|
HIRA FOREST TRIP
2 JULY 2006
Hillbilly has submitted a trip report below as well
At the bottom of Hillbilly's story is a link to trip photographs
Premonition is a funny thing. It's that faint underlying feeling that
something is going to go wrong. I had
that feeling the day before the Hira trip while deciding whether to go or
not. I dismissed it as bunkum thinking I
really wanted a sleep in on Sunday and started setting up the Land Cruiser for
the trip, put on the mud tyres, tie everything down check the tow hooks
etc. My 11year old lad decided he would
come once I said it would not be boring with Hillbilly leading it.
Sunday dawned a beautiful fine day with not
a cloud in the sky so having made and packed the picnic we were off to
Woolworths for the real goodies for the trip a big packet of liquorice
allsorts. As we still had a bit of time
before the 9-00am start I went looking for a cup of coffee. Thank God for McDonalds McCafe it was the
only place open on a Sunday morning and it has great coffee. Turning up with coffee in hand right on
9-00am at the information centre there were quite a number of vehicles. Clearly the trips close to home are very
popular.
As the drivers briefing was not until 9-20
am I had a bit of time to catch up with people and chat about vehicles as you
do on such occasions. At the briefing we
were all reminded about keeping the vehicle behind in sight and especially
waiting at intersections so they know where to go. While it is sometimes not practical to keep
the vehicle in sight all the time there is no excuse for not stopping at
intersections.
At 9-25am 26 vehicles set off for Sharlands Creek Road
to head into the Hira
Forest. Almost immediately it became obvious that the
sun was going to be a nuisance as most of the time we were heading north or
east and the sun quite often blocked your sight. The convoy made its way up to Mt Kau Kau (I
think that's what Hillbilly said it was, the only Mt Kau Kau I know is in Wellington!). This gave us magnificent views of Tasman Bay,
the Waimea Plains and the Arthur
Range. The cameras were out clicking madly.
On the way down we retraced our tracks up
and down banks instead of using the road.
I was near the front when Hillbilly got to the top of one bank and
warned us of the sun blocking your view on the way up and wished us "good
luck". Well, I did not get
Hillbilly's good luck, in fact luck has nothing to do with it really, I started
up the bank not being able to see a thing because of the sun and as is often
the case when you try to drive blind I went off the bank and started to slide
into a large culvert type thing, being on the angle I was it was inevitable
that we were going to roll. We slid
slowly down the bank and then even slower we rolled over on to our side.
My
first two thoughts were is Mitch my lad OK, and aren't these seat belts bloody
good the way they pin you to your seat.
Once Mitch said he was fine I turned the engine off and said lets just
catch our breath and wait for someone to open the door. Third thought was the negative self talk, why
on earth could I be so stupid as to do what I have just done!
Soon enough the team was organised and before
I even got out of the vehicle there were two vehicles with winches positioned
at right angles to my vehicle one with a wire attached to the chassis and the
other wire on the back tow bar. In what
seemed no time at all, my vehicle was back on its four wheels still stuck down
the bank.
That's when Sav jumped into the driver's
seat and found all the liquorice allsorts all over the place and started
tucking in. With mouth full he then
started offering the rest of them to
those helping out. My lad watched his
treats being demolished which put him into greater shock than the roll over.
The working cooperatively with winches, one
pulling and the other holding the vehicle on all four wheels the cruiser came
back onto flat land. I was really
impressed by the efficiency and the competency of the fellow 4WDers. Thanks guys, you certainly knew what you were
doing and you did it really well. It was
almost worth the roll over to watch you recover the vehicle in the manner that
you did. I noticed that there was a
large number of photos taken of this event.
I would love to have a copy of some of them. Send them to
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Thanks.
Once upright and Sav had finished his
liquorice allsorts he checked the engine mounts and I checked the oil and
battery mounts and everything was as it should be. It also highlighted to me the importance of
tying everything down in a vehicle. My
heavy toolbox would have made a huge mess and been quite dangerous if it was
not stropped in. Surprisingly the only
damage done was another small dent by the Lake Daniels
dent and the plastic cover over the back left hand lights. The shape of the hollow I fell into meant
that only the bull bar at the front and
the top back corner of the vehicle held it in place and the side and mirror did
not actually touch the ground. Perhaps I
do believe in luck. So the cost of the
roll over is plastic cover for lights $30, big bag of liquorice allsorts $3-50,
experience of a roll over...priceless!
