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This article was first published in the Tararua Tramper Volume 81, no 9, October 2009

Marchant Stream Forks � Marchant Stream Spur

Sunday13 September 2009

The day turned out to be a quintessential weather day in the Tararuas - for any season. A completely uninterrupted blue dome top, mid-teen temperatures and no wind.

We left the car at Kaitoke YMCA and followed the familiar track to Dobson�s junction and down to the Dobson burn. From spot height 656 we followed the increasingly used route that follows a bearing close to 50 degrees, and when that route turned east we followed a new bearing down to Marchant Stream Forks, missing our target by about 50 metres. Despite the heavy rain of the previous thirty six hours the bush was amazingly dry and the stream was barely discoloured. About fifty metres upstream in the true left branch we picked up a spur that we followed up to spot height 586 on the Marchant Stream spur and had lunch in warm, dappled sun.

After the pleasant refreshment stop we made our way up the spur towards the Marchant Ridge track. The route up the spur is a series of sharp grunty bits separated by levelish breathers. The top one hundred vertical metres of the spur is a broad moss-covered, damp shoulder; and in the placid conditions with the sun coming through in streaks and glinting off the vegetation, it was a magic place to be tramping.

We then scuttled south over Marchant to the open burn, where we had a prolonged stop on a rock outcrop and reveled in the views and conditions. It was with reluctance that we started the familiar plod back to the car. Dave and I had done this day trip on previous occasions but this one, we both agreed, was exceptional and to introduce Brian to the Marchant Stream spur on his birthday gave added pleasure to the trip. Dave Reynolds, Brian Ireland, Bill Allcock

Party members: Dave Reynolds, Brian Ireland, Bill Allcock
Category: Day Tararua