Thread: Sort of successful North kaimai trip.

Having read a thread about the merits of a summer trip to the northern kaimais I set off after a red. Having only ever been to the southern side I didn't know what to expect. But the photos I'd seen were primo so I was looking forward to it.

I stayed at my cousins place not far from matamata and set off in the early hours of Sunday morning.

I decided to go up the Waiorongomai Valley and head towards cashmores clearing.

It is of interest to note that the kauri Grove track has been closed and the track markers from the stream have been removed by DOC but the markers from the top of the range have not.

There is instead a hunters track that is incredibly well marked with link markers that goes up the easiest way to ridge I've ever come across.

You get to this by going to the very end of the stream. Past bendigo battery and past the left hand side of the Kauri Grove. You drop down into the stream and it is very easily found.

Once at the top there's the old North South track that wasn't on my topo map app but volunteers from the tramping community have cleared it from te aroha to cashmores clearing. Still got orange markers.

I got maybe 1 quarter of the way to cash mores clearing when I spooked a deer in some very thick Bush near the drop off where to ridge goes down into the bush.

Lots of fairly fresh pig rooting. A few goats around but nothing shoot able.

It was fun to explore a new part of the range. Glassed for a while but didn't see anything on the sunny faces. I would expect that they're near the creeks and anywhere with water due to the heat. Maybe around cash mores they'd be around the open.

Wind was blowing from waikato over to the bay of plenty side. So a lot of bush became not hunt able due to getting scented out.

Ended up having to leave earlier than expected but all in all a great time was had.