Helz Adventures

Spring reconnaissance

27.10.2025

Hut and Block Summary:

The hut is nestled beside the Tauranga-Taupo River on an open grassy flat on the bush edge. Easy access for the helicopter to land. A cabin of about 20m2 boasts 7 bunks with the classic blue mattress. Small table and 4 chairs, bench space and running tap inside with stainless steel sink. Masport fire place. Two burner gas stovetop, 9kg gas bottle. Pots, pans, cups, plates, bowls, utensils and “hut toaster’. Hunting magazines and puzzles left behind by the folk before makes for some good indoor time.  Rainwater tank, small wood shelter, meat safe and door-less long drop toilet. BBQ table on porch.

Block -Downstream of the hut, there are some marked DOC triangles that lead you along the bush edge to where you would cross the river if the river levels allow. Staying on the hut side following downstream some more, the bush opens up to clear beech pockets with good vantage points of grassy banks and across the river. At times old marked routes can be identified by pink or blue electrical tape.  Becomes gorged and at times, thick with a lot of fallen debris, and further down to the block boundary the hillside comes to meet to the river. Plenty of animal trails to follow. Upstream of the hut there are no obvious routes, but it is possible to move with relative ease, in and out of the riverbed and bush edge. There is the odd marked tree however only a few and they lead to know where in particular.   Some open beech pockets with good visibility. Grass and scrub river flats with plenty of animal tracks. Possible to cross the river if there has been a small amount of rain 2km up to between boundary signs (if there has been no rain, plenty of options to cross along the way). Tramping to Cascade Hut, requires 1 main river crossing and 2 stream crossings before you make Cascade hut. The trip is a 9km return, no marked track until you hit the DOC track. Know your navigation and map. It is also possible to cross the river if water level allows and meet up with the DOC track Hinemaiaia and tramp to the Clements Road end.

* All possible if you have gained access through private land travel through Helisika.

Seasonal Weather Averages:

*Elevation at hut 754m 

Temperatures in degrees Celsius 

Summer High: 21   Low: 11 

Autumn High: 17 Low: 6.5

Winter High: 11 Low: 3

Spring High: 15.5 Low: 5.5

My story  Welcome to the TT. Today is Labour day and in typical spring fashion the weather is unpredictable and threatening here in the Central Plateau. Be that as it may, I’m still excited for the opportunity to be going on a solo mission to the TT and am well prepared for the mountainous country. I’m lucky enough to have an opportunity that sees me putting my previous hut and block adventures to good use. Tying it all together, I hope to do my best by you, to bring all the information I can on the private blocks and their accommodation. This includes The hut info, the location, the block information, where to go, where not to go. What is seen, what to bring, time of year differences, weather, history, and stories that shed a light on the place. Whether you are here for the hunt, the chance of catching a cheeky trout or keen on creating tramping routes, I will aim to cover it all.

Monday 27th October 2025

 Arriving at Helisika Hangar carpark at Poronui it’s no surprise the park is busy this long weekend. Looking at the low-lying cloud, I’m apprehensive of a successful flight today, and I know the forecast for the next 48 hours isn’t in my favour. But this morning luck is on my side and after a quick goodbye with the husband and catchups with the pilots, I’m air bound. Taking off towards the Kaimanawa and past the Te Iringa track and over the Kaipo saddle. We all know how great a flyer I am! WELL, I’m embarrassed to say I was holding on tight. I had a front row seat to this show. Usually, I opt for the back but being by myself I had to ride shotgun. The pilot, Cam, chatted away, taking each swing of the Heli in his stride. “Bit turbulent today isn’t it,” he casually says, seeing me close my eyes and brace my feet. “Lovely day for flying,” I reply apologetically, trying to change the subject, and I try to enjoy the bumpy ride. A party is likely stuck up on the Maungamingi Saddle and we both confirm looking at the cloud almost engulfing us that they might be enjoying a few additional days up there.  The forecast, a rain warning for the area, and man oh man did that deliver (more on that later).

Flying down river from the hut was an awesome way to arrive . The landing was really neat, looking over the block that will be my playground over the next few days. After a quick unload of supplies, the sound of the heli is already disappearing into the hills. I am here! Feels like heaven.  WHAT a spot! The cabin is tidy and inviting. Kept clean and well looked after. Children’s drawings stuck on the wall are not the usual but it’s part of this hut’s character. There are puzzles and magazines galore. There’s a small colouring pad that hut goers have taken to leaving their stories in. Wanting to know all the intel, I make a brew and get reading. Dating back to 2022, I’m treated to a couple of good roar stories and some that are a little unnerving, of wild dogs, but thankfully that seems to have been taken care of as I read on. Most people seem to come here from February to May, and as far as I can tell, not many stay here outside of that period. Talk of poachers comes up more often than one would like to read. I guess something to be aware of, as there is the Hinemaiaia track just up the way which is access to Clements Road end, and the popular Cascade Hut.  Here is a poem I copied from Easter 2023 from some Whangarei travellers out of this book.

