would have been OK, it could potentially have been hazardous without crampons.

All in all this was a very enjoyable trip and has certainly inspired me to walk up to the summit itself this summer.



There were a fair number of ladders and stairs on route.


This is Mt Taranaki with the sun setting behind it. Not the best picture I am afraid. This applies to most of the pictures I took on this trip as my camera was playing up. Nothing to do with an incompetent photographer - honest!

Yours truly outside Lake Dive Hut.

Lake Dive Hut.

Some of my fellow trampers on the top of Hasties Hill.

God Bless the Monarchy!

Here in NZ, unlike in Blighty, on the first Monday in June we get a “Queens Birthday” public holiday.

I am a huge fan of the monarchy on this particular day. I am afraid though that it’s the republic for me for the rest of the year.

My friend Neil and I took the long weekend as an opportunity to go for a trip on our motorbikes.

The target of the trip was the “KB gathering” held annually in Turangi. This entails a trip of around 350km through some great scenery and along some equally fine biking roads.

The “KB gathering” is an informal event rather than a rally and is organized by members of NZ’s premier motorcycling social website – http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/.

We headed off on Saturday. The weather on the way up was lovely, though rather cold, particularly up on the Desert Road, which is at an altitude of around 900m. Nice though the weather was, motorcycling wise we took things pretty easily. Many corners inviting though they look, can be icy or damp and slippery at this time of the year.

We arrived in Turangi just as it got dark. We met up with the other bikers there. There was real mixture of bikes and bikers, all of whom were easy going and chilled out. Neil and I probably weren’t as social as we could have been as we headed of to a “greasy spoon” to give the arteries a cholesterol work out. We did return later for a few “tinnies”.

Rather than stay till until Monday we decided to head back to Wellington on Sunday. We chose to go back via Napier along the Taupo-Napier highway. This meant adding an extra 300km to our journey, but the highway has a reputation of being a great biking road and I had never ridden it before.

It turned out to be a great choice as the weather in this part of NZ was a lot warmer, there was very little traffic and the road was an almost endless succession of wide sweeping bends. These are the kind of bends I love. Anything to tight and I get a bit nervous, particularly given the sometimes-slippery road conditions.

Another great day, though after 650km of riding I was knackered.

It was a good move coming home a day early – as I am writing this it is pouring down outside, in best Queens Birthday weekend tradition.


The bikes on the Desert Road.

Neils GT250R and my SV1000S

Me with about a dozen layers of clothing on.

Neil and I

Stoat Trapping

One of my hobbies is trapping stoats.

I don’t hold any personal grudges against Stoats. None of them have ever called me names, pinched my car or even insulted by beloved Chelsea. The problem with Stoats is that they are one of the major predators of New Zealand’s National bird the Kiwi.

Adult Kiwi are quite large birds and can generally fend off Stoats, the young however cannot. Without control of stoat numbers mortality rates of kiwi chicks are as high as 95%.

There are still some native populations of Kiwi on the South Island. On the North Island however, the only places they are found is in zoos or protected reserves.

Several years ago an organisation called The Rimutuka Forest Trust established a new Kiwi reserve in the local Rimutuka mountain range. Kiwi have been released into a relatively confined area, which is ringed by many hundreds of stoat traps. The idea being to minimise stoat numbers and therefore keep predation to a minimum.

In reality we catch far more rats and hedgehogs than stoats. The numbers of stoats caught is relatively small with most being caught in January and February. This corresponds with the time young stoats leave their parents and forage for themselves.
The low stoat numbers are a testament to an effective trapping campaign. Stoats are nomadic by nature, and travel great distances - so ongoing trapping is essential.

My friend Simon and I run a line of traps which we inspect every few weeks in the summer and every month or so in the winter. The area we trap in is very beautiful, but also involves a long slog up a big hill. The weather is also usually less than perfect.

It is also great fun and a good excuse to get out into the bush.

A month or so back, while stoat tracking we bumped into a Rimutuka Forest Trust member, who kindly took this photo of us doing our stuff. The guilty parties are Bruce McDonald, Me, Paul Galvin and Simon Grant. Simon is the one who is visible from outer space.

If you want to find out more about the Rimutuka Forest Trust then click on the following link - http://www.rimutakatrust.org.nz/index.html.

Abel Tasman Trip

Neena and I walked the Abel Tasman Track in April this year.

Rather than me waffle at length about the details, check out the following link [http://www.doc.govt.nz/templates/trackandwalk.aspx?id=36215]

I did a day walk to the first hut situated in Anchorage Bay some year ago, and frankly was a little under-whelmed. It was all very nice, but not as spectacular as I was led to believe.

