Southern Tararuas

Late Feburary Southern Tararuas Weekend Hunt

I enjoy reading other trip reports especially ones of ground that i want to explore in the future so I thought id provide one myself. I think it will also serve to highlight the hind to stag ratios, and deer numbers in the local area for hunters to interpret according to their own ethics and ideas around conservation.

My brother and I decided to get up to Alpha Hut last weekend for some tops hunting and general exploration of our own backyard. Too often I would drive to other parts of the country when the southern tararuas is only 20 mins from my home in the Hutt Valley. With good weather predicted for the weekend we shouldered packs on Friday night and made the 18km, 5 1/2hrs walk to Alpha Hut from the Kaitoke Rd End. Reaching the hut at about 1.30am the next morning we struggled quietly with the alarm going off at 6.30am to make it up to the tops for some early morning hunting.

400m from the hut and out of the bush line we quickly spied 3 young stags relaxing by a small tarn. Spooked on approach I rushed a shot on a startled stag missing him as he made his escape. On reflection, im glad i clean missed as he should be afforded the chance to grow into a mature animal for another hunter to take in the future. Moving on towards Aston Peak we saw a mob of 10 (3 spikers, 7 hinds) feeding alongside the track. With so many eyes we were quickly spotted and the group moved away from us down towards the bushline. Now slightly dispondent and coming to the realisation that tops hunting has different challenges to stalking deer we got onto the binos and let the eyes do the walking for a change. Even with a lot of ground to cover it wasnt long until we spotted a group of 3 hinds feeding on a steep sided spur. We closed in via a covered apporach through dead ground until I was in 50m from the group. This time my marksmanship was better and i was lucky enough to take a yearling and large hind. I always get a kick out of taking animals on public land and this was made better by my young pup calmy taking me in on both deer. Boning everything out we made our way back to Alpha Hut to relax before a evening hunt. Seeing another 6 animals that evening we saw around 25 animals all up on the trip including some under headlight on the way in. Sunday morning saw us repeat the route out which was definitely more of a grind given the packs were full of meat. 46km walked and two animals taken was a good way to spend a weekend with the bro.

All up it was awesome to explore the Tararua tops, see quite a few animals, and meet a some good characters along the way. Hunting Alpha Hut in summer is a good weekend trip to consider.

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Cool photos fella, yeah you really don't need to travel far to get onto good animals, the bulk of my hunting is the Southern Tararuas and there are a lot of deer for those keen to keep heading in there.

Nice well written report. Always good to hear of healthy numbers around the place

"46km walked" I was tuckered out just reading that. Good on you! :)

me too...46kms is a plurry good effort.
pleased you got some venison and got to enjoy time in the hills with your dog.

Thats a tough summer trip up to Alpha and back in hot WX. Well done.

Nice work mate, Marchant ridge is a hard way to start a trip

Nice, was up there around christmas and had a similar experience. spooked one right under my nose in the tussock! HOT walk out for once i was glad i had no meat!

Such epic country as well
@Hg1990 you could get up here via cone-bull mound

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Originally Posted by scoped

Nice, was up there around christmas and had a similar experience. spooked one right under my nose in the tussock! HOT walk out for once i was glad i had no meat!

Such epic country as well
@Hg1990 you could get up here via cone-bull mound

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Thanks for the info mate, good to see there’s plenty of deer around by the sound of it!

If you strike a very rare gap with no wind - hard to beat the Big T
Very interesting Re Deer #'s
Obviously no aerial cropping has made a marked difference from the late 90's when I was there
@Tahr - you would know
What are the weather Stats for the Taurarua's
Something like only 40 days per year without wind or something like that ??

Pretty sure it only 70 days a year without cloud cover.
Marchant ridge was known as the only ridge in the country that was uphill both ways.

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Originally Posted by Brian

Pretty sure it only 70 days a year without cloud cover.
Marchant ridge was known as the only ridge in the country that was uphill both ways.

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And the odd tree root here and there. Its a special ridge that one.

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Great report. I used to walk in there a lot to hunt. It is a special place but one to be taken very carefully. It is big tough country and most are not fit enough. The weather can change along there very quickly. Some of the toughest country and weather in NZ. Right on Cook Strait is why. If you add venison on the way out you soon find out what you are made of. And take a good book for Marchant Ridge even if it is only your first trip along there. The numbers encountered are pretty common for a trip in the Tarries on the tops at this time of year now. No chopper pressure for a while now. And you are right re the weather. A fine day up there is a wonderful thing. This year it was on a Saturday :D A long time tramper I knew who could see the Southern crossing from home said it was never clear for more than two to three days. And that only occasionally. I have spent many days holed up in the hut while the weather outside roared. It used to be in the nineties that you saw all the deer down in the waterboard side. It is the other way around now.

Nice bro, mint weekend mission

It’s a great spot alright. Last time I walked up there the only thing I saw 400 yards from the hut was clag rolling in from the north!
Two cops joined me and my dog that night and told me a few interesting stories about rescues that they’d done in that area.
Some of you will remember the solo female tramper that didn’t want to be rescued... she almost wasn’t!
If scoped and his mates don’t shoot all the deer up there, I’m guessing it may be busy up there over Easter.
If I see any of you up there I was going to head up there before I read this! ;-)

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Originally Posted by craigc

It’s a great spot alright. Last time I walked up there the only thing I saw 400 yards from the hut was clag rolling in from the north!
Two cops joined me and my dog that night and told me a few interesting stories about rescues that they’d done in that area.
Some of you will remember the solo female tramper that didn’t want to be rescued... she almost wasn’t!
If scoped and his mates don’t shoot all the deer up there, I’m guessing it may be busy up there over Easter.
If I see any of you up there I was going to head up there before I read this! ;-)

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Me too ;):D