Once I was back in the driver's seat Sav
made a very good suggestion about getting back on horses and going up the bank
again. So this time I did what I should
have done the first time. I got out and
looked at the bank and got my line.
Jumped back in and proceeded up the bank with sun in eyes but knowing
where I was going. Thanks Sav, it
allowed me to get on with the day.
Thanks also to all the others who came over throughout the day to see how
I was. It was much appreciated and gave
a good feeling within the club.
Once back on the horse it was full steam
ahead into the rest of the day which was Hillbilly trying to find as many ultra
steep slopes and firebreaks we could go down or up. Then there was a period of bushwhacking through
a non existent track where my $35 CB aerial got snapped off to which Mitch said
that track cost more than the roll over.
Half the time I did not know where we were but at one stage we could see
all the new developments going on in the Lud Valley. Won't be long before that is a suburb.
One note of concern I will mention was the
number of times someone on the radio had to ask which way to go. This only happens if people were not stopping
and waiting for the vehicle behind to see which way to go. This happened quite a few times throughout the
afternoon which may indicate we have an issue that people are forgetting or not
listening at driver briefings.
By 4-00pm we were back at Sharlands Creek
mixing with a good number of mountain bikers, motocross guys, people flogging
trailer loads of firewood and a salesman for Kumo tyres trying to clinch a deal
with one of us. I wondered whether Mitch had had enough for the day but then
Hillbilly announced we were going up the fringe and I have not been up there
for 30 years so I looked at Mitch and he said lets go.
So off we went crossed the Maitai and
headed up an old track. Half way up
Hillbilly was stopped with his range rover (if you can call it that) overheating. He said, "carry on up and l will meet
you at the top going by the road...good luck". There was that word again and sure enough
almost at the top some front vehicles had trouble with the track and were
stuck. After awhile they were pulled up
and the rest of us powered up to the fringe for more great views.
A
couple of vehicles had some fun on a steep track right at the top but by now it
was after 5-00pm and time to go home. My
only concern at this stage was post traumatic stress for Mitch. He seemed fine all day but then this can
strike at any time so again I asked him if he was OK and did he enjoy the
day. His reply was, "The day would
have been boring if it wasn't for the roll over, cant wait to tell
mum." So I concluded he was not
suffering post traumatic stress syndrome but he was in fact an adrenalin
junkie.
Thanks Hillbilly and team for a great day
out. Lessons have been learnt both in
how not to roll over and how to do a good recovery. Hira
Forest is a great asset
so close to town and we only touched a fraction of what is there. There is clearly a potential for many more trips
in there.
John Robinson
Hira 2 July 2006 - by Hillbilly
As usual I got the Job of leading the Trip as I have done it a few times before. It is an easy trip to organize and I do know that I'm getting off lightly compared with other Trip leaders. Anyway I did a quick reconnaissance the week before and noted a lot of frost in the sunless sides of the hills and one very over grown track that took out one park light on my first outing my very old, ex Andrew Satherley shortened rag top Range Rover, now painted blue. I discovered a few new things about it and one thing was when it went up a steep hill with full noise, the oil from the sump gets into the manifold and pumps out smoke like bonfire of wet green grass. And it gets hot on long steep hills.
I awoke around 6.30 to a good frosty but clear day that was still dark and the rest of my crew did the same. There Ted the border, Ben my Son out law (my daughters boy friend) and young Levi from next door. They had all had helped me getting the Rage Rover ready for the road when I was battling with a dork in Wellington called Mike Small of LVVV who dragged the process from 14 days to 7 months to get on the road. With bacon, food, cooker and recovery gear on board we headed for the meeting place with trip to the gas station included.
About twenty five wagons turned up at the Info center at 9am with Leo being last to arrive as he rang me to explain that a 10am start would be nice but he could be there at 9.15/30. He was sure i would give this report to write. I did not say a word so we will see if he does or not.
With a short intro we were off with $5 to be collected at the Gate at Sharlands road to go on city councel land that has been lost to CCH.
Nelson had had about two weeks of frosty days and driving up the Maitai Valley, you could see that. It was bloody cold.
With the cash collected at the gate and with a collection of different coloured, shinny, standard and some modified up the past Lurches corner and up to Kaka Hill. We used the side tracks beside the road for a warm up for the day ahead. With me working as a parking attendant on the top of hill got every one parked and out look on a lovely fine day over Nelson and further a field. We spent about 15 minutes on the top and then departed for Bobs fern road. As we were going into the sun we were getting lots of frost on the climb, but traction was good.
