8 October
On Saturday morning 3 set off from Hastings in a private car to meet Murry at the corner of Makaretu Road and Highway 50 to complete the day’s party of 4, we piled into Murry’s ute, then headed off to the end of Mill Road where we would park up to start our tramp towards Tarn Bivvy.
It was a clear but frosty start to the day as we set off from the car park down to the Tukituki River with the aim of following it up-river to the Rosvalls Track which we would climb up to the Junction and then follow the ridge to Tarn Bivvy. During the previous week there had been heavy rain and snow in the Ruahines so the river levels were something we were keeping in mind as we headed off.
Once down at the river we initially found ourselves bush bashing through scrub as we headed up-river not realising there was a marked trail we could have followed on the left hand side of the river.
Heading up-river we alternated between moving through the scrub and or crossing the river to give us the easiest path onwards, thankfully the river levels had dropped and while the water was cold, traversing through didn’t present any major issues as we made our way to the Rosvalls Track turn off. 
At the turn off we took a short break before heading upwards. The track upwards was steep for the most part, with the occasional sections where it would flatten off for a very brief period only to steeply climb again. To add to the challenge there were multiple trees which had fallen blocking the track at times we would have to detour around. It was at one of these flat sections we stopped for lunch about half way up, our progress being slower than anticipated due to Karl having some hip issues affecting his ability to climb uphill. 
After lunch 3 continued to head upwards hoping to break through the tree line while the 4th started his descent. As we climbed we did encounter a few small patches of snow however had to turn around before we were able to break through the tree line as there were concerns around trying to navigate the river on the return back if it got dark.
At the bottom of the Rosvalls Track we regrouped and headed back downstream, and this time we successfully found the marked trail we had missed on the way up, making the final section easier.
Party: Clint B, Karl J, Murry A and Nicholas W.