Cameron Hut, Kaweka FP, Saturday 2 March
Banner Photo: One of the many river crossings
The weather was virtually perfect as we set off. The cars picked up Colin and myself up at Omahu and we were at the Cameron car park by 8.30am. Mark also arrived to do his own private walk, and hoping to meet a friend along the way.
The sign said 3-4 hours; most of us thought four hours and apparently online it said 6-7 hours. Oh well, we’d soon find out! Bruce kindly stepped in to be T/O as he had done this walk in January and had a record of it on his phone. Thank you Bruce.
The initial track to the Ngaruroro River was muddy in places and the blackberries were not yet ripe; so no feed on the way back…
Bruce said the river flow was at 6 cumecs which should be fine for us; nevertheless, we had a chat to remind ourselves how to keep safe while crossing the river.
The riverbank track was easy to follow, thanks to someone’s yellow markers
We had two relatively new members who had done very few rivers with us so the first couple of crossings were important to see how they went and how we could assist them, and each other. The river was quite swift and we immediately had to step up our concentration. Amelia isn’t very tall, so where the water was up to the top of Anne and Craig’s legs, Amelia was more than waist deep. Liz (being new to the group) was doing well and half the group linked arms or packs on most crossings.
The water was beautifully clear and relatively warm. There was only an occasional windy gust so we weren’t worried about people getting cold.
It turned out Craig had done a river crossing course a while ago so he gave some extra advice, which was very useful. One thing I learnt was that if you get into a river and it becomes too tricky to cross, make sure you have an exit option a bit further down the bank on the same side you came in. So don’t cross next to a bluff or cliff that is down-river. Go further up so you can get out on the same side. Craig is tall and strong and was the main support for Amelia – thank you Craig.
Some wonderful person or group had marked good tracks, entry and exit points on the river with large yellow markers about 25cm square which made navigating so much easier.
Morning tea on a sandy beach
We had morning tea on a nice sandy beach just over half way. A perfect spot.
We did 12 river crossings to the hut. They were all different, and none of them shallow so it was wet clothes on most of them! The river was challenging in places, with the flow being quite swift – and with large rocks underfoot, some of which were green and slippery – but everyone reached the hut for lunch at 11.50am.
Lazing in the sun at Cameron Hut
It was a lovely day to sit in the sun and dry off a little, and have a good chat. Mark’s friend wasn’t at the hut and there was rain forecast for the next day so he decided to walk back with us, and not risk the river rising any higher or going any swifter.
The walk back was fairly leisurely, with no one rushing, and we ensured we stayed reasonably close together. There were a couple of lovely swimming holes and Bruce, Colin and myself had a quick dip just before we left the river on the last crossing out. Quickly in and out because the water wasn’t that warm, but definitely refreshing and worth it!
We completed the hike at 3.30pm and everyone changed into dry clothes, having been wet all day. We got back to Omahu at about 4.40pm and I farewelled the others who would have been back at Park Island soon after 5pm. Thank you, Bruce, for leading. We all agreed it had been a great day out.
Trampers: Bruce Hodgson, Sue Martin, Jenny Burns, Di Reid, Amelia Moorhead, Craig Mountfort, Anne Mountfort, Liz Perry, Colin Jones, Mark Jenkins and reporter Di Reid
And I believe Mark thanked the track maintenance person/people by dropping off a dozen beer for them. The signs to cross the river or go up on the bank were most visible so less time in the river & more time on the banks. A nice gesture Mark.