Sparrowhawk bivvy, Ruahine FP, Saturday 12 April 2025
Banner Photo: Sparrowhawk Biv, nestled in bush below the ridgeline
Ten trampers took off from Park Island with various items of bright clothing, as we were in the midst of the roar and wanted to be extremely visible. We made good time to Hall’s farm, where we had kindly received permission to park and access the track.
It was a beautiful day with little cloud and no winds – quite a change for a trip to the tops! By the time we were all geared up and organised, it was about 8.40am.
It was a test of memory as only two of us had been that way before and that was a number of years ago. Getting across the farmland was relatively easy, but after descending from the hill, it appeared that the only route was through the gate and down the 4-wheel-drive track to the Makaroro River. My memory of previous occasions was going in via quite a muddy track through the bush, coming out at Gold Creek and avoiding the big river altogether.
The initial climb out of Gold Creek involves negotiating a narrow ledge
However it wasn’t far along the Makaroro before we came to Gold Creek and the start of the Sparrowhawk Track. Just enough to get our boots quite wet – except for Julian who changed into his river shoes. Campbell took the alternate option of heading slightly upstream and bush-bashing through to cross Gold Creek instead.
Once across it was decided that as it was a track with the same return, everyone could go at their own pace as long as no one was left at the back alone. Donna, Selina and Ishtar decided they would stay as a group at the back, so the rest of us took off up the hill.
Donna takes up the story:
Selina, Ishtar and I were to tramp until 1pm and return to Gold Creek to wait for the others.
It was Ishtar’s third tramp and a slower pace had its rewards. The large trees, moss-covered floor and hints of spectacular views through the gaps in the bush were absorbed, with no wilding pines here. One young kereru, two or three piwakawaka, a tui and some smaller birds were spotted. This is a beautiful track.
The track just below the biv next to a slip has always been tricky
We stopped for lunch at noon after covering about 6.4 kilometres. It was decided to start our return to Gold Creek at 12.30pm. The track was tricky in places and the final descent around the slip was challenging; a lone, amused tramper was waiting below for us to pass, and we wished him luck. When we emerged from the bush, the heat of the day was felt instantly so we were thankful for the cooler track. The return took two hours.
It wasn’t long before Julian emerged from the bush, grinning and triumphant, followed by Darran and the others. Regrouped, we followed Campbell along a track back towards the woolshed. He went scouting ahead and we lost sight of him until he suddenly popped out of a bush and announced he had found the way, leading us back to the riverbed, up the farm track, across some paddocks and back to the van.
Juliet continues:
Campbell, Darran and Julian disappeared quickly as they were on a mission to see if they could get beyond the bivvy to the tops and look across to Ruapehu and the other mountains. Phil, Barbara, Jenny and I took a bit more time to enjoy the views and catch our breath on the way up. We reached the bivvy about 1pm to find that Darran and Julian had given up following Campbell on his second bush-bash of the day. Turns out that he wasn’t quite on the track to reach the top, but found it for his trip back down to the bivvy.
The view west to Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu from the ridge top above the biv
Unfortunately, Ruapehu was clouded over, but Ngauruhoe was poking above the clouds. We made our way down after lunch, eventually getting back to the van about 4.45 pm.
Trampers: Jenny Burns, Julian Phillips, Campbell Living, Darran Gillies, Phil Shakespeare, Barbara Edmead, Ishtar Deerheart, Selina Chilton and reporters Juliet Gillick and Donna Weston
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