Thread: Ruahine loop with Tikka 284, and the cashew incident 1

Continued

On the way before the low saddle I passed a family group heading the opposite direction, and near the hut I passed a fit looking couple also coming the other way who were on a big 6 day mission and they said the ridge past Howlett’s was clean and easy. Making the hut in the afternoon I surprised another couple who had looped over from Tarn Biv and hadn’t expected company. They had some interesting stories about rafting and kayaking various rivers I had hunted over the years and at 6pm I headed off for a hunt. That’s when the chashew nut incident happened….I pulled the suppressor out from my pack where I carry it sometimes and it wouldn’t screw on the rifle. I tried a couple of times and then had a look inside it and could see a crescent shape blocking the tube – I poked it with a stick and out came a cashew nut which could have been a disaster if I had got the suppressor on without knowing and fired a shot. I had a packet of nuts in the same pocket and a few had escaped and one had decided to hide in the DPT. I headed up the main ridge past the hut and it was easy going as described. It wasn’t long before I spotted 4 deer on a big slip on the other side of the Tukituki river under Rosvalls peak, but they were over 1km away and better hunted up from Daphne Hut (but apparently there is a gorge blocking access).


Despite moving and glassing some good country I only saw on more deer - a big stag that was again inaccessible without a big day in tiger country into the very head of Howlett Creek. I was back on dark for a good sleep as I needed to be back in Auckland the next day. Howlett’s hut is pretty interesting with some good history covered in the huts bookshelf and also the excellent NZ book “Shelter from the Storm” that everyone should have a read. It’s a Heretaunga tramping club hut and I sorted the $10 payment via the internet.



My final day was a big walk, up in the moonlight and dropping down to Daphne hut which is also a pretty unusual design. I spooked a couple of deer half way down but they didn’t wait around for me to get a round in the chamber and to be honest I was head down and walking hard.



After a good drink in the stream and quick look inside the hut I was soon grunting back up a ridge towards Longview hut before a final decent to Kasmir road where two good young hunting lads from Dannevirke gave me a lift back to my car and saved a few km of road walking in the heat. Tikka 284 was happy to get some use and there is lots of scope in the Ruahines for more exploring. I’m keen to get to Toka Biv or maybe Shutes Hut for some fishing next time I’m in the area. Hopefully my leatherwood nightmares had gone by the time your reading this……..