D62- Orongorongo river to Turakirae head

Im blessed with perfect weather again for my final day. Continuing downriver, it opens up to the extent that 4wd can access from the beach, the flow becomes lost in the expanse of gravel. In many ways my last major river is a mirror imagae of the first. After 2km i take the Mt Mathews track on the true left. Its easy to miss if you're on the wrong side of the river, marker poles lead up the initaly dry bed of the Mathews stream. At the second forks a well maintained track climbs the steep spur between them. Its a bit of a slog, but my last climb so im not complaining. The Mt Mathews summit is an extra 2hrs (one way), so i dont bother, instead taking the track marked coast, which siddles to South saddle (545m).
South saddle sits in open tussock, with good veiws to the Orongorongo and the coast. Its all downhill from here. Passing the saddle marks my final crossing of the main devide. The track descends steeply into the head of the Mukamuka stream, where it stops with occasional markers continuing downstream to the coast. It starts off quite small and scrubby but soon opens out into vast shingle flats. By the time it reaches the mouth its 100's of metres across and the stream has become dry. Huge scree slopes drop into the stream on either side with occasional costal scrub clinging to the stable bits.
Reaching the beach is a milestone, being the first time I've seen the sea since Waiapu. Unlike the Rakumaras where there was a 3 day walk from ranges to sea, here the mountains drop right down to the coast. A quick dip is high on my priorities.
From here it's only 10km of coastline between me and Turakirae. A 4wd track runs above the high tide mark, removing the need to walk on the rocky beach. A doc sighn marks the start of the Wild coast track, and for the first time i see the words Turakirae head. The beach supposedly passes through a working farm, tho all i saw was a few undocked, sheep in costal scrub. Rounding windy point, the coastline changes from stony beaches and dunes to bolders and swamp. I wasn't intending to make it all the way today, i just got carried away when the head came into veiw. I pass Burneys Whare, private and locked, you probably could camp outside but the sandflies are terrible.
Approaching the head, the walking track leaves the 4wd track, taking a separate route closer to the coast. There's nothing to identify Turakirae head itself, and to most people its probably insigficant, but to me its the most important spot in the world right now. Almost running, i scamble across large bolders and lumps of bedrock, taking the reef which sticks out as far south as i can. It would be nice if there was a lighthouse to aim for, but instead i head for the furthest south point on the head without going in the water. Done.  From here the range ive been faithfully following drops below the sea level, only to resurface again in the Marlborough sounds. Im not sure how long i should stay here to justify the effort in getting here, i decide an hour should be surficent. I crack open the Ruatoria jet planes to celebrate. The weather is for once perfect for the occasion.
Finally leaving the rock, i continue around the head towards the road end ready to hitch out tommorow. The rocks turn back to dunes and i find a spot to camp amongst them. Its fitting that both my first and last nights were camped on the beach. There's a  beautiful sunset over the mainland as i set up my final camp on the beach.

D61- Wairongomai hut to Orongorongo river

Leaving my last hut behind, i head briefly upstream, turning left up Oreore stream for 300m to the first major forks. At the forks i head up the steep but obvious spur between them. It starts off in quite tropical bush, nikau palms, ferns and tangled with supple jack, the weather's pretty tropical to, in the way of temperature not monsoons for once.
It soon enters open beech and excellent game trails make easy work of the 300m climb to the top. Feeling a bit groggy still i take it slow. At the top it flattens out into a bit of a plautoe, with no obvious feature to follow i head SW for 1km to the unobvious Wairongomai saddle. Two small creeks are crossed, only 1 show on the map, both flowing east into the head of the Oreore.
From the saddle you could drop down into the head of the Orongorongo NE branch, but it would likely be small and scrubby at this stage. I continue SW along the developing ridgeline to pt 480, then drop down the spur to the west, meeting the creek at the first fork on the true left.
It's much more pleasant then the other Rimutaka streams, with travel easy going on bush flats or in the small gravel bed. There's plenty of campspots here if u needed one. A set of antlers hanging off a tree indicate it's accessible by humans or the deer are very stupid. Its about 1km to the confluence with the Orongorongo main branch.
The Orongorongo river is bigger but just as easy, travel alternates between bush flats or shingle/bolders. There's a bit of wading and bolders hopping but nothing tricky. I pass a small hunters hut in thr bush, a bit rugged but functional, with 2 bunks a dirt floor and open fire. About 4km down i hit an atv track which siddles the river, crossing twice for 1.5km. It passes a weir and small building, following a pipeline supplying water to Wainuiomata. It's of course authorised access only, but i don't see the sighn untill the end, and there no one ever there by the look of it. The pipeline and track dissappear into a long, locked tunnel so I retern to the riverbed.
Its much the same as before, tho now scattered with human artifacts, steel, planks etc. Eventually i meet the confluence with boulder creek, and the Papatahi track, crossing the range from east to west. An obvious sign here states no unauthorised access upriver due to being a catchment area, tho ive seen several boot marks so either- whoevers authorised regularly checks for naughty hunters, or more likely- no one cares.
From here the nature of the valley changes, it becomes a wide expanse of shingle and large bolders, the surrounding peaks also change. One might think getting closer to sea, the rolling bush clad hill would get smaller and fade out- not in the Rimutaka's. They rise into much higher, jagged peaks, with the higher slopes too steep to support anything but scree and scrub.
I pick a perfect camspot on a terrace above the river, being on the eastern bank i get the last of the evening sun and it warm enough for a recreational swim for once.

