Tararua Hit and Run (Walk slowly!)

The weather presented the perfect opportunity recently, so I flew into the Tararuas with Amalgamated Helicopters. The Tararuas are on our doorstep, yet so many of us drive past them to hunt easier places. I’ve probably left my run a bit late in life, but inspired by others, I’m try to do more hunting in the Tararuas. I’m loving the fresh challenge.

https://youtu.be/opE-jGO2_Bg?si=xb70PDZhMdCv3xdq

What a place, what an adventure, steep, beautiful and challenging. If only I hadn’t hurt my knee I may have found that big stag that we all know is out there somewhere!

Attachment 275886

Attachment 275887

Attachment 275885

Attachment 275884

i miss getting round the tararuas, nothing like groveling round in the leather wood/scrub/supplejack and other crap . thats a great walk though there . well done on the stag

Nice vid,thanks Craig.You take the back steaks home.?

Neat one.love how pipi answered you after scrambling up that steep but.she looks like a real character and good mate to walk the hills with.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Trout

Nice vid,thanks Craig.You take the back steaks home.?

---

Some of them. I hurt my knee. I didn’t think carrying six back steaks would be a good idea.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

Neat one.love how pipi answered you after scrambling up that steep but.she looks like a real character and good mate to walk the hills with.

---

She’s amazing. She’ll find anything you shoot and hold/kill it if it’s small enough for her to handle. She’s very careful around big red stags that aren’t dead. She’s pretty smart and the best hunting dog I’ve ever had.
Somewhere I’ve got some video of her after she crossed a swing bridge all by herself, she was half way across it when I got there! :-)

Mean. Great spot. The vizslas' are adventurous 'to a point' (excuse the pun). Bet Pipi was close to her fear factor limit on thet ridge

Underrated the Tararuas I reckon! Cool photos.

Yep, on a clear day its hard to beat the place. Both coasts easily visible, gnarly ridge systems you can wear yourself out on. I have lasting memories of not being able to sleep all night long cause of the roaring red stags. Northern Tararuas 1976.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by XR500

Yep, on a clear day its hard to beat the place. Both coasts easily visible, gnarly ridge systems you can wear yourself out on. I have lasting memories of not being able to sleep all night long cause of the roaring red stags. Northern Tararuas 1976.

---

Same. Over Albert Rd and up onto the Mangahao tops. @Cowboy knows.
I recall seeing 23 deer on the back ridge in one sitting.
I was in there for the Wahine storm. 1968. Quite a night.

Yikes! Yes, that would have been memorable for all the wrong reasons. Big old man trees getting thrown around a few meters from the hut by the hurricane would be pretty scary. I've experienced similar in the Ruahines and that was just a bad storm, not a full blown hurricane.

School was cancelled that day, so I was up at a mates place that looked directly south from the hills above Wellington harbour. One minute the cloud cleared and you could see the Wahine at the entrance. An hour later we looked out the window and she was on her side.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Snoppernator

Mean. Great spot. The vizslas' are adventurous 'to a point' (excuse the pun). Bet Pipi was close to her fear factor limit on thet ridge

---

I don’t think she fears much! Big stags and big dogs but not much else. :-)

cool adventure!

Gnarly country to get a bung bender in.

Seeing all these crystal clear photos and videos members post, and then I go to my photo albums with all their ever fading box brownie snaps of the same locations....I do hope people have their videos and photos saved in 2 or 3 different formats and locations. I would hate to think of someone losing a lifetimes worth of memories if you are a digital native.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tahr

Same. Over Albert Rd and up onto the Mangahao tops. @Cowboy knows.
I recall seeing 23 deer on the back ridge in one sitting.
I was in there for the Wahine storm. 1968. Quite a night.

---

Have you done much around north mangahau biv?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Yesmate

Have you done much around north mangahau biv?

---

I used to but the access got tight and I got sick of asking the cocky. Not sure how it is now. It's a neat area. If you want to hunt there I can send you some info. PM me.

You are starting to sound like your father. Nice vid!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tahr

I used to but the access got tight and I got sick of asking the cocky. Not sure how it is now. It's a neat area. If you want to hunt there I can send you some info. PM me.

---

Its my current stomping ground,did you get access through Waiwera station?they are my neighbours, me and my brother brought the block to the right of where the mangahau exits.lots of deer there still-to many some would say,waiwera have been killing hard to waste which they needed to, looked more of a deer than sheep and beef farm some days.keen to hear some yarns of your time in there.theres some game park quality heads in the bush there.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by whanahuia

You are starting to sound like your father. Nice vid!

---

Thanks. I’ll be more careful next time. :-)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Yesmate

Its my current stomping ground,did you get access through Waiwera station?they are my neighbours, me and my brother brought the block to the right of where the mangahau exits.lots of deer there still-to many some would say,waiwera have been killing hard to waste which they needed to, looked more of a deer than sheep and beef farm some days.keen to hear some yarns of your time in there.theres some game park quality heads in the bush there.

---

Rasmussen owned the access. Did your place used to belong to Bevan Christie?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tahr

Rasmussen owned the access. Did your place used to belong to Bevan Christie?

---

yep.the Christies have moved to the hawkes bay now.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Yesmate

yep.the Christies have moved to the hawkes bay now.

---

We knew them well. Mate built the deer trap on the river. He would love to meet you. Will PM.