Learnings From a Night Out in Kaimanawa Forest

After nearly 60 years of tramping, Bruce – with his tramping partner and wife of 45 years, and another friend – spent an unplanned night on the tops in the Kaimanawa Forest without a tent.  They survived, but how did these veteran trampers, with decades of experience between them, end up in this predicament? And what would they do differently next time?

Bruce has kindly shared his story and what he learned from the experience.

The trio – with an average age of 70 – had initially planned a trip into the Tararua Ranges, but with severe gales forecast, they made the smart call to head into the Kaimanawa Forest, instead. It was a good decision – just possibly a rushed one.

“We changed our mind on a Sunday and were in the bush by the Tuesday,” says Bruce. “The last time we were in the area was 45 years ago, but with our years of tramping experience, we thought we’d be okay, so we didn’t allow ourselves time to find out all we needed to know about the route.”

On their first day, the group walked into Oamaru Hut – so far, so good – and spent a comfortable night, with the hut all to themselves. Early the next morning they set off for Boyd Hut, an estimated 6-hour walk. By mid-afternoon, they’d reached a sign pointing to the hut which, according to their progress, should have been about 30 minutes away. 

Following the track markers, they descended onto a river plateau and crossed tussock before the marker poles they were following stopped.  

“We know that losing track markers is part of tramping, but it was puzzling,” says Bruce. “We checked in every direction, and in the end, we decided to backtrack in case we’d missed something.”

Four hours later, they’d been bluffed in two directions and thwarted by a swamp in another, and daylight was running out. By that time, they had been on the go for 12 hours and needed to call it quits for the day.

There was a cold, driving rain, a southerly wind and it was forecast to snow on nearby Mt Ruapehu, so they found shelter in thick bush to spend the night. Dinner consisted of scroggin. They then wrapped themselves in warm layers, and climbed into their sleeping bags and emergency pack liners, managing a few hours’ sleep, despite heavy rain at 3am and chilly temperatures.

Two passing fishermen were able to provide them with some more intel on the track. The pair, who had been in the area for 2 weeks, said if Bruce and his party had kept going from where the poles ended and walked in a straight line across the river, they’d have found  more poles and hooked up with the track again. They were also able to share that the track up to the hut was overgrown and not well marked.

Back at Oamaru Hut, which was now full, they managed to dry out their sleeping bags, enjoy a warm meal and get a good night’s rest before walking out the next day.

In just over a day-and-a-half, they had tramped a total of 19 hours.

“It was an interesting few days. I was impressed that I could still tramp for 12 hours and then get up the next morning and start again, but it was partly because I was running on adrenalin,” says Bruce. “I can now say that Dusky Track was the hardest tramp I’ve ever done, but that Boyd Hut was my most eventful.”

Keen to help other trampers, Bruce has posted a review for Boyd, Oamaru and Cascade Hut tracks on Plan My Walk, adding to the useful information available from other trampers. Reviews offer personal accounts of tracks, huts and campsites, offering real-life experiences that can make all the difference when planning a safe and successful trip. You can help fellow trampers have safe and successful trips by sharing your experiences on Plan My Walk, too.

Key Learnings

• Plan thoroughly. Take time to research your trip, particularly if the area is new or you haven’t been there for a while.
• Talk to others who know the area to get as much up-to-date information about the track as you can. 
• Refer to a digital map, like the one on Plan My Walk or Topo50, as this allows you to see more details than a printed map.
• Read Plan My Walk reviews to find out what others thought of the track, and for useful tips and recommendations.

Find Out More

• Plan My Walk app | Use our free planning tool to choose tracks, read reviews, get alerts, build a gear list and share your plan before you go.
• Get more skills | Learn about what to take, navigation, river safety and other essentials in our Skills Section

PHOTO CREDIT | Bruce Gulley | Kaimanawa Forest