Up, down and around via Makaretu hut

Makaretu Hut, Ruahine FP, Sat-Sun 13/14 April 2024
Banner photo: Ready for departure from Makaretu Hut

The day dawned fine and five of us headed off towards Kashmir Road-end for a planned overnight at Makaretu Hut in the Ruahines. There was no sign of the club’s day walking party.

At the road-end car park, we met a large group of Duke of Edinburgh candidates readying to head to Longview Hut, so we wished them well and hightailed it ahead of them up the hill towards that same hut.  The weather proved to be warm and sunny with clear tops and light winds, so the decision to head to Longview on the Saturday was our Plan B rather than heading down the river.

We made it to Longview pretty close to regulation DoC time after about 1 hr 30.  After dropping our packs at the junction, we zipped down to the hut for a drink and snack whilst taking in the view from the deck.  There appeared to be several hunters in residence but no sign was seen of them apart from an obligatory beer-can pyramid in the hut window.

With grey clouds threatening and a forecast of increasing winds, we did not stay long and headed back to the ridge and south towards the junction that drops down to Makaretu Hut.

The wind stayed away as we trekked along for several hours but the cloud came in and brooded overhead.  Lunch was had at a spot along a leatherwood ‘avenue’ south of Rocky Knob and the rain held off until we had reached the junction, where it started to fall and hurried us along just as we had stopped for a breather.  At that point, we ensured Alison donned her raincoat just so the rain would stop, as a bit of tongue-in-cheek… and what do you know, it did.

I was getting a bit tired and grumpy as we descended for an hour to Makaretu Hut, so I was pleased when we arrived around 3 o’clock.  After that, the day cooled and showers came and went until about 6pm, when it started raining properly and did not let up until morning.  It was very nice to be in the hut, which we had to ourselves, and the fire kept us cosy.

The hut is an eight-bed, standard model painted rescue orange and situated up the bank about 20 to 30m back from the edge of the Makaretu River.  The riverbed had been scoured out from previous storms directly below the hut but the water was quite low when we arrived, so crossing was not much trouble.

Inside the hut, the bed mattresses were marginal as most were covered in mould.  Not good for sleeping on, for your health or the longevity of your sleeping bag.  However, there were enough cleaner ones for us to use.

I was pleased to empty my pack and find my cooking gas canister, as earlier in the day I could not remember packing it with my cooker and had visions of it sitting on the kitchen table. If I had forgotten it, I would have been saved by Juliet who had brought an extra-large canister which she wanted to use up.  In the end, Juliet had to take it home still with gas to burn.

The night was uneventful and after breakfast and a hot cuppa, we exited stage left at close to 8 am into a light rain and a riverbed that was running about double the flow of the day before but still easy enough to cross when needed.  The rain stopped and there was many a river crossing in cool, knee-deep, clear water as we wound our way down to the confluence with the Makaretu North branch.  I was leading the party with Anne close behind when we spooked a very nice-looking six-point stag behind a river bend.  It turned and bounded away, across the river and into the bush.  It was a delight to see such a grand beast at close range, in such a lovely environment.

We reached the confluence, where the clear flow of the river entered a murky, silty flow from the north branch. The change in water clarity was quite a contrast.

Now we changed from walking down-river to walking up-river. After four hours of river crossings and boulder-hopping (stones, really) we reached Awatere Hut for lunch.  We chatted with a solitary hunter who had come all the way from Whangarei and had seen the club day walking group on Saturday.

After lunch, we headed off for the last stretch just as the clag rolled in and the rain began again. A swift climb up then along the top got us back to the car park in good time, safe and sound, if a bit damp.

We packed up and headed home for a good hot shower and another enjoyable tramp under our belts.  Thanks to Julia for organising.

Trampers: Alison Greer, Julia Mackie, Juliet Gillick, Anne Mountfort and reporter Craig Mountfort