Join me for 8 days tramp in Tararua.

Yeah, the cat's unofficially out of the bag very recently on that one. https://twitter.com/mimi_s_mum/status/410513210328887297 Hopefully it'll be something worth looking forward to. :) In case anyone's curious, I compiled these newspaper reports from the time a few years ago (3 parts): http://www.windy.gen.nz/index.php/archives/498 , http://www.windy.gen.nz/index.php/archives/501 , http://www.windy.gen.nz/index.php/archives/502 One of my favourite quotes, from Eric Hill (not sure why): "Mr. Hill said he had fourteen eggs when the accident happened on the first day out and O ‘Keefe had ten. Six or seven were broken when, they fell, and with these they made a large egg-nogg that made quite a good meal. The last egg was used on Saturday last, the dozen or more having lasted them fourteen days. “I always take eggs when on a tramp,” said Mr. Hill, “because they are both liquid and food, and I have found that it is liquid that is needed most.”"

Thanks for the map links and your blog posts on the Sutch search, Izogi. I do enjoy reading your blog, you cover a part of NZ that deserves recording. I found these two articles below by Geoff Aitken of NewTopo recording some of the history of the early mapping efforts of the Tararuas including the 1936 edition. That 1936 map seems to be considered a benchmark for mapping in New Zealand. When I saw the map, I was really impressed by it's artistic qualities, when compared to the modern uniform topo maps (although I would definitely prefer the better and hopefully more accurate information of a current-day topomap when going cross-country). http://kelsocartography.com/presentations/2012/mountain_cartography_workshop_ica_new_zealand/pdf/1a_geoff_aitken_The_Tararua_map_1936_(final).pdf http://www.mountaincartography.org/publications/papers/papers_taurewa_12/presentations/1a_aitken_pres.pdf

One of the links above seems broken so here is another link to it: http://www.mountaincartography.org/publications/papers/papers_taurewa_12/papers/mcw2012_sec4_ch11_p087-092_aitken.pdf

Thanks for the links. I hadn't seen those ones. It's pretty cool seeing the type of track network you get when people are largely out there making and documenting their own tracks and routes, without relying on official recognition. Checking out slide 9, it looks as if they printed a much longer variant of the name for what's now known as the Atiwhakatu River. :) The paper to which you linked referenced an Evening Post article announcing the 1936 map, from December 18th 1936. That article is interesting reading in itself. Here's the entire page, courtesy of the National Library's Papers Past archive: http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19361218.1.7&e=-------10--1----0-- That page also tells you what you need for cooking a complete dinner, at one time, with a device that's no bigger than a cabinet radio.

Have done the 8 days travers successfully. Briefing: Day1: Paods Road to Waiopehu Hut, Te Matawai Hut in rain. 9 hrs. Day2: Via Arête Hut, Tarn Ridge Hut under strong wind. 10 hrs including 2 hrs misoriented to Lancasar and Thompson. Day3: Via Mitre, Peggy, Mitre Flat Hut, Cow Creek Hut. 11 hrs. Day4: Sidle through to Arête Forks Hut, 7.5 hrs. Rough terrain. Day5: Up to Arête Hut 7 hrs under extreme bad weather. Day6: Via Dracophyllum Hut to Nichols Hut. 10 hrs. Misty, foggy. Day7: Via Waitewaewae Hut to Parawai Lodge. 12 hrs. Blue sky. Day8: Via Pukeatua to Waikaenae. 8 hrs. 23 km include road bash. Stopped my tramp here due to warning of bad weather will set in after Day8. My original plan was via Alpha Hut out to Kaitoke. Still got 2 days food left in my pack. Each day weighted 630 grams. My empty pack weighted 380g net. Thanks for all you post the useful messages here even after I left. My Garmin GPS did wonderful job in nevigation. It was a very enjoyable tramp. Loved Tararuas ridges now.

Well done ,Lucky. Sounds like normal Tararua weather!

Hey Lucky. must have just missed you. we just spent 5 days taking a much more direct route through the same country in some of the most miserable tararua tramping I've done. galeforxe winds and driving rain. incessantly. otaki quarry -> islands forks biv (via Mick) -> waetawaewae -> nichols -> te matawai -> poads rd only sunshine we saw was day 1 and day 5 in the bush!

Remarks: 1. Met 2 brothers from local at Nichols hut. They did 5 days from Otaki Forks, stayed at Kime, Mangahuka, Nichols and Te Matawai. 2. Met 2 guys doing the Te Araroa trail at their 60+ days there. 3. Met a legend hunter with no weapons with him. He said he had spent 80+ days hunting in Tararua. Mostly catch eels from the streams for food. 4. Strange things - I was awaken at midnight by the sudden open of the hut door and bright strong headlight when I was staying in Arete Forks Hut alone. I said "Hello" to whomever but the door slammed immediately. It was 11:30pm. There was no sound followed. No light outside. It was not my imagination, nor a nightmare. It was my third night of slept alone all my own. Maybe a hunter? But why not stay inside?

some people are out in the hills to completely avoid other people.. even in the waitaks i ran into a guy, when he saw me he ran off into the bush like he couldnt get away from me fast enough... the guy you saw could have turned his light off for fear of being "followed".... i run across the odd person, you try to strike up a conversation but they just cut the conversation short pretty quickly and keep moving.

Sounds like you had a great trip Lucky. I've managed to get a leave pass from the other half for doing a S-K with some hut bagging side trips over 10 days during the Easter Anzac extended weekend. Just got to get the house painted now.