A-Frame Hut, Stanfield Hut, Ruahine FP, Wednesday 26 May 2021. Map: BL36
Banner Photo: The new look A-Frame Hut.
Thirteen of us, including four Johns, turned up for a tramp in the Tamaki West Road area. The weather forecast was better the further south we went, so this was just the place to go. With none of the traditional rainbows in Dannevirke and none of the usual wind at the car park, we embarked on our walks. One group (Ted, John and Kelvin) opted for an out-and-back to Stanfield Hut via Holmes ridge, while Dorothy and John chose to climb at their own pace to A-Frame Hut and back. The rest of us went for the full loop up to A-Frame Hut, via the tops and down to Stanfield, and out via the Holmes Ridge.
We left the road-end car park at 9.30am. I had said to Kelvin that we would not be back before 3.30pm as I remembered the loop being approximately two hours to A-Frame, two hours to Stanfield and two hours back to the car park. It appeared I remembered sort-of correctly.
Climbing up to A-Frame, we could see the clouds enveloping the tops, which did not promise much good for the views. I had been up to A-Frame multiple times and only once had a good view from there. However, the closer we came to the tops, the clearer it became.
It took us an hour and 45minutes to reach the hut. Dorothy told me later that it had taken her and John just under 2.5 hours. There are some big steps and scrambles on the way and the track was fairly muddy, but nothing too bad. We were very pleased to see the progress in the restoration of A-Frame Hut. It would be really nice to be able to spend a night up there at some stage in the near future.
We decided to have morning tea at the hut, and then have a late lunch at Stanfield Hut. On the road again, we spotted a mountain in the far distance. Initially we thought it was Ruapehu, but it was Mount Taranaki. That is how much the weather had cleared! It was an amazing sight. Overall, the views from the tops were great.
The walk on Takapari Road took 40 minutes, a lot longer than I remembered. But it is easy walking so no complaints there. However, once we reached the turn-off to Stanfield Hut, a sign said that it was two hours to the hut. It was going to be a very late lunch! And the track was very wet, overgrown and slippery, so not really inviting to sit down and have lunch any earlier. Anyway, we carried on, on the overgrown ridge track until the point where the steep drop to Stanfield begins.
An old sign there says ¾ hour to the hut. Lynette had come to face her demons on this part of the track. The demons were kind to her this time, as they only left a mud mark. I had expected a more slippery track but it was doable, although it was still necessary to be very careful going down. As soon as we were in the bush again, the track improved greatly, and soon we reached Stanfield Hut, after only 2 hours 15 minutes since A-Frame. By then, we were all very much looking forward to our lunch.
The walk back to the car park was quick and easy. The river was slightly higher than in summer, but we left getting wet feet until the final crossing just before the car park. At 3.45pm we were back, so we had done very well time-wise. The others had also returned safely and soon we were on our way back to Taradale.
A big thank you to drivers Kelvin and John.
Trampers: Sue and Jim Trotter, Ted Angove, Dorothy Sole, John Holschier, Keith James, John Burrell, Kelvin Shaw, Lynette Morgan, Barry Doak, John Hill, John Bennett and reporter Elly Govers
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