Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Tuesday - Into Mitre Flats Hut.
Wednesday - Up to Mitre and along to Tarn Ridge Hut.
Thurdsay - North along to Arete, Pukematawai and down to Te Matawai Hut.
Friday - Out to Poads Road.
Tuesday, 14 February 2017
Heading up the Waingawa River - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Heading up the Waingawa River

Mitre is up there in the clouds somewhere. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Mitre is up there in the clouds somewhere.

Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February
South Mitre Stream - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

South Mitre Stream

Mitre Flats Hut. (The water tank had been disconnected and the roof sprayed with Moss and Mould Killer!) - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Mitre Flats Hut. (The water tank had been disconnected and the roof sprayed with Moss and Mould Killer!)

John and Chris made up the team for this trip. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

John and Chris made up the team for this trip.

On the track up to Mitre. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

On the track up to Mitre.

Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February
Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February
Just above bush line - looking south to the Three Kings peaks (centre) and Baldy (left) - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Just above bush line - looking south to the Three Kings peaks (centre) and Baldy (left)

Time for a break - the Three Kings on the skyline. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Time for a break - the Three Kings on the skyline.

Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February
Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February
Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February
Looking back to the Wairarapa - Greytown is out there somewhere. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Looking back to the Wairarapa - Greytown is out there somewhere.

Peggys Peak - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Peggys Peak

Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February
From the right - Mitre, Brockett, Girdlestone - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

From the right - Mitre, Brockett, Girdlestone

Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February
Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February
View from Mitre - Ruapehu in the distance. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

View from Mitre - Ruapehu in the distance.

View from Mitre - Mt Crawford and Kapiti Island at left, Girdlestone at right. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

View from Mitre - Mt Crawford and Kapiti Island at left, Girdlestone at right.

Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February
Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February
Chris and John on top of Mitre. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Chris and John on top of Mitre.

John heading for Brockett (Girdlestone on the left). - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

John heading for Brockett (Girdlestone on the left).

Looking back at Mitre, with Peggys Peak on the right. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Looking back at Mitre, with Peggys Peak on the right.

From Brockett we could see Tarn Ridge Hut. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

From Brockett we could see Tarn Ridge Hut.

Mitre and Peggys Peak with the Wairarapa in the background. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Mitre and Peggys Peak with the Wairarapa in the background.

Looking north from Brockett along Table Ridge. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Looking north from Brockett along Table Ridge.

View of Girdlestone from Brockett - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

View of Girdlestone from Brockett

That's definitely a dog's head! - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

That's definitely a dog's head!

Chris is either posing for the camera or checking the map! - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Chris is either posing for the camera or checking the map!

View of Dorset Ridge from top of Girdlestone. You can just make out Dorset Ridge Hut centre left. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

View of Dorset Ridge from top of Girdlestone. You can just make out Dorset Ridge Hut centre left.

Kapiti Island - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Kapiti Island

View of Tarn Ridge from Girdlestone. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

View of Tarn Ridge from Girdlestone.

Looking back at Girdlestone - it's a gnarly old track coming down over those bumps! - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Looking back at Girdlestone - it's a gnarly old track coming down over those bumps!

Tarn Ridge Hut - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Tarn Ridge Hut

Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February
Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February
Away next morning - looking back up to Girdlestone. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Away next morning - looking back up to Girdlestone.

Slip on the Waiohine side of Tarn Ridge. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Slip on the Waiohine side of Tarn Ridge.

Slip on the Waingawa side of Tarn Ridge. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Slip on the Waingawa side of Tarn Ridge.

Looking up Tarn Ridge to the Waiohine Pinnacles. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Looking up Tarn Ridge to the Waiohine Pinnacles.

Looking back south along Tarn Ridge. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Looking back south along Tarn Ridge.

A bit scarry - clouds coming in from the northeast over Mt Bannister. Pinnacle Spur in foreground. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

A bit scarry - clouds coming in from the northeast over Mt Bannister. Pinnacle Spur in foreground.

Waiohine Pinnacles - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Waiohine Pinnacles

Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February
Looking south along the Waiohine Valley. Carkeek Ridge in background. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Looking south along the Waiohine Valley. Carkeek Ridge in background.

Climbing the Pinnacles. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Climbing the Pinnacles.

Looking back along Tarn Ridge and the Waiohine Valley. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Looking back along Tarn Ridge and the Waiohine Valley.

John having a break before the "summit push" to the Waiohine Pinnacles! - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

John having a break before the "summit push" to the Waiohine Pinnacles!

Chris making his way carefully around one of the Pinnacles. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Chris making his way carefully around one of the Pinnacles.

Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February
This hunter popped into view as we looked down Pinnacle Spur. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

This hunter popped into view as we looked down Pinnacle Spur.

Levin and Lake Horophenua. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Levin and Lake Horophenua.

Looking west along the top of the Park valley - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Looking west along the top of the Park valley

Looking north to Mt Arete on the left - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Looking north to Mt Arete on the left

Coming up to Arete Hut (Bivvy) - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Coming up to Arete Hut (Bivvy)

Arete Hut (basically a 2 bunk bivvy) - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Arete Hut (basically a 2 bunk bivvy)

Kapiti Island again - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Kapiti Island again

Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February
By this stage the clouds were coming over Mt Dundas from the northeast. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

By this stage the clouds were coming over Mt Dundas from the northeast.

Looking northwest from Pukematawai - Te Matawai Hut can just be seen above middle picture. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Looking northwest from Pukematawai - Te Matawai Hut can just be seen above middle picture.

John is still a wee way off Te Matawai Hut which you can see top of picture. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

John is still a wee way off Te Matawai Hut which you can see top of picture.

Tararua Main Range going south from Pukematawai - now part of the Te Araroa Trail. - Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

Tararua Main Range going south from Pukematawai - now part of the Te Araroa Trail.

Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February
Tararua Northern Crossing 14-17 February

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