Thread: On the hoof in the Northern Ruas

Originally Posted by XR500

Yeah, my memory said it was on the southern side of that wee stream that Barlow hut is by, above the Makaroro river. There was a massive native, about 3 foot in diameter, lying about a dozen feet to the north of the hut. Would have totalled the hut, had it fallen a gnats cock the other way. Have a photo somewhere...

Attachment 245174

Greetings @XR500 and all,
The Makaroro has changed considerably has changed considerably since my first trip in the late 1960's. Centre Makaroro Hut was just to the North of the stream mentioned above and there was a wire bridge connecting to a route to the Parks Peak track. The river bed was considerably lower than now. A major storm in the mid 1970's (possibly Cyclone Alison) deposited vast quantities of gravel in the lower Makaroro reaches covering all of the bush benches. The centre of the wire bridge was now barely a metre above the gravel. Norman Elders route guide talked of a barely negotiable pool at the start of a gorge 30 minutes above the hut and gave directions of how to get around it. On a trip in the late 1970's we were still looking for the pool when we got to Upper Makaroro Hut.
Regards Grandpamac.