crispy frost at the oamaru

The weather for the weekend was going to be good so I packed up dog, rifle and myself and headed for oamaru hut via poronui. Reached the carpark next to Helisika at 05.00am and started walking. Cold is not the word....it was bloody freezing!! Anyway a cold clear morning usually results in a champion day and that is what it turned out to be. picture perfect. took just over three hours to walk in and by the time I made the bush edge my face and hands where red and numb. it has been a good six months since I have visited the hut and the new track route around the side and over the Kaipo has to be an improvement on crossing the river three time across the flat. That's what I think anyway.
Reaching the hut I was not surprized to find a few people there. School holidays always brings the family groups in, and today was no exception. Two familys, and a couple of young guys that bolted up to jap creek. all seemed good sorts. After a brew and a bite to eat I headed up the Kaipo to see whats happening up there. Turns out not much. sniffed around the scrub most of the day and did not get much as a squeal. I did not mind to much, great weather, and just good to be out.
returning to the hut at aprox 17.00 I was happy to see one of the dads turn up with a sika spiker. Still with summer spots and a light brown coat which I thought was strange for this time of year. don't think I have seen that before. After a pleasant night spent chatting to the other groups,i hit the sack.
Up early and out for a quick walk before walking back out. Mean frost in the morning again and my boots were frozen stiff. took about 20 mins to get them on. No luck with the sika this morning, and the walk out was good as the day was perfect.
It was a good weekend, and there is no excuse for not doing it more
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Neat pics.

jesus that made me feel cold mate like tm said there nice pics all the same.Dose that hut get a fair bit of use?

Great shots, I remember mornings like that we'll, being from the Wairarapa and the cold toes, the crunching of each step and no feeling in your fingers. Thanks for the trip

Excellent Sakokid. It sure can get cold that way and the hoar frosts make for spectacular photo's

the people in there said that between wed and sunday 17 people had been thru..

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Originally Posted by Rushy

Excellent Sakokid. It sure can get cold that way and the hoar frosts make for spectacular photo's

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Do you have to pay hoars more to take photos Rushy ? :thumbsup

Sorry sakokid couldn't help myself , nice photos !

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Originally Posted by Munsey

Do you have to pay hoars more to take photos Rushy ? :thumbsup

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Nah just the usual rate. Cold bitches they are though ha ha ha ha

Nice lookin spot, cheers for sharing

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Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Nice lookin spot, cheers for sharing

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Even better if you are in that bush, left of centre of fourth photo

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Originally Posted by Spook

Even better if you are in that bush, left of centre of fourth photo

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That's where i would be if i was a deer... Soaking up that morning sun after a cold night

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Chilly! Wasn't so cold I was there last month. Great place. What did you dog think about walking across poronui station? I bet his nostrals were flaring! Lot of deer there.

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Originally Posted by 7mmwsm

Nice pictures.
Haven't stayed at the DOC hut but have spent weeks at the Oamaru private hut when Air Charter ran it.
Spook the airstrip is just left of center in the fourth photo.

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I was meaning the bush in the distance...East Creek

That place looks brill.... haven't been down there, will have to give it the once over!....cheers for the pics!

THE BEST THING ABOUT EAST CREEK WHEN I WAS THERE... was the hot shower!! we spent a week there one time and all it did was rain. but yip your right it is a good block even tho it is not that big. plenty of room for two guns, and heaps of t tree to hunt in if you are so inclined.:P

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Originally Posted by sakokid

THE BEST THING ABOUT EAST CREEK WHEN I WAS THERE... was the hot shower!! we spent a week there one time and all it did was rain. but yip your right it is a good block even tho it is not that big. plenty of room for two guns, and heaps of t tree to hunt in if you are so inclined.:P

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My mate took a shower, got a chill...got as sick as the proverbial dog...When it come time to walk to the air strip I had to do three trips with our packs and gear so my son could walk my mate out...thought for a while he might cark it.

Wow those photos are beautiful, you should consider chucking some on canavas and hanging them in your house! Stunning!

thanks dougie..taken on a cheap point and shoot camera. No room to hang pictures, to many trophy mounts!!!:D

One of my favourite areas in there, cheers for sharing the photos.

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Originally Posted by sakokid

the people in there said that between wed and sunday 17 people had been thru..

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17?! Bloody hell, what's it like mid summer?

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Originally Posted by Hunt4life

17?! Bloody hell, what's it like mid summer?