D60- Sick day

I should be finished by now. Im feeling a lot better than yesterday, just weak having not eaten in 24 hrs. Im still barely touching my food which dosent help. Its a shame to waste a good weather day but what can you do? It's nice however to sit in the sun

D59- Sick day

I didn't expect to be going anywhere today. Its Pissing down in the morning anyway so i haven't missed much. Ive only 2-3 days walking left but am less confident than ever about making it. When i final drag myself down to the river for water it's risen, very glad im not in the canyon now.

D58- Pakaratahi Headwaters to Wairongomai hut

I awoke in the night feeling terrible, severe chest pain and sick as a dog, im not sure what's caused it but im almost reaching for the PLB. Im a lot better in the morning, but still in no fit state to tackle the days challenges. Its only 7km today but it takes me more than that in hours. From the forks, i head up the unmarked spur, it starts off open bush but soon becomes thick head height scrub and very slow going. At the saddle, i swing E, aiming for Bawbaw, it soon becomes too steep and scrubby, so i siddle the southern face, just below the scrub untill i reach the second spur heading SW into the Wairongomai. The spurs not obvious to start with, and trying to stay on it is the main navigational challenge. I frequently take faulse spurs, requiring steep climbs back to the correct one. I should be tucked up in bed today, not doing this. A light drizzel adds to the scene. The last 500m becomes well defined and a good game trail leads down to the Wairongomai, dropping in just above the 3rd forks from the headwaters.
It starts off tight and scrubby, with one fall requiring a difficult climb around. Follows an easy section of bolders and shingle. After this it plunges into a series of canyons. A 3-4m fall requires a climb around but after that the sides become unsiddleable and everything must be tackled in the flow. There were on obvious escape routes if things went wrong or the river rose. A couple of deep sections required short swims, plus a couple of Shutes to slide down, travel upsteam would be almost impossible. Sevral logjams provided challenging downclimbs, while other provided invaluable log bridges.
For the final 500m it opens up into broad shingle. The hut sits above the river on the true right and is easy to miss. An arrow points to a short track leading to the hut, but is more visable heading upstream. Wairongomai hut is an older style nzfs hut, with 4 bunks, an open fire and water from the river. Looking through the book, the route i came down is known as Eager Beaver canyon, and is tackled by experienced canyoneers, with ropes and wetsuits, not crook trampers.
After lighting the fire i sit down only to wake up again just on dusk feeling terrible. Its rained again and my sleeping bag which was left outside for last nights condensation to dry is now soaked. A trip to the river for water takes everything I've got. I daren't eat anything in case it comes back out, and go to bed with a bowl and PLB, neither get used.

