Napier Tramping Club

based in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand

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Ten good men go up the Makaroro

December 3, 2014 by Ken Ross Leave a Comment

Barlow Hut, Ruahine FP, Map BK36
Wednesday 3 Dec, 2014

Barlow Hut is up the Makaroro River in the Northern Ruahine Ranges. We left our transport on a farm which is in the area of the proposed Ruataniwha dam and set off across the farmland before dropping down to the river at the Gold Creek confluence. It was a cracker of a day with a cloudless blue sky and little wind.

Ten good men (except Ken the photographer)

Ten good men (except Ken the photographer)

We were a party of ten, all guys (maybe it was Ladies Day at Mitre 10!). At a vanside meeting, we had agreed that the full Colenso Spur/Sparrowhawk circuit was for another day and that most would go to Barlow Hut via Colenso Spur and down Barlows track while some would go to the hut via the river and one independent member chose to avoid the river altogether and go up to the trig on the Gold Creek track. Our timing was perfect so we had nine for lunch at the hut. Nine guys (a mixture of Wednesday and Saturday regulars) made for some interesting banter.

The guest frog on John's boot

The guest frog on John’s boot

At lunch, John, a guest from our Saturday fraternity, was delighted to have a little green frog perch on his boot as he considered that this was probably some sort of good luck omen for him. I thought it was good luck for the frog because it could just as easily have been under John’s boot.

The river was flowing well and demanded attention, particularly in the upper section where the rocks were bigger and slippier. The water was still a little cold so I was glad my legs weren’t any shorter for some river crossings. The water was perfectly clear and the pools a deep blue. Apart from a few small
sections of slips, dense bush covers the steep hills on both sides of the river. The direct route is never out of the river bed so walking on stones, river crossings and wet feet are the order of the day. The Colenso Spur route is a bit more demanding with a 300-metre climb and then a steep descent back down to the river.

Normally I don’t take many photos in the afternoon, particularly if it is the morning in reverse, but this trip was different. Big, puffy cotton-wool clouds peppered the sky so there were many more “Makaroro River” shots to be taken. The trip home was a bit quiet as the banter had dried up and the crew were perhaps growing weary after a full day in the sun.

The ten men: Kelvin Shaw, Peter Slagter, John Marshall, Geoff Donkin, Vic Bullock, Murray White, John Burrell, Colin McNatty, John Dobbs and reporter Ken Ross.

Filed Under: Recent trips Tagged With: Barlow Hut, Makaroro River, Ruahine Forest Park

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About us

We are a group of like-minded people who love the great outdoors. We tramp mostly in the Hawke’s Bay province, in remote areas such as the Kaweka and Ruahine Ranges; but we also travel longer distances to new places, for longer walks.

The Napier Tramping Club was established in 1974 and has about 70 members. We belong to the Federated Mountain Clubs of NZ Inc (FMC) and run Saturday, full-weekend and Wednesday tramps, every fortnight.

Interested in joining us?

Enjoy the great outdoors, keep fit and get to know others with similar interests.

More information

Latest news

March 2023 News

Tramp List Amendments and Road Closures Due to the inability to access most of the Ruahine Forest … Read More

February 2023 News

Mokai Access to Iron Bark and Colenso Huts Copied from the Ruahine User Group (Private) Facebook … Read More

Latest trip

The (local) hills are alive with trampers

Useful links

  • Dept of Conservation
  • DoC Huts Use, Kaweka Forest Park
  • Federated Mountain Clubs of NZ (FMC)
  • Heretaunga Tramping Club
  • New Zealand Tramper
  • NZ Walking Access Commission
  • Wanganui Tramping Club

Useful links 2

  • Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society
  • Weather forecast

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