Celebration

This past week I was finally able to journey out into the Ruahines once again, even if for just one night. The weather, work, the roar, and life commitments all combining over the last month to keep my lingering desire for mountain interaction in check. The weather was still a bit inclement but the window presented itself and off I went. Two aspects of this one night trip made it special, and a celebration of sorts. 0ne was that it was my 25th night spent at my destination, Top Maropea. The second was that I was joined by my friend Adam, who was on his first encounter with the Ruahines. Adam has given me the gift of his music over these past few months, so it was a pleasure and privilege to be able to share my passion and experience with him.

I first went to Top Maropea in 1998 with a friend, Tony Beddis. I had been doing quite a few day walks with Nigel, and we had just really begun to do over night tramps as we started to get a bit more serious about exploring these ranges. I recall distinctly gasping in delight when I emerged from the beech and leatherwood belt behind Sunrise hut, and the panorama and dramatic view of the main range opened before me. Te Atuoaparpara looming over us, Waipawa saddle to the south, to the north Armstrong saddle and the Waipawa head water catchment. I knew none of this then, just that it's beauty took my breath away. I still firmly believe the one hour walk from Sunrise to the forest above Top Maropea would be the finest one hour walk in the Ruahine ranges, if not amongst all of Aotearoa's wonderful offerings. 0nce high above Armstrong saddle the view opens up to the entire Ruahines and Maropea valley lies below, on a good day Ruapehu, Ngarahoe, and Tongariro - the Rim of Fire - lie to the west, it never fails to stir my soul. At Top Maropea the hut lies at 1242 metres on a terrace overlooking the Maropea valley. That afternoon with Tony my soul was captured by these ranges. It was my first experience with that feeling of "Entrainment" I wrote of on my last post. I just looked out upon that beautiful valley knowing I had to see it closer. I have now become very familiar with the Maropea, and have climbed along its open tops to the north, gone into to the valleys and tops beyond it from all directions. Yet this place still calls to me strongly.

0f the more than 25 crossings I have done of Armstrong saddle, perhaps less than 10 would have been done in perfect conditions, where the walk and view can simply be absorbed and enjoyed. Most often it will be raining, snowing or sleeting, cloud obscured, or windy, and often a combination of some or all of those factors. I have been knocked over a few times by gale force gusts of wind, and have had to shelter at both Sunrise or Top Maropea when I judged conditions to be too bad to venture further. It is only an hour of exposure, but that it is more than long enough to get into trouble in these mountains. I have come to know this crossing well, and fairly good at judging the wind and conditions. So even on this trip with Adam when it was raining and the prevailing nor'wester very strong we crossed. The photos above were taken the next day when back at Sunrise, an even windier experience for Adam. This day was cloud obscured and the wind particularly strong on the western side so no time for photos, or to even relax until we reached the shelter of the forest above Top Maropea.

"Celebration"

I came to you

Sought your presence

Not to be rebuffed

by Gales

Nor daunted by Your shades of Grey

Your shedding of tears will not deny

Not today my love

Your moodiness enchants as well

Proceed with Caution!

Handle with Care!

The Journey is only the Beginning

Here I am Again

In your Bosom

Accepted

Part of this moment

0nce more

It is our celebration

22 April 2008, written at, and for, Top Maropea

We toasted this occasion with a very fine 16 year old Bushmill's Irish whiskey, a mellow sweetness with a nutty finish, and perfect for a cold mountain late afternoon and evening period of celebration. Dinner was Ruahine venison, quick fried after a plum sauce marinade, and served with Maori potatoes boiled first, then fried in onion, garlic, and fresh tarragon and rosemary. Yum!


Getting a fire going at Top Maropea has never been easy. Given its historical structure status, the recent renovations replaced the old smokey hole ridden chimney and rotted out fireplace with a new one. Yet finding wood at 1242 meters presents certain problems. I roamed the forest below the hut with Adam to locate some dead beech branches, and we came across a beautiful chunk of dead leatherwood as well. Tough stuff but if you get it burning it is great stuff. I think my fire building skills have gotten quite good over the years if I may write so. I have learned well from John. The hardest, and most necessary fire, I have built here was in August of 2007. I had come up from Maropea Forks on my own to encounter a sudden blizzard at Top Maropea. I walked up through the forest with trees crashing down and upon arriving at the open tops quickly came to the obvious conclusion there was no way possible to venture any further and retreated to the hut. The wind was howling I was wet and cold from the snow, it was minus 7 Celsius in the hut, I had no paper and only very little wood. I went back out and found wood, glad I always carry a little hand saw, then shaved off the wet bits with my knife to make kindling, and slowly worked it into a great fire, warming me, drying my wet gear, and occupying my mind from concern. The best fire I ever built.






Adam's thoughts written in note book 22 April:

The Ruahine Ranges:

I looked up at the rounded tree covered giants above me. To see the plants and hear the birds, life looks so easy and ordered. The mountains resemble a mother cradling her children and sustaining tenderly life and nature.

It is only when you brave their bitter cold and windswept ridges, the treacherous tracks, the dark vast bush in which one wrong turn could lead to disaster, that you realize this is not a place you should be.

The fragility of life here. The absolute reliance on certain objects: a coat, a hut, some soup or a tin of beans, the absence of which could lead to trouble or death.

These are not the conquered lowlands that I know. Domesticated and broken. A beast of burden sold into slavery for our own economic benefit. This is the last stronghold of the wild, the untamed. A place where we are intruders, where Nature could at any moment unleash it's wrath and smite us......but it has not.

This gives us a new perspective about our relationship with these mountains. Maybe we are not the rulers of this land. Maybe the mountains allow us to be here as a benevolent King allows his subjects to roam his lands. A fleeting intrusion in a timeless place......

"Intertwined"

Silent Whispers

Ghostly voices I welcome

This Canvass Painted

Golden hues

brilliant blues

infrequently

more often the grey mist

and sunset bringing

majestic purples

Indescribable shades of blue and black

Rain on the tin roof

Waves of Wind passing over

Quiet but never Silence

Sounds I know well here

Crackling fire dying slowly

I must sleep

22 April 2008 Top Maropea

Below are all photos of interaction with Top Maropea, coming, going, at the hut, the canvass being painted........

The huts in Aotearoa all contain hut books, a book into which parties write their names, dates, destinations, activity, and any comments they might have. The book allows the Department of Conservation to monitor use, aids in possible search and rescue missions, and they also make interesting reading, particularly ones which are in more inaccessible areas and the hut books go back many years. The current book at Top Maropea goes back to 2004, and is a long way from full. I was looking back at the entries I had made in this book, reminiscing on those trips and I noticed where in the activity section of the page, where most write in tramping, hunting, ect., I had instead written adjectives that, looking back now, pretty well describe the reason for my trip and where I was at in my own life reflected in those words. It is a poem of its own in a way.

"Reasons for being Here"

Reinvigoration
Refocus
Getting wet
Staying warm and dry
Solitude
Healing
Well Being, Patience, Silence
Renewal
Acceptance
To learn
Rememberance
Celebration

Rangimarie
Aroha ano