Thanks to the large amount of rain in the week leading up to the Easter weekend we eventually decided to plan a trip where we could avoid rivers completely if necessary. The forecast for Friday was also terrible so we decided to make the trip 2 and a half days:  Start at midday Saturday at the Moorcock Saddle car pack,  climb up to Longview Hut to stay the night, the next day head south along the tops giving a range of options for huts we could stay at, Top Gorge, Makaretu or the newly relocated Leon Kinvig, then return back the way we come on the Monday.

The initial plan turned out to be a good idea with Friday’s forecast of terrible weather being accurate, the Saturday however hot and sunny with barely a cloud in the sky. Four of us, Lou, Bex, Judith, and I, left Hasting about 11 am, meeting Murry and Robyn at the corner of Makaretu road and Highway 50 at 12pm, and then heading to the end of Kashmir road for lunch before starting the climb for the day. The climb up to Longview was hot, the mini thermometer I was carrying said it was about 24 degrees as we climbed, and not a breath of wind the entire time.  

Sunday morning we set off from Longview hut heading south along the ridgeline, the current plan was for all of us to head to Leon Kinvig Hut. The track along the tops was generally quite wet and boggy, which made finding a good place to stop for a rest and a snack challenging. As the day continued the heat from yesterday returned, with the wind absent and lack of shade it felt very hot.  

We reached the turnoff down to Makaretu Hut at 12pm, 4 hours after we had started, which was thankfully also a dryer patch so we stopped for lunch. The ladies, having had enough of the heat and the sign to Lean Kinvig promising another 3 hours to go, decided they would head down to Makaretu Hut for the prospect of a relaxed afternoon and the option of heading back to the Car park via the Makaretu river the next day.The forecast for Monday did have the weather deteriorating with the potential for some heavy rain up at Howletts Hut around lunch time.  

Murray and I continued south along the tops toward Leon Kinvig hut in the heat. The track from this point deteriorated, becoming overgrown in parts, taking 2 hours for us to reach a junction with an old turn off down to Makaretu Hut which isn’t marked on map. The track from this junction supposedly follows the ridge down straight to the back door of Makaretu hut.  We continued onwards to reach the junction with Apiti Track, about 30 mins later, and started downhill towards Leon Kinvig’s old hut site, which took 1¹/₂ hours to reach. The old hut was located on the Pohangina river and required moving after flooding caused by cyclone Gabriel.  

From the old hut site we followed the river downstream trying to locate the new hut site, we had been told it was about 500 metres downstream but weren’t sure of the location. There are a number of large orange track makers about it but despite this it wasn’t the clearest where we were meant to be going. After 30 mins and 4 river crossing we finally found the new hut. This was an 8 and half hour day.  

Monday morning Murry and I headed off at 7:30 am, wanting to give ourselves an early start so we had plenty of time to get back to the van. It took just under nearly 3 hours to go up the hill and get to the Apiti track turn junction (10:18 am). Light rain greeted us as we left the hut, but were able to take raincoats off as we started climbing. Once out of the bush and into the scrub it was rain coats back on for the rest of the day, with the cloud coming in and reducing visibility to about 20 meters along the tops.

We reached the junction with the old track to Makaretu Hut at 10:50 am, Murray had been told it wasn’t maintained but still ok to use, and thinking it could make an easier trip back, started down the old track.  Heading downwards we lost the track about 20 mins in. The track isn’t marked on any map, track makers were sparse when we were following it. We most likely went off course following a deer trail thinking it the right way.

Once we realized we lost the track I checked my phone’s GPS and noticed we were getting turned about so tried to head North West hoping to pick the track up again. In hindsight this was probably the wrong decision as the track was most likely eastward of us, however there didn’t seem any easy way to head in that direction.  We continued following along Deer trails or bush bashed our way downwards trying to find a path, eventually we decided to try for the stream that runs down one of the gullies to the Northwest, thankfully we were able to reach it without too many issues at about 12:10pm. We followed the stream downwards, having to navigate past fallen trees, slips and the occasional large boulder, but thankfully nothing that stopped us from progressing.

We reached Makaretu hut at 1:40 pm, 6 hours after we had started, stopped for lunch and then headed off again at 2pm down the Makaretu River towards where it joins with the North Branch. The water in Makaretu river was clear but had a noticeable current to it as we followed it downstream, thanks to the light rain most of the day so far.  We reached the forks where the North branch and the Makaretu meet at 3:30pm, the whole time it had been alternating between light rain with the occasional heavier shower, and it looked like the heavier rain have arrived in catchment above us around Longview and Howletts hut as the North branch of the Makaretu was a dirty brown with a strong current, but thankfully not too deep.

