It was more mud than ice at this year’s Offlimits Ice Buster Safari event on army land near Waiouru. Not that those in the 70+ 4WDs that turned up seemed to mind. Ashley Lucas has the story.

While we were lacking snow and ice this year, after the rain leading up to the July 28/29 weekend and overcast weather and forecast rain we were definitely in for an adventure, and sure enough we had our first major recovery late on Saturday morning when a vehicle failed a hill.

We then passed near the edges of Lake Moawhango before following the Moawhango River south to the next challenge, only to hear over the radio that the track was impassable with the other group having so much ‘fun’ they were turning around and coming back out.

Looping around via one of the many networks of roads that criss-cross the training grounds we headed for Engineers Hill then crossed the Moawhango River before climbing the hills and making our way to the Westlawn Hut where there was hot soup and sausages on the BBQ for everyone.  A nice and welcome treat from the Offlimits team.

It might not have had the snow or ice on the ground but there was a real chill in the wind that blew all weekend and I was thankful for the warm food but also for putting the thermals on along with a couple of extra spare layers in the vehicle.

Moving on we headed back down to the Argo Valley where the Kaimanawa horses are often seen due to the plentiful grass in the valley.  Surrounding the valley are some very steep hills that seem to go on forever and it was here we went climbing.  From a distance the hill didn’t look too bad but it wasn’t until you actually started up it you realised how far and how steep it was; so steep that even in the V8 I was lacking power as I neared the top. 

Those who wanted to give it a go did so but eventually a vehicle failed to reach the top and Sam Merrin and Yael Pook leapt into action with their winches and skills and winched the vehicle up the last bit.

Taking the long way back to base we did a couple of more muddy and greasy tracks to the south which initially involved a couple of vehicles requiring assistance to get up the first hill.

This track was a really good adventurous one with many slippery hills and mud to negotiate but for me it also allowed me to see one of the largest groups of Kaimanawa horses I had ever seen.

That night it rained but back at the army barracks we were warm and well fed heading to The Sergeant’s bar for a quiet drink or two and swap stories from the day.

After the rain overnight, conditions on Sunday, were greasy and the tracks more challenging with a couple of tricky sections that caught a few out. 

We crossed over the state highway to the western side and headed in the direction of Mt Ruapehu, although with low cloud the mountain could not be seen.  We tried to pick a lunch spot in the area known as Ghost’s Bush but the chilling wind still found us and so did the rain.

Despite the gloomy weather it was yet another great weekend at Waiouru four wheeling.  The next event will be Operation Stirling which is the first weekend in December.  If you want to be part of it make sure you register your interest through the Offlimits website so that you get notification once entries open.  Entries are limited and Ice Buster 2018 proved so popular that it was fully subscribed within 8-10 hours.

To read the full story in the October 2018 issue of NZ4WD go to Zinio.com (September 14) or purchase your own hard copy at the Adrenalin store.