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Some of those huts can be a shocker in the summer...one year on our way to Te Matai the chopper dropped us at the Oamaru due to cloud...a family had rented their house out and were living in the hut for the duration...they had divided the hut into boys and girls areas and as the boys area was full we were told to camp outside...told them to get stuffed and bunked down in the girls area...I am sure the ol' bitch sat up all night watching us sleep...they tried to tell us when we could use kitchen, what food we were allowed to eat, who was to use toilet first and so on...spent three days there waiting for cloud to lift...were pleased to get away to Te Matai.

Good on you for telling it like it is Spook

Usually good fellas in the huts around the backcountry

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You need to travel to more phillip :D
Always found it a 50/50 chance of sane nice person or a complete wack job.
Odds do improve off tramping routes though . . .

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Originally Posted by Barefoot

You need to travel to more phillip :D

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You mean soften up? Then again, camping with Rushy is pretty luxurious :P

Ive met a few nut jobs in huts around the hills..
We flew into the Oamaru a few years back now. A couple of days later a bloke turned up late one evening, he walked in in sandals with a tree stand strapped to his back and a pack liner tied to it with a little gear in it (told us he forgot his boots). I cant remember his name, but he told two of us his name was (something) and our other party member it was (something else), so we were calling him different names the whole time and he never corrected us. He had fuck all food with him and was very vague as to his plans, in the whole time we were there maybe 3 or 4 days more he only went for one morning hunt, spent the rest of the time just staring blankly out the hut window. On our final morning we packed up and took all our gear down to the helipad, I decided to quickly double check we hadn't left anything, ran back up to the hut and he was standing looking into the now empty meat safe, as I walked off he started opening and slamming the door to the safe continuously :wtfsmilie:, then when the chopper finally arrived he came running down and asked if we could fly out all of his stuff, the answer was no as we were already close to the limit on the way in and had venison in the chopper on the way out.
Who knows what happened but there were a few screws loose, in fact it wouldn't surprise me if he's still up his tree stand somewhere.. :oh noes:

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Originally Posted by Nick.m

Ive met a few nut jobs in huts around the hills..
We flew into the Oamaru a few years back now. A couple of days later a bloke turned up late one evening, he walked in in sandals with a tree stand strapped to his back and a pack liner tied to it with a little gear in it (told us he forgot his boots). I cant remember his name, but he told two of us his name was (something) and our other party member it was (something else), so we were calling him different names the whole time and he never corrected us. He had fuck all food with him and was very vague as to his plans, in the whole time we were there maybe 3 or 4 days more he only went for one morning hunt, spent the rest of the time just staring blankly out the hut window. On our final morning we packed up and took all our gear down to the helipad, I decided to quickly double check we hadn't left anything, ran back up to the hut and he was standing looking into the now empty meat safe, as I walked off he started opening and slamming the door to the safe continuously :wtfsmilie:, then when the chopper finally arrived he came running down and asked if we could fly out all of his stuff, the answer was no as we were already close to the limit on the way in and had venison in the chopper on the way out.
Who knows what happened but there were a few screws loose, in fact it wouldn't surprise me if he's still up his tree stand somewhere.. :oh noes:

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:wtfsmilie: crazy sounding hua! Fit and proper?

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Originally Posted by Spook

Some of those huts can be a shocker in the summer...one year on our way to Te Matai the chopper dropped us at the Oamaru due to cloud...a family had rented their house out and were living in the hut for the duration...they had divided the hut into boys and girls areas and as the boys area was full we were told to camp outside...told them to get stuffed and bunked down in the girls area...I am sure the ol' bitch sat up all night watching us sleep...they tried to tell us when we could use kitchen, what food we were allowed to eat, who was to use toilet first and so on...spent three days there waiting for cloud to lift...were pleased to get away to Te Matai.

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Mate, my heckles were standing up just reading that! The audacity of some people. You must have the tolerance of a saint cos I would've rearranged the place to spite the self righteous cow

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Originally Posted by Gibo

:wtfsmilie: crazy sounding hua! Fit and proper?

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Yea man, giving him the benefit of the doubt possibly just gone a normal guy gone off the rails... maybe something had happened in his life to cause it as his mind seemed to be pre-occupied.

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Originally Posted by Nick.m

Yea man, giving him the benefit of the doubt possibly just gone a normal guy gone off the rails... maybe something had happened in his life to cause it as his mind seemed to be pre-occupied.

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Yeah be a few seeking solitude away from the world. Un settling non the less.

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Originally Posted by phillipgr

Usually good fellas in the huts around the backcountry

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Yes you are correct about the 'good fellas', but give it time and you will run into the odd eccentric...the Oamaru hut could almost be classed as a road end hut and is a staging post for hunters and trampers heading else where therefore gets a lot of foot traffic.

That's a really nice looking dog!

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thanks dan.. two years old spayed bitch. mind of her own sometimes but she ok.