We headed up the North Branch, towards Awatere Hut, however our progress was slow.  This section had a large number of fallen trees we had to try to navigate and our unexpected detour was taking its toll.  We thankfully got out of the gorgier parts of the river just as light was starting to fade (5:30 pm) and had reached the open gravel banks south of Awatere Hut before it was dark (6 pm).

We located the turn off up the hill back to the car park, around 6:30- 7pm, I decided to leave Murry behind to take a longer break and make a push up the hill by myself to where I hoped would get I cellphone reception to let others know what has happening, drop my pack at the van and then come back for Murry. We were meant to be back at the Van for 4:30 pm, so we were running slightly late.

Visibility was very poor across the tops of the Awatere ridge, I managed to break part of my headlamp trying to adjust and nearly lost the track once, but was able to find the turn off where you drop down off the ridge correctly. I reached the car park about 7:30 pm to find the van missing but Stan (owner of one of the local farms and part of Search and Rescue) was waiting for me. He drove me to where the ladies had moved to van further down the road where you could get cell phone reception.

Stan dropped me off at the Van to head back to his place to get appropriate gear for the weather, and while waiting I demolished the spare bags of snacks the others had.

At 8:30 pm Stan and I headed back in and found Murry on the top of the ridge a decent distance along. I took his pack and after an Easter egg each we started heading to the carpark. This time I managed to miss the turn off down and we continued along the ridge an extra 100m or so before realizing and having to backtrack.

We finally arrived back at the van at around 9:30 pm, 14 hours after we started, thankful to finally be able to take off our wet gear. Now that everyone was accounted for, we set off back to Hastings finally arriving at 11:30 pm.

The Makaretu Hut Party: Having travelled through this way from Kashmir Rd end to Leon Kinvig Hut a few years ago, I was aware that if I were to do this again, even with the head start of leaving from Longview Hut, it would certainly not be short walk with little effort. With relatively new trampers in the party, it really took no convincing for a party of four to be setting out from our lunch spot to what seemed like an easier afternoon as well as for tomorrow’s return trip.

So we descended down from the muddy and hot tops and after leaving the leatherwood, we began to enjoy the coolness that the shade that the beach trees provided. There were some overly large steps but otherwise, it was a straightforward track of straight down. Finally made it to an empty Makaretu Hut before 3 pm. Had the fire going for a while and had an early night with no need to prolong the light after sunset.

The last weather forecast that I was aware of had forecasted light rain at around midday.  I considered that if we had an early start in the morning, we would avoid any possibility of the rivers becoming too swift and high. When I heard rain pattering on the hut roof at 5 am, I was then reconsidering how early we should leave. While it was not heavy rain, there was no way of knowing how heavy it could become. Everyone was happy to leave early and so we ate breakfast in the dark and were ready to leave the hut by 6:45 am. We liked this option to leave early rather than to face that 600 meter ascent to the tops that we had just descended the previous day.

We made our way steadily and found little side tracks that cut off small gorges and river meanderings when we found them. It seems like a well used track so there was little concern about getting lost. At the junction of the Makaretu River with the Makaretu River North Branch, it did look it could be slightly risky with twice the volume of water so we opted to risk a climb above the confluence and come back down a few meters towards the north side. We got there OK, sticking together for support. With the river crossings, we made it through with rain coming and going. We came across three pairs of whio ducks and so concluded that the numerous traps in the area were getting good results.

We had lunch at Awatere Hut and then made our way back over the last hill. Heading up the hill, after crossing the last river, a heavy downpour began. We were relieved and pleased that we had made such an early start.  We got back to the van at 2:30 pm. Happy to be able to have a change of clothes. Expecting Nic and Murry to be out in a couple of hours, maybe 3 hours max.

This was not to be. We figured that whatever the delay, it could not be too serious as there was not a sound of a helicopter and we knew that they had a PLB each. It was however, difficult to imagine why they were so late. We took it upon ourselves to drive along Kashmir Rd to where there might be cellphone coverage. Fortunately, Nic had got through to Glenda and explained where they were. Something about Awatere Hut. That was puzzling as it did not make sense that they would not be walking back along the tops. Thanks to Stan, who just happened to also be parked at the place where there is cellphone coverage, it all eventually worked out OK. We were lucky that he had been there at this time and had been so very helpful. I might just bring a Garmin with me in the future!