pre-season sojourn

Slept in again! We were supposed to leave before dawn on Saturday morning, but got up when the first tui cracked outside at 7am. (the bird, not the beer) We were supposed to get moving early because Saturday was going to be the best of the long weekend. Nevermind, we can pack pretty quick, and were on the road and in Ohakune at lunchtime. We had beautiful clear drive, and caught glimpses of Whakapapa from as far north as Taumaranui township.

Raurimu view

To make the most of the warm clear weather before it closed in, we drove back around to Whakapapa, and met some friends from Taupo for a walk over there. At the Round the Mountain Track entrance on Bruce Road, we cruised over to the closest ridgeline and then dropped down into the valley to the Whakapapaiti Hut. It got "dark" early as the clouds started rolling in and the clouds started making shapes hinting at the windy weather to come.

Saturday night we cooked a big  feed and consumed red wine by the fire before heading up to the Junction to consume some more. We caught up with winter friends and even some Auckland friends who were in the neighbourhood too. I hope the snow gods were happy, cos the next day my head hurt!

Sunday and Monday were ditto days. Waking up just before dawn each of those days as we thought the old railway house we stayed in was going to blow inside out. The wind seemed to peak in the morning, and it felt like everytime we wanted to venture outside it would rain. By Monday our house mates grumbled "it's too early for cabin fever!" Sundays webcams were not a pretty sight, looking at the rain washed the ridgelines... Mountain streams in town were swelling with rain... BUT the weather maps were looking much more promising for Monday/Tuesday when a snowier looking weather system would hit the north overnight. You could feel a brr in the air (wind change and temp drop) all day Monday...

break in the weather

TYPICAL! It snows after we leave town, AND it snows in town. The Desert Road in the east has closed and word of mouth reports this morning are snow in Whakapapa village and snow flurries falling on Railway Row, Ohakune. Keep it coming.

Ohakune Cam 10.30am 8-June

Whakapapa - Geonet cam

Tussock Traverse 30/01/2010

After we got back from the "Chill Tour" I decided it really was time I thought about getting back into some running. I used to run quite a bit. Not fast, nothing flash, just enough to keep me fit without joining the gym. This idea tends to fall by the wayside as the weekends are filled with snowboarding, and the weeks are spent doing washing, re-packing, sleeping, working and recovering!

I find it easier to train with some sort of goal, and with this in mind I looked for something to enter. There was no way I was going to be fit enough for The Goat, but heading back to the mountain in summer appealed and I knew there was something slightly easier I could enter, so I entered the Tussock Traverse.

At 27km it is longer than The Goat but there are no major river/stream crossings, it's slightly lower altitude, and more undulating slopes rather than steep sections, and the track is well formed and easy to navigate. (The event is also open to walkers) It starts off on the the other side of Ruapehu at the road to the Tukino ski field, onto the Round the Mountain Track, then over the Waihohonu Traverse, past the Tama Lakes (which you don't see, it's off on a track diversion), past the Tarankai Falls, and finish on the Chateau Golf Course at Whakapapa Village. WHEW.

Course Map

I have done this event once before in January 2008 at the start of my "training" for the Goat in December 2008. When I last did it we walked quite a bit cos it was rather HOT and also not long after I had a major break and 2 operations on my arm. We did it then in 4:40:52, so with the aim to run more (and train more) I wanted to complete it in 4 hours this time.

At the finish last time, with bung arm and puffy hand

The cool breeze at the start on the Tukino Road was mildly deceiving, at the 9.30 start it was already easily singlet weather. At 8.30am the walkers departed, then it was our turn to run UP the mountain road to where the Round the Mountain track dropped into a sandy and stoney valley floor with a desert scape as far as the eye could see. We ran towards Mt Ngauruhoe for a time, then onto the Waihohonu Traverse, with Ruapehu on our left and Ngauruhoe on our right. I remember walking here a lot last time, and this time the heat had well and truely caught up on me so I was walking once again. The landscape makes a bit of a change here, resembling a dry swamp with low scrub and various muddy and dry holes on the track. Some areas were being upgraded with boardwalks. But oh the heat, there seemed to be no breeze and no cloud above us and no shade to find. There was brief relief by scooping my hat in a freezing mountain stream, but plodding/walking was the best I could manage for a while.

I was beginning to think I wouldn't make my 4 hour goal. Walking a lot more than I would like... Somewhere near the other end of the saddle I managed to pick up my game a bit more. The early afternoon cloud was beginning to form over Whakapapa way, and oh my goodnes, there was even a small breeze. I was running a bit more now and at the Tama Lakes track junction my plod was more of a trot and people were starting to let me past. Then it was downhill towards the Taranaki falls. The steps have eroded away, so it was soft knees bouncing around either side of the track in the mini diversions that have been worn in.

When I hit the Taranaki falls area I knew exactly where I was and the closer I got to the finish the more I thought I might be able to make the 4 hours. There is some tree cover near the end here, but there is also a series of deceiving dips and steps where you think you are not far away from the Chateau, but there is actually a bit more than you think to go. The last 1km seemed to take the longest of the whole day. There was a very subtle uphill on a gravel track very near the end, but man oh man, I had to walk this bit too. It got to the point where I was calculating metres vs minutes left. As the subtle uphill became a subtle downhill I ran into the finish chute with about a minute to spare. (final time 3:58:32)

Competitors and supporters were all sprawled out on the lawn enjoying the hot hot sun. Dark rain clouds threatened. A beer and a bbq sausage were the order of the day, and a massage! Boy was a glad this was over! But a big smile on my face too. 3 months of training from not running much, to this, had paid off. The stupid hills around my house, paid off. The not pigging out and drinking heaps over Christmas and New Year cos I had long training runs to do, paid off.

Next? Not sure! Watch this space I guess...

Course Profile

start line Tukino Road

Dropping into the Round the Mountain track

Ruapehu, and the face in the snow

Desert

Finish!!

a walk in the park

Today we went to visit a friend in Taupo, but drove the long way from Auckland via Whakapapa (to drive up to the ski field and take a look at the snow.) When we arrived we discovered the road up the mountain was closed, so decided to take a walk to the Silica Rapids while we were there. Felt like a bit of a dork wearing full snowboarding kit (minus boots), but the weather forecast was for it to clag in and we knew good warm gear would be needed as we gained a bit of altitude.

At the rapids, we could see there had been a lot of snow down low that was furiously melting and filling the streams. The last part of the track is out in the open amongst tussock and low lying sub-alpine shrubs. Here we got hit by a passing snow cloud, and as we met the Bruce Road and walked down the to the gate it absolutley puked! We still couldn't see the mountain, but it was sure to be dumping up there. Woop Woop

There is still more snow forecast for the next few days. When it clears I have a feeling there will be people hiking for some turns.

Bruce Road Barrier, Whakapapa Village

found some

Mt Tongariro peeking through - view from the new house in Taupo.