Thread: Looking for info on traverses of Ruahine/Kaweka/Kaimanawa

Originally Posted by XR500

I've done Mangahao to Marchant ridge a few times, Gentle Annie to Ashurst three times and Kaweka J to Kiko road twice. But back in the day when there were plenty of huts in them thar hills. 1970's there were 65 huts in the Tararuas. Been to all except 3. Now there's only 40 or so.

Ensure your rifle is LIGHT!!! Borrow a mates if yours is a heavy weight cannon.

Did these all in the era prior to gps's. So accurate map and compass work was a life saver. Many days the vis was waffting 50-200m. And you need to stay on the tops to maintain distance covered.

If you get clagged in/blown off the tops, NEVER use a gully or valley for getting off them. They will always lead you into the most horrible crap you can imagine. Always try and stay on a spur.

Wool will stay far less honkier over a ten day trip than synthetic.

Freeze dry was only just a thing when I did these trips. It can be a god send, but is quite bulky when talking 8-10 days tucker. You should have seen the size of our packs with 9 x one man freeze dry ration packs on board

Did a MTB/armed tramp/kayak from Waiouru to Linton many moons ago. Guys swore they would never go into the hills with me ever again
May be something to do with the 12 hour days and getting down to 4 rat packs, then me tipping over a spiker on the Sawtooth and loading them back up with meat
Those freeze dry rat packs didn't have much other than energy in them. Was day 6 before any of us took a dump

My choice for time of the year would be late Spring (mid Nov to mid Dec). Nice long days. Everything is just starting to come to life, and bumping into animals will be a far more frequent occurrence.

On the Gentle Annie to Ashhurst trips , did you stick to the main range and down the Pohangina?