Scott Fellers brings his littlest co-driver to explore the track into Montgomerie Hut.
So. This particular story started when I got a call from a group of mates asking if my wife and I wanted to come to Reefton for some 4WD action.
Obviously we were keen to join. What would stop us from that kind of invitation? My wife Kristen, official co-driver and author of previous articles, is always up for some adventure, and our nine-month old explorer, Jack, has become quite accustomed to bouncing around in a 4WD.
However, since I can’t keep track of dates to save my life, I didn’t realise that the aforementioned weekend was one of the ones Kristen had to work.
What a disappointment! Without my trusty co-driver I would not only be responsible for myself but solely responsible for taking care of little Jack. Yikes! Up until this point we had never done a trip away from home with just us boys.
I wasn’t sure I was up for this challenge, but with some prodding from friends I was convinced it would be a fun thing for us men to go do together. So, with the go-ahead from Kristen, Jack and I went off to meet our mates for the adventure.
All good, but...
I extended the invite to the always keen “Big D”, also from Christchurch, with his early 90’s Prado. We met the others in Reefton, and over a coffee at the tea rooms we discussed a recent conversation with DOC regarding the status of the track. The lady on the phone initially said the track was all good, but then quickly backtracked and asked if we had winches?
Good sign! All but one in the convoy had a winch so we figured between us we would be good to go. With that, our convoy of my Pajero, two Prados, a 70-series ‘Cruiser and one shiny new Discovery headed for some dirt.
It wasn’t long before the DOC lady’s enquiry regarding the winches was put to the test. What initially was a nice easy track had been washed out by the Waitahu River, and the new go around along the bank had turned into a fairly long, fairly deep bog with a nice tight tree on the entrance. Well, this was going to be a challenge.
Our fearless trip leader Jamie quickly guided his very capable Prado into the bog. After a bit of revving, mud flinging and slow progress he was stuck. With a quick winch he was through, however watching this action was getting some of the crew quite excited, and others a bit nervous.
Oh dear!
The next vehicle to attack the bog was Whiskey Mike and his shiny Discovery. Like, first-trip-shiny. But with a name like Whisky Mike it was no surprise he was straight into the mud and quickly bogged. Unfortunately, he wasn’t as far past the tree on the entrance which made for an awkward winch.
And just like that, the new Discovery slipped into the tree and received a light bit of panel damage to the driver’s door. The first scratch is always the most painful! A winch backwards and he was off the tree, and along with the rest of us he decided to detour into the river and around the bog. This required just a little shaping of a rather steep bank dropping into the river but otherwise was a more efficient route to get the convoy down the track.
With some striking views of the Waitahu River and some beautiful bush either side, we happily cruised along with just enough technical sections, bog holes and leans to make it an entertaining drive.
A Beautiful spot?
And then we found ourselves at the first of two river crossings. What a beautiful spot. On the left a big beech tree reached out over the river, and all through the water were picturesque boulders. Woah, wait… boulders? Yep. Guess it would be best to not hit one of those.
Jamie crossed first and efficiently while the rest of us took photos. Next up, Sven in his trusty 70 series. And by trusty, I mean he can trust that his leaf springs will hang up. And hang up they did, leaving him beached on a rock in the middle of the river, just deep enough for water to be quietly filling the footwells. Jamie attempted a quick snatch but the 70 was well and truly stuck. Pants off and into the river to hook up the rope, Sven was finally winched to freedom. Unfortunately I also got caught out on a hidden boulder (I blame my codriver!), but after another quick winch we were all through the first crossing.
The track on the other side of the river crossed through a lush little meadow that turned out to be camp for the evening, however there was plenty more action before we turned in for the night. After slowly picking our way along the bank through some fairly sizable river rocks we were once again ready to cross the Waitahu River.
Second time... unlucky!
The second crossing was deeper than the previous one but appeared to have less boulders which felt like a nice change. Once again Jamie took the first plunge and powered the Prado through what turned out to be a moderately deep crossing.
Big D, rearing to get in on the action, quickly followed suit making it look easy enough. At this point Sven was looking dubious at the prospect of getting the 70 series hung up again, but with some coaxing over the radio he decided to give it a go.
As the 70 starts idling toward the river, Whiskey Mike looks over to me and says, “What if he gets stuck?”
“Well, one of us is gonna have to get wet!” I reply. And sure enough the ‘curse of the leaf springs’ struck again and Sven was grounded against another boulder.
Being the GC that he is, Whiskey Mike grabbed the winch rope and plunged into the river. (This is a good place for a reminder to pack a backup set of clothes for your next 4WD trip!) And of course, once the 70 was winched back to shore, the doors were again opened to allow a flood of water to escape the footwells.
While this was going on a bit of quick radio banter sorted out a new scheme. Sven in the 70 series and Whiskey in the shiny Discovery were going to go find a place to set up camp while the rest of us headed on to check out Montgomerie Hut.
A bit of West Coast rain forecasted for the night also made camping on the homeward side of the deep river crossing seem like a good idea.
So, with the new plan in place I splashed through the river to meet the two Prados on the far shore.
Another world
Maybe it was the low arvo light on an overcast day, but this side of the river felt like we had stepped into another world. It would appear that many people don’t do this final crossing, so the track is much narrower and tighter and somehow feels more jungle-like.
We pushed on, catching glimpses of old bridges shrouded in greenery which the gold miners would have used back in the day.
The track carried on, often covered in water or tree roots, climbing gently away from the river, before we eventually popped out at Montgomerie Hut which is located on a little bluff overlooking the river.
It would be a great spot to spend some time enjoying the beautiful scenery, too, but with the day growing long we have a quick look around, snapped some grainy photos then headed back to meet the others.
The three of us safely crossed back over the river to find the others nicely parked up with awnings out. While the others are having much earned beers and already spinning yarns about the day’s adventures, I made sure Jack got some of his energy out before bedtime by doing about 100 laps on the bed in the back of the Pajero. He had enjoyed all the bouncing and excitement of the day, but eventually tired himself out and wound down for a much-deserved sleep while I met the others for a much-deserved beer!
Lesson learned
Heading back out the next day there was more forethought in getting the 70 series safely back through the boulders. This included the driver stripping down before even setting off, in the anticipation of getting hung up. This of course occurred, but the initial preparation paid off and he was across quickly this time.
The way back ambled by without many hang-ups, except for the last mud bog/river detour to negotiate. Most of us decided to once again choose river over bog, but the bank we dropped down on the way in turned out to be steep enough most of us required a winch on the way out.
All this winching faff gave Big D enough time to decide that he’d try the bog section in reverse. As it turned out he extra time just meant he got extra stuck, the rest of us finding that he had winched himself onto a hidden stump and was stuck fast.
Jamie, always having the tricks up his sleeve, suggested a high lift jack on the rear bar to lift him from the stump. Which, as it turned out, worked a treat, the high lift angled back away from the vehicle so when Big D winched forward from this position the lift fell harmlessly on the mud and the Prado popped over the troublesome stump.
From this point it was an easy drive back to the café in Reefton where we once again spun yarns about who had the best moments of the trip.
Jack the lad
The best drive of the weekend had to be Jack’s co-drive though. Through all the stop starting and the questionable weather, he was a champ, only complaining when he wasn’t topped up on tasty treats.
Having now completed a trip together, my bond with him is even stronger and made me excited about having my little adventure buddy along for many more trips in the future! Good drive mate!
