The River Runs Through It

gooooat

That's where I'm going, where are you going

Dream Catch Me

Newton Faulkner


Last weeks project was by far one of the greatest experiences ever. At first we were unsure if the project would still happen due to the weather. If the rain picked up we would not be able to do the river crossings b/c of the rise in water and also the lack of visibility.

Lucky for us the weather held up and we went through with the original plan. We got all our gear ready, packed light and departed for the Waitewheta Railway Track in the Kai Mai - Mamaku Forest.

The hike begins

After parking the van, getting our backpacks and stuffing them with the food we had to carry in (and trash we'd later carry out) we began our hike. The first 30 minutes was through farm land along the Waitewheta River, nice flat ground, only one little hill but that was it, there were no steep inclines.

Home home on the range

As we progressed into the bush we saw remnants of the old railway (which was used to transport the logged Kauri Trees, which are now protected by the Department of Conservation). The Kauri's are the largest tree in terms of wood per square inch, Giant Sequoia's are the tallest and big but they taper at the top, Kauri's grow up with the same diameter as the base. Fun Fact: San Francisco was rebuilt with Kauri Wood after the great fire. Unfortunate Fact: of 1000 trees logged, only 15% of them were actually used in construction, the rest were thrown away.

One of the bridge crossings

Once we got into the thick of it we got to some bridges that had been built recently so we could get across the river. After the first few though we came across our first river crossing! Our CVNZ Guide Bruce went first finding the best path through, looking for spots that had clear water and with less large rocks as you are more likely to slip on those than on small ones. We were warned we'd have wet boots so we all were ready for it, though the water temperature caught some people by surprise. It got knee high at the deepest part but everyone enjoyed it, and it was wet socks/boots the entire way to the hut.

Another bridge crossing

We saw part of the rebuilt railway and one of the carts that still had one of the old logs on there. It's amazing that only a century ago that the forets were covered with those magnificent trees.

Site seeing

Two more river crossings awaited us, these were a lot deeper and the water was faster and rocks more slippery so we really had to watch our steps. It was thigh high at some points, one of the participants fell in a bit before gaining his balance, I think we all enjoyed it!

Taking a break from work

By the time we reached the hut we'd been hiking for roughly three hours given the river crossings everyone was ready to take off their boots. The hut was actually really nice, it is one of the newer ones and pretty comfortable. There was a fireplace, running water and of course long drops (outhouses but better system). We stayed in the bunk style rooms and were able to use the kitchen in the wardens room b/c we were actually working with DOC staff. We had a gas grill (but limited supply of gas b/c it had to be used to heat the showers and hot water for the sink so we definitely roughed it). I showered once ;)

Waitewheta hut upon arrival

Long Drops :)

The view around the hut was of the surrounding mountains, kind of surreal to be in the middle of it all. We crossed many a beautiful waterfall too. At night the stars really shined, there was no nearby cities to pollute the night. I wish I'd brought a better lense for my camera b/c there's no doing justice to the natural beauty that lies here. Stars of all things are hard to get on film.
Just being able to see the milky way and all the surrounding stars makes you feel so insignificant but at the same time so alive.

Chasing what?

Our first day of work invloved timber recycling. We were collecting firewood for the hut b/c it was running low so the DOC staff cut trees (they knew which ones to cut and which ones to stay away from) and had to bring them down the hill to the hut, which was quite the task. At one point we were pushing them down a hill to get them to roll but it took longer than we thought and my shin took a beating from the logs and the slippery slope combination. We also had to get it across a stream so that involved getting in the water (remember boots were already wet).

Bunk Room

Common Room

We thought we were done after lunch but there was a huge tree we had to get (stump by stump), it took a while but thank goodness for the Welshman on our trip, he was really a blessing to have not only for his humour but for his ability to tackle any task, no matter how heavy the stumps were. Once all the wood was piled in front of the shed at the hut we had to cut it up and pile it into the wood pile, this took a lot longer than we thought even with the DOC Staff using chain saws but it was good to see how much we collected and to know that the hut would be stocked with firewood for quite some time.

Track Benching before

Our second day included track benching and building a new track that would be open to the public later this year. We had to fill up some uneven track and level it so that people could actually walk on it. The wind really picked up that day but we were lucky to miss the rain. We got 90 meters done in about half a day of work, not bad given the condition of the track. There were many a root/truck that we had to chop and dig out but overall I feel the group had fun and really enjoyed seeing the fruits of their voluntter work.

Track Benching After

The nights were usually spent hanging out in the common room by candlelight and headlamps, there was no electricity at the hut so we were limited to our imaginations. I think experiences like these reinforce how much we seem to look past simple things such as a light bulb, warm water running out of a faucet, flush toilets, etc. There were many card games to be played and also drawings (one person would draw something and we would all add to it, that has rekindled the urge to doodle for me and I plan on doing that a lot more now).

By Candle light

View of the ridges

There were many a possum out near the hut too and one night two were fighting outside our room so one of the DOC Staff went out and scared them off. One also got into the warden's quarters one night we left the door open and got into our bread supply, which kind of sucks; what really sucked was our guide Bruce saw it and tried to get it but it ran around scared and he didn't have anything but a plastic chair to throw at it. It finally got a way, we were too late to run and help but it was another lesson in pest management.

On the hike out

Our hike back was really nice b/c we didn't hit any rain, which was expected actually. We did the river crossings again and got through without a scare though I had a close call on the last crossing. We made really good time and got through the hike in about ~2 hours 15 minutes, always faster on the way back. It was a real backpacking/tramping adventure and we all enjoyed it, something I will never forget. To top it off we stopped in Hanua and got to see the falls there, beautiful...

Hanua Falls

I just dropped off the group at the airport this morning and now am in Auckland relaxing before I got to the airport again in the morning to pick up the next group (also my last one for this season). I'll be out of internet contact for at least another week so have fun ya'll.

Group Hut Shot

Hope everyone is having a splendid summer,

If you have the time plant a tree, help volunteer with a local conservation association/club or any nonprofit that interests you.


Cheers,
Ty


P.S.


"it's not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you"