D57- Pakaratahi river to Pakaratahi headwaters

I wasn't expecting today to be easy. Heading upstream i immediately encounter a gourge, it's way to cold to swim this early so i climb around on tge the true right. Once back in the river, its reasonable going for the next few kms, some open shingle, some bush flats and some wading. When flowing its actually quite a small river but for most of its flow its still, almost stagnant, creating deep pools. Most of these were siddleable but getting back into the river prooved quite tricky.  One gourge i got too committed and ended up with a short swim.
Further upstream the sides become steeper and harder to siddle, small falls and logjams appear making very slow progress. Its much reminiscent of the Rakumaras, just much colder.
A 3m fall prooves unpassable and requires a steep climb over a knob to the east. I end up siddleing a flat terrace for some time to keep out of the water, it finally becomes too steep and im faced with a slippery descent back to the river. Im not exactly sure what happened next, only im falling, then im on the rocks below, followed by a shower of forest floor litter. Quick checkover- nothing broken, just a bruised knee, ripped pants(again), and quite shaken. It could of been much worse, looking back ive slid about 3m with the last 1 being vertical.
It would be nice to stop and rest, only there's been no where flat enough to pitch the bivvi the whole way, leaving no choice but to keep going. Upstream the river begins to fork, the flow can't be much more than a good hose, however it still manages to be deeper than me in places. Waterfall and log jams become more frequent, each requiring climbing in the flow. Eventually i end up at the last major forks, splitting SW, SE, with an obvious spur rising to baw bab saddle.
As promised there's a flat spot in the bush between the forks, the remains of a ground sheet suggest im not the first to use it. Perfect would be an overstatement, as would flat, but after that day, at almost dusk im very pleased to see it. Priorities- shelter, fire, food, sleep. #2 being the hardest and #4 the easiest.

D56- Tutuwai hut to Pakaratahi river

Today was the long day i needed after spending most of the last week hanging around in huts, and for once it was perfect weather for it. The pleasent walk continues beside the river heading downstream. Its a good track and the miles roll by quick. A new suspension bridge crosses the main river, well used by people and possums, then a single wire crosses the Merchant stream. 20 mins later is Smiths stream shelter. It's not as bad as its rep and would be ok in good weather, there's no windows or door but a good roof and walls, no mattress but a solid sleeping platform.
Carring on, the track leaves the river, following Smiths stream, a well benched track then swithbacks to puffer saddle. Whilst its not a big climb, it does cross the main devide via the low point between the Tararua's and Rimutaka's. Once at the top, mature podocarp gives way to gourse and scrub, theres occasional veiws to the Rimutaka's and the highway. A short drop down to the carpark at kiwi ranch road marks the end of my Taruarua traverse. Im not blown away by the Tararua's (not metephoricaly anyway), if you include drizzel, its rained all 11 of the full days ive spent in the range, even on the 1 fine afternoon on the tops its only a repeat of the Ruahines, just muddier.
There's not much on Kiwi ranch, a YMCA center and a few lifestyle blocks, i find my last food drop burried on the lifestyle block, with permission of course, the owners arnt in but fortunately im able to recharge my phone at the YMCA. Checking the forecast ive got a fine windows to do the difficult section of the Rimutaka's. The Rimutaka's are my last range, yet possibly the most difficult, there's no track running north-south and the ridgeline is below the bush- my traverse involves mainly rivers and saddles, it will be slow going and challenging, a slip up here could still end the trip, then id have to start again from East Cape. There's only 2 public huts in the range, and ill only pass one, so a few nights in the biv will be req.
At the end of Kiwi ranch, i turn left into Marchant rd for 2km to the SH2 ( Rimutaka Road). From here its a short but unpleasant 500m along the 2, crossing the Pakaratahi and turning left into Gilbert road. I was expecting to be able to acess the Rimutaka rail trail from here but instead it ends in private farm houses, no choice but drop into the river. It starts off open shingle, but soon becomes hemmed in by blackberry on either side, leaving the only way forward wading up the river. I can see the rail trail on the true left, i just can't get to it.
Its a slow 2.5 km upstream before i find a route through the blackberry leading up to the trail. The Rimutaka rail trail following the old path of the railway before it was tunneld right through the range. Its easy walking and popular with cyclists. Its starts off in pine and regen scrub, but eventually becomes mature bush. I pass a designated campsite, but its only 4.30, and i really need to get up the river more, to make tommorow easier. There's a short tunnel and a few bridges before the trail leaves the Pakaratahi and follows a small creek to the east, its not obvious and i missed it the first time. Its too steep to drop into the Pakaratahi itself, so i drop into the side creek and follow it through a short canyon to the main river. Theres nowhere obvious to camp heading upstream and the only place i found was a small patch of sand that required serious excavation to allow for a bivvi site, its only inches above the water so better not flood. Its a perfect evening for a night out, without a cloud or breath of wind.