This article was first published in the Tararua Tramper Volume 90, no 11, December 2018
Round the Tangata Stream catchment
31 Oct 2018
The stream with its source by Tangata trig flows into the Otaki River by a private bridge upstream of the Kaitawa Road bridge. The trip plan was to circumnavigate the stream catchment. Aerial photos indicated 4WD tracks in places, but the climb out from the Otaki River along the west side of the catchment was an unknown. The initial grovel up through supplejack and gorse led to light scrub with grass clearings leading to a well maintained 4WD track. This track, which does not appear on the map, continued north over pt 426, eventually turning west to join an unmaintained 4WD track leading north to join the Waitohu – Tangata tramping track. Having arrived at this junction well before lunch, we took a small side trip to Waitohu Lodge which most of us had not visited for some years. The hut is in reasonable condition with a wonderful view of the Kapiti and Horowhenua coast. Passing the Tangata weather station, we pushed through leatherwood to a pleasant lunch spot with views of the Main Range. Travel along the eastern side of the catchment was slower due to the amount of old and newer windfall. Log climbing was, however, reduced by the tape-marked route between bait stations weaving through the windfall. 300 metres south of Tangata Trig at a location outside the forest park boundary, a whole swathe of the forest had been felled in recent times. The reason was unclear as many of the stumps were cut at waist level and no further work had taken place and the surrounding forest was untouched. Arriving at point 655 on the spur from Tangata toward Otaki Forks, we turned west down a spur and with some navigating difficulty arrived at the bach at the end of a 4WD track. (I had previously obtained permission to use the private road from here back to the Otaki River private bridge.)
The round trip took nine and a half hours travelling 18.3kms around a catchment of 6.6 square kilometres with varied off track, 4WD track, and routes with excellent views along the way.
- Party members
- Robin Chesterfield (leader and scribe), Colin Cook, Jenny Mason, David McNabb, Sieny Pollard, Janette Roberts, Warwick Wright