I am glad that I walked the whole route this time, as it turns out that the best stuff is after Anchorage. On the whole the scenery, and weather, was fantastic, which is just as well, as this is my only time off work this year.
Here are a few pic’s of said trip…

Not a great picture I admit, but this is us having just reached the end of the walk.

Check out the holes in the rocks.

Particularly on the last two days, the beaches were part of the track.

The beaches are one of the tracks best features.

Near Awaroa Hut. The big orange signs are used as markers on the various tidal crossings on the track. In this area the tide goes out further than the eye can see. I personally found this a little spooky. It was like walking in the middle of the dessert, but with the knowledge that the area would be completely under water in a few hours.

The Children of Hurin

I am a huge fan of Tolkein. I read the Hobbit as a young lad, and was enthralled. A few years later, I then read LOTR, and was similarly captivated.

The Silmarillion then quickly followed. This book provides a history of the First Age of Middle Earth. I love Tolkien's prose and think it raises his works to a higher plain than other Sword and Sorcery epics, which at the end of the day is what they are. In contrast to the first two novels, I found the Silmarillion very hard going - the prose was just too dense and didn’t like the books disjointed nature.

Since then, this is where things have stood. But unexpectedly I heard that a new Tolkein novel, The Children of Hurin, had been published. Not bad going for someone who has been dead for 30 years or so.

The story of Hurin and his son Turin has been covered before in the Silmarillion. The version in this book has been considerably expanded.

So it was with a mixture of trepidation and excitement that I started reading The Children of Hurin.

It turn out my fears were unfounded, as I like this book a great deal.

The tale is a tragic one, and is much darker than LOTR or the Hobbit.

It is set in the First Age of Middle Earth several thousand years before the events that take place in LOTR. Hurin is defeated and captured in battle by the evil Morgoth. Hurin taunts Morgoth, who in response places a curse on Hurin’s children, Turin and Nienor

The story is mainly centered on the fate of Turin, though Nienor’s story is also covered.

Unlike most of Tolkien’s heroes, Turin is morally ambiguous. He is proud and strong, but also cursed by a fierce temper and poor judgement. It is this side of him, that ultimately leads to his downfall. On many occasions he ignores wise council and relies on his own rash instincts.

This is one aspect of the story that I really liked. In a lesser story, Turin’s fate would have been sealed at the outset by the curse. In this case, Morgoth’s curse has no supernatural certainty. It is the way Turin responds to events, often instigated by Morgoth that, that lead to his downfall.

It may well have been, that given the forces railed against him, that his defeat was inevitable. But I feel that with the right choices, he may have prevailed.

I found the end of the book surprisingly affecting, which I guess is a measure of how strong Tolkien’s writing is.

The Children of Hurin is a fine addition the world of Middle Earth.

Wairoa Rafting

Our annual Xmas camping trip this year was to Rotorua. Camping is what kiwi's at this time of year, at least the ones who are either to poor, or like us, to tight to stay in a Motel. It can be a tad crowded; otherwise lovely campsites, are akin to the black hole of Calcutta. Still it is a tradition, and at least its all over with after a few weeks.

We brought a larger tent for this years trip. This proved a mixed blessing. While providing much needed space it also proved to be a bugger to put up. Nothing seemed to line up properly and somehow the tent when finally assembled ended up occupying some of next doors pitch!

Looking back from the comfort of home, it was a fun holiday. The highlight for me was some grade 5 rafting on the Wairoa River. I have been wanting to do this trip for a few years. This has proved difficult in the past as the water in the river is from a dam release, which only happens for a few hours every two weeks. There are other more scenic rivers to raft, but in terms of excitement it was right up there, and was certainly worth the wait

Mt Holdsworth Trip

Looking up to Mt Holdsworth.


We had a friend, Robin Waterhouse, stay with us over Xmas this year. Robin is a avid tramper, so on the weekend prior to Xmas we headed off on a two day trip to climb Mt Holdsworth in the local Tararua range. This area is where I do the majority of my tramping. The Tararuas have a reputation of being a rather dour range with some of NZ's worst mountain weather. Its reputation regarding weather is well justified, but other than that, I feel that it is one of the most underrated tramping areas in NZ.

On the first day we tramped up to Powell Hut. The hut is just on the tree line and has some nice views. The last part of the track to the hut is very steep, with some minor scrambling. We stayed here the night as the tops were in the clouds, and Neena was pretty tired after the days exertions.

The next morning was cold, but more importantly clear, so Robin and I headed on up the hour or so's walk to Mt Holdsworth. The two pictures here were taken on this last part of the walk.

On top of Holdsworth.