Time check of 09:30hrs, time for a mid-morning exploration. I’m not expecting to see much, but I’m far too eager to make the most of dry skies and get this recce underway. As soon as I leave the hut, I watch a juvenile whio (native blue duck) land in front of me. If that isn’t an awesome omen, I don’t know what is. I made quick work of heading down river, following what seemed like DOC triangles signalling a track, which would eventually lead me to crossing the river. Thinking that was for another day, I then checked what routes might be obvious behind the hut, not much to offer there. The bush becomes tight, and if you are light footed and are great at the stealth work around cracking sticks this could be great territory for bush stalking, as there was plenty of fresh sign, scrape marks (likely from the rutting period?) and fresh deer droppings. Noticing the grass tips had been nibbled and the fresh sign around the hut, it also seems the sika came here as well.  Coming in for a bite and more hut time, it’s not long before dusk approaches and I make a decision to head out again this time choosing to move up river slowly. Here it’s instantly noticeable that there seems to be more deer activity by all the signs, tracks, droppings and fresh prints. As I head further up, I can see there are more deer-friendly spots, grassy flats with manuka scrub for plenty of cover. Seems like a deer highway in places. Yet nothing spooked for me yet.  Not wanting to scent up the entire block day 1, I return back to base via the river, which at this point is only ankle deep, and quite lovely to travel down. Makes for quick travel, and the water temp surprisingly wasn’t too bad.  Wading back, the skies open up, and I mean they OPEN UP.  I had full wet weather gear on and this was still no match for hours travel back in this deluge. I made it back to the hut just before dark on my first outing and it seemed the weather report, true to its warning, was announcing the arrival of the storm. I make quick work of the minimal wood stock, utilise the coal, and get my gear drying in front of the much-needed fire. Hot soup went down a treat. I pick the best of the eight saws here, and spend considerable time cutting up wood to keep the fire stoked.  It was about 22:00hrs when the door blew open for the first time. The storm had only just begun. It was a sleepless night to say the least. While the sound of rain on the hut was really comforting, the thunder and lightning that came until 2am were not. It really was quite impressive to watch how quickly the river rose, but I had to tell myself once or twice this hut had seen worse, and withstood rising rivers plenty of times.

Tuesday 28th October 2025

An early start was out of the question as the hut became light –  I realised I had slept in. Glancing outside with tired eyes I noticed the river was pumping. No longer crossable.  The day was calm post-storm, but checking my weather intel I had collected from various sources prior to coming in, it seemed it was still going to be a wet day on and off. Spring!  Breakfast was poached eggs (perks of a heli arrival – you can take eggs bush). I assume I’ve most likely missed my hunting moment – I was hoping to catch the odd animal making the most of the dry spell. But I’m on foot in all my gear by 08:00hrs. I decided to go into the wind, by heading down stream. Grateful for the sound of the river masking the rasping sounds from my wet-weather gear, I move ever so quietly. Hours later, I covered only 1.5km, but through what seemed like perfect deer country. I was frustrated, but also enjoying the morning out. The sun trying to poke through the trees was a nice start to the day. Again, I was coming to the conclusion these animals will be out at dawn, dusk and at night – I’ve probably missed the best chance to see anything.  There is a high pitched squeal me. I’ve been spotted. I sigh. I knew they were in here, but there’s not much I can do about this one as it’s very likely a sika has winded me.  I carry on. Time check 10:30am. Knowing another big front is due in at 11:30am, I stop for a macadamia nut on the river bank and looking across the now rapidly- risen river, I spot a yearling Spiker meandering about 200m away on the bush edge. I look through the scope on my gun. Sure enough, an easy shot. However, there are a few things to consider here. One is, I can’t retrieve this animal, there’s no possible way to cross this river. Second is, I’m only to take one animal, according to rules set by the block owners and Helisika, having been put automatically in the Spring challenge( a competition held in October by Stoneycreek and Helisika). The aim is to take (if opportunity allows) an old hind making the decision not to shoot, an instant and easy one. Another sigh. Which is quite often the theme of my trips, but that, my friend, is Sika hunting. The great thing is that I have seen and heard animals.  I make my way back somewhat faster, as I now have the wind at my back, making hunting almost impossible.  I had made it quite close to the boundary and what I thought was the better part of the river edge travel, because it started to become quite gorged and debris-ridden.  I made it back at 12:00pm, and as soon as I de-robe, the rain came like clockwork. Seems the forecasts are still current.  I had a dry run this morning, and was pleased with it. Cheese and crackers, and, of course, another few brews for lunch. Re-assess, park up, put pen to paper and time to write.  18:00hrs I gear up again. The sun is now shining through the damp surroundings. Rainbows are thrown across the hillsides. The last of the low-lying mist lingers around the tops. The weather has cleared. 19:30hrs I am back indoors. Nothing moving yet. Hunger and the cold steer me inside for a dehydrated beef stroganoff. 20:00hrs just on last light, I meander out in front of the hut, crocs still on, opting for quieter steps. I sit by the river’s edge. I look through the scope, and instantly spot a party of four animals moving slowly towards the bush edge out on the river’s shingle, across the water directly in front of me. Excitement levels are replaced with the loss of shooting light. I kept looking for them through the dim light in the hope it could be possible but it was not meant to be. I would not be able to retrieve the animal today, I remind myself, but still very cool to see them.

Wednesday 29th October 2025

A quiet night in the hut, aided a better sleep. Temperatures dropped, and it was a fresh start to the day. Blue sky!  Today is my “mission” day, the goal being to tramp to Cascade Hut (DOC) for morning tea and return to the ‘TT’ hut some time after lunch. No real constraint on time, as I wanted to take my time and explore along the way, and at this stage, I was unsure of the travel conditions ahead. I packed enough food and water to last the entire day. Doubled my layers, and was grateful for this. 07:30hrs coffee and poached eggs on board, I take off. I made good pace, as I wasn’t stalking, even though I was carrying the gun in case I ran into an unlucky deer. Rain came almost as soon as I stepped out the door, and continued for much of the journey.  The travel was relatively easy, slow going in places, looking for the clearer sections. It took me some time to make the boundary, which is marked on both sides of the river. I was still on the hut side at this point, and it seemed to be the best place, from the signage, to cross the river here. While the river had dropped considerably since Tuesday’s storm, it still had an incredible current and flow. I made it across slowly, only getting as deep as thigh level, and that was enough for me. Crossing to the other side, I was happy that my mission was looking successful so far. Some interesting features along the way were some neat caves and pumice flats, and it was quite cool to take some time looking around. Watching a pair of whio (Blue Duck) up close, as they weren’t bothered by me, was a real highlight. Some interesting sidling around a steep river section took some concentration and care of foot placement as it was very slippery following goat-like tracks to slowly get through to the stream that meets up with the DOC track Hinemaiaia. Elation! I knew from here it’s a maintained track with those little orange triangles to mark the way to the hut. 2km later and I arrive. By now, I’m completely wet and cold. I light the fire and get the jetboil on. Noting the time at 10:15hrs, this gives me plenty of time to warm up, get some hot food on board, a brew, read and write in the hut book. Bliss. One hour later, and somewhat human again, I’m conscious of the return trip and that river crossing, hopefully it’s not rising, as the rain hasn’t let up. The path, once travelled, is a lot quicker on the return trip, with even the river crossing somewhat enjoyable. Not one animal was seen, or spooked. Not a lot of ‘sign’ about. Murphy’s law would have it that as soon as I made the hut, the sun came out in all its glory. Time to dry everything out! Not bad sitting outside, thawing out, with some cheese and crackers, and it’s only midday.  The trip took a little over 4.5 hours not including the hour at the hut. 9km return and only 200m of elevation gain total. A good day’s hike. I spent the afternoon drying out all the gear, knowing tomorrow is departure day. I make time to write this all up, and there’s a pang of sadness, knowing the trip has almost come to an end.  A late afternoon armed hike close to home is an absolute must. The day has turned into an absolute beaut. No place I’d rather be.

Thursday 30th October 2025

Last night I sat on the riverbed about 200m from the hut, hoping to see the deer I had seen at sunset the night before. I waited, thinking I had the prime spot, and that surely something would move. 2 hours pass with nothing but the kaka playing around in the treetops, and a couple of cheeky possums. I am, however, treated to the most incredible sunset, and as I turn the head torch on to walk back, I try to soak it all in. The moon was out last night, and it seems the deer made good use of it. Fresh droppings around the bush edge behind the hut signaled once again the Sika have outsmarted this gal. This morning it’s pack up time. I have a slow coffee and a slow breakfast, and of course, you guessed it, poached eggs. Sika calls sing out high up the hills behind me and across the way.  It’s a stunning morning, but cleaning the hut is a priority. I used to dread this part as a kid, and now I enjoy pottering around the hut, making it cosy, and leaving it better than I found it.  I replace the wood as best I can, sweep, flip the mattress, and get rid of any sign I’ve been here. I shut the door, grab a good book, and wait for the familiar sound of the Hughes 500 thudding in the valley.  Good bye TT, you have been memorable.

*If I had one more day: I would explore the other side of the river directly in front of the hut – this has been where the deer have been spotted daily. Need low river levels, and there’s a nice-looking hill to climb!

*Couldn’t live without this trip: Extra socks and good wet weather gear

*Best meal had: ‘Real Meals’ Dehydrated Wilderness stew

*Grateful for the item left in the hut by someone else: Coffee!

@helz_water