I was out front and going well when it was pointed out we had no-one behind us. We called on the PRS radio to see what was going on. I was shocked to hear a wagon had tipped over in the quarry. Bugger, I was thinking, Blood, wreckage, broken bones and a real downer on the whole day. We turned around and got back there as soon as we could. As it turned out John Robinson in his land cruiser had gone up the track beside the quarry, looking into the sun like the rest of us but had got a little to far to the left. He had done a very slow roll to the left and landed on his side. When we got there he and his little mate were out and OK. With winch on the side to get it back on its four wheels, Then Sav got in it and drove and with another winch pulling it back on flat land. It lost no oil and all the damage was a broken tail light and a bent bumper. The dent in the side was from the lake Daniels trip he tells me.
With that behind us we departed and got back into the tracks climbing, and descending with more frosts and most had no problem but I did hear of one wagon getting into a bit of a slide to the slide down hill. We stopped for morning tea at the lookout that looks over the Glen and I went back to talk to John Robinson and all he was worried about was if his thermos was OK. He sure had a great attitude and we could all learn a lot from a man like that.
With a thermos of tea a piece of last nights cold pizza we departed for more ruts lumps on hill going up and going down and doing the Hira was doing its very best to shake the wagons and people to bits and settled our morning tea. Then we came to boars back. This is a very over grown steep scary ride and I was working the Radio advising all shinny and any one wanted paint on there wagons to come down the road. My salesmanship was not that good and to my surprise they all came down it. The look on some of their faces at the bottom as they were lunched out the bottom was amazing, weather it was that they were still alive, or they made it, or what ever they really surprised me and I some of them too.
After that, it was going to hard to top that, so down towards Lud valley for a nice steep fire break with ruts. All got up with some having some bother so The Lunch break was called at the skid site on the top on this lovely sunny day. We cooked the bacon and boiled water for coffee. The bacon was very nice between a couple bits of bread with the bird seed in an my home made plum sauce of course. My Rage Rover has a soft top so with the Sun on our backs, Topless was the way to go.
With lunch over we carried on along the tops to a sign saying Danger No Exit. This the widow maker, This is a wide steep fire break with ditch on the steepest bit, however that was not what I had in mind. On the top of the hill there is a track on the right a curly bit on the bottom. I was handing out advice to Pete Lowish who was behind me. “Go to the Right” What should of said “Go to the right of the Pine tree” that was on his left but some how he down alright. Sorry about that Pete. Some went back up the track and Leo leading and wagon full of kids singing “We are the champions,”on the PRS.
Then back to the Danger sign and down the road a bit and through a locked gate to the dark side of the forest where the sun does not shine in winter. Plenty of frost and steep bits to go down that looked scary but in the end it was not to bad, with ice in the puddles and wondering weather top less was the way to go. We all got through this OK and reformed at Sharlands at the place where we started. I had forgot to get the Key after the last gate from Sav whom was my Tail end Charlie.
Some pulled out as it was getting late and cold and Sun was disappointing at about 4pm . The rest of us departed for the Fringe hill track by the Poll ford bridge. Over the Maitai River, through the locked gate and up the steep track. Once again my over heating problem returned and I pulled over and let the rest go by. I took my time and got on the side track and went up the road. Expecting to be last at the top, it was a surprise to us we were the first as frost and steep bits brought the convoy to a halt, somehow they got up and Mike Murphy got up the steep bit on the end of Fringe hill once. He tried his luck again and this time came up by rope. We put the top on the Rage rover, and look over Nelson with the Sun getting low in the sky and the day coming to an end.
It was a good day out and I hope there was not to much damage, Myself I broke a couple of park/indicator's lights and got an engraving in the left hand door. The over heating was caused by the electric fans not doing enough and it was also pointed out that even a 1975 Rage rover needed seatbelt in the back under club rules when carrying passengers in the back seat. All in a good day and to say something of the new people in the club that was on the trip. “Well done”
/ / / / / / * / / / / /%/ / / / / / / / / / / /
\ \ \ .\ \ \ \ “ *_/The Hillbilly /_*\ \ \ \ \ ^ \ \
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / /+/ / / / / / / / / /
\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ *_/Re tyre ed /_*\ \ \ \ \) \ \ \ \
/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / * / / / /
As promised - Photographs are here
|
Past club trips 
