Join me for 8 days tramp in Tararua.

Day one renfrew to pourangaki day two pourangaki to smith stream via ohuinga and hinerua day three smith stream to waikamaka via waterfall and rangi saddle day four waikamaka to top maropea via waipawa forks and sunrise Day five top maropea to wakelings via maropea river and maropea forks hut day six wakelings to Mckinnon via rongotea and crow hut day seven mckinnon to kelly knight with trip to purity day eight kelly knight to renfrew. It is a laidback xmas trip with a couple of pit days up my sleeve. A chance to meditate and reflect on the year. The are mostly difficult huts to reach alot of ups and downs

Hi Gaiters - sounds like a fun trip, we are planning a 5 and a bit day romp around in the northern Ruahines starting xmas eve which weather permitting will intersect with a good chunk of your trip so we may see you out there. Just curious as to which way you will be going between smith stream and waterfall on day three.

Same way as day two. I will just take the option that works best for me on the day. Will see what the weather is doing. Etc etc. Just go with the flow. Yeah I may see you out there.

Haven't posted on This forum so far. Here goes I've been in and out of arête forks a few times lately, and many times over the last 50 years. The track does have a few climbs on it, but it's still doable in 3 - 4 hours, depending on fitness Quite a few windfalls, but with care, the track can be picked up ok, a fair bit of pink tape has been put in these places The river changes a fair bit, I went up it a few weeks ago, river low and clear, but several deep pools requiring pack floating, and total time going upstream was a fairly tiring 4 hours, an hour longer than the track normally is. The gravel deposits left behind by the large slip off Tarn ridge have all but gone from the gorge, so it takes longer now. The track isn't that easy, but no worse than many of the climbs up to the bush line, and is just like many other gorge routes in the ranges, The sidle track is also quicker than the alternative route over table ridge. The hut is in good nic, and a group of ex NZFS hunters are intending to take over upkeep of it in 2014. Doc contract track cutters are scheduled to recut the arête sidle track early in 2014.

Nice to get the input of a hunter. I always thought the Claytons (arete sidle track) was eirher cut by someone new to track cutting. Or a super fit bloke with a masochistic sense of humour. The 200m climb from cow creek is a good sign of things to come. There is a bit of ongaonga as well which is a nice twist to Tararua tramping. You would think you were in the Aorangi. As I said earlier. It only takes a fit tramper 3 hours from cow creek to arete forks but it is a rough track with one section slightly difficult to follow. It isnt that bad to follow. I enjoy it. But you have to be honest. One thing I will say is it is a fantastic track during the roar it really is.

I was looking at the map exhibition at DOC House in Wellington yesterday and they had a 1936 map of the Tararuas on display, primarily to show where the Sutch party traveled back in 1933. It was very interesting to note the similarities and the differences in the tracks on the map compared to the present day. One I did note was that the track to Arete Forks went up the northern bank, oposite to its present location. The approach to Cow Creek was different too, it didn't come up from Kiriwhakapapa over the Blue Range. Another change I noted was that the route from Isabelle down to the Waiohine River ascended to Junction knob directly rather than up to Aokap.

I have the 1936 map, nzbazza. I find it hard to believe a cut track went up the true left of the gorge to arête forks. A lot of high bluffs in there The current track had to climb fairly high to bypass steep bluffs. I've sidled thru there above and below the track, and most of the climbs were inevitable However, forest service hunters weren't that impressed with the route either, it was surveyed by one of the field officers at the time.

I forgot about that exhibition! I still have to try and get into town to see it. Meanwhile I can't find the 1933 map (I think I've seen it but can't locate it). This 1911 map, hosted by the National Library's Digital Archive, suggests a track up the true left, if it's on either side at all, but it might also just be intending to show a route straight up the gorge. http://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE298461&dps_custom_att_1=tapuhi Detail is severely lacking and it was drafted before many of the commonly known names were applied, but if you zoom into the map, the river shown that's perpendicular to the line between Mitre and Pukekino is the Waingawa. It's captioned "good walking up river", and the dotted walking line carries on all the way up the vally towards Arete Peak, or about where it is, on the way towards Dundas. There's a 1922 map showing the area at http://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE17507064&dps_custom_att_1=tapuhi but it doesn't show clear detail of a sidling track but seems to have some approximate suggestions of tracks in that area. There's also a 1958-published Leslie Adkin map at http://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE17506676&dps_custom_att_1=ilsdb which shows a track (or route) following the river, but doesn't seem clear about anything sidling either side. Leslie Adkin would have known the Tararuas like the back of his hand during the first half of the 1900s, and to me it looks as if he's just suggesting walking up the gorge... which of course doesn't at all mean that there weren't other routes not shown on his map. It's fascinating to look at many of these old maps, and see where many of the common routes were. Another way to get to Arete Forks is from Cow Saddle up to Waingawa and then navigate down the spur direct to the forks. Did that a few years ago (before we returned via the sidle track). It's not exactly sidling along the river on its true left, though, so much as climbing all the way up to the peak on that side and then dropping down. There's also a significant (but doable) leatherwood bash getting down from Waingawa... enough that it helps to have several people in a group testing out possible routes.

Also, the Sutch Search is a great story. They pretty much struggled through Totara Flats without realising that Sayer Hut was on the far side of the river, and probably full of people searching for them.

The Sutch search is going to be on "First Crossings" in the next series. They did filming around the Park river and Hector Forks a few weeks ago, I gather