May 16 – 17 May 2025

The planned trip to Poutaki Hut could not go ahead because forest operations meant the access along Wakarara Road to Leatherwood Road was closed, even to foot traffic. It was thus decided to have a weekend tramp to Cattle Creek Hut which is in the Ruahine Ranges behind Dannevirke. Two members left from Hastings and joined up with another 2 at Norsewood.

We four members of the HTC wandered from the carpark at the end of West Tamaki Road to Stanfield Hut, via the Holmes Ridge, for lunch. This took two hours. We met up with four university students who were staying in Stanfield for the night to get away from their exams.

After lunch we continued up the Tamaki River and then up the steep winding spur to the main range where the wind was very gusty. After a kilometre or so along was the track to Cattle Creek hut and we steadily decendeddown into the gullyand the hut . The tramp in took us about 5 hrs so there was still a good amount of light to collect wood for the fire.

There was no one else at the secluded Cattle Creek hut and it was a cosy, yet noisy night in there.  There were spectacular gales that night, and at times we wondered if the roof would fly off. However, it was bolted down good.

The next day we climbed back up to the main range where the gales were fierce and we were thankful not to be blown off. We continued on east the ridge, retracing our steps back the way we had come to the Holmes Ridge track junction. From here we followed the Tamaka Stream back to the road end. It took 5 hr to return to the car park from Cattle Creek hut.

It had been lovely walk in the backcountry of the Ruahine Ranges for a great overnight trip to Cattle Creek Hut.

Murry A, Judith M, Anthea C and Sascha H