We resorted to bug spray, but nothing was holding back the hordes. We had been warned but this was something else. The sandflies were winning.
Monday morning, 9am, day one. We surrender our war on the sandflies and pack up camp. Lake Rotoroa would be soon in the rear-view mirror as we turned off the beaten track and started Operation Overland 2023.
Each year I plan a five-day adventure to a region in New Zealand and invite sponsors and supporters of the YouTube channel. We 4WD and camp for five days with the final day ending in a dinner and give-aways. This year’s convoy was six rigs strong, and we were all very excited with anticipation of what lay ahead. This would be a trip to remember.
The day started with a driver’s meeting. This is to give everyone a bit of an idea on what to expect from the day and where camp for that night would be. This was also an opportunity to do a bit of a hand-out of freebies and stickers to kick off the event and support our sponsors. Once introductions were finished, we started our day. We abandon camp beside Lake Rotoroa and immediately start climbing the Porika track. The rocks, slick and slippery from the morning dew, added an additional challenge to the track. All the rigs climbed with ease though and only a couple got caught up on corners or holes in the track. Overall, it was a good start to the trip. We immediately climbed to nearly 1000m above sea level and were presented with amazing views of Rotoroa as we did so. With 150+ kilometres to travel today though, we didn’t dilly-dally around with too many photo stops. Our goal for the night was the Cobb Valley Dam, located in the Golden Bay area of Tasman. Dropping down the other side of the Porika track, the landscaped morphed away from lush beech forest and into farmlands and forestry. Hooking a left at the Howard River we find a spot to pump the tyres back up and hit the road. Riwaka. The tanks were filled, and the convoy continued its way towards