Smith Creek waterfall, 19 April 2025
Combined trip with Masterton Tramping Club and South Wairarapa Tramping Club.
On a perfect, warm autumn day four trampers and a dog walked from the Pākuratahi car park over Puffer Saddle and down the main track towards Smith Creek. At the 370-metre contour we picked up a well-marked informal sidle track to which we had been alerted by a TTC informant. This took us to a point in the east branch of the creek, about 300 metres up-valley from the confluence. After morning tea we
continued, with mostly easy travel—apart from one high sidle and a boulder clamber where the trip coordinator needed help—to the waterfall, which we reached 4 hours after starting.
A quick scout around identified a possible but dubious exit, and lunch was taken in the somewhat comforting knowledge that down-valley retreat might be avoided.
The oblique rightward scramble out from the waterfall involved desperate gymnastic moves, prayer, dependence on small trees, the restoration of the coordinator’s dignity by leading it and relief upon reaching less vertiginous terrain. Ascent of a spur to the ridge top at 640 metres brought us to the informal ridge track that links the power line road to Puffer Saddle. This we followed to the saddle, whence we retraced part of our inward route before diverting onto the old, original Puffer Track which we happily descended to Kiwi Ranch.
The trip took almost 7½ hours.
Phil Brown (MTC), Izzie (MTC Canine Division), Stuart Hammond
(SWTC), Josh Oakly (MTC) and John Rhodes (SWTC & MTC)
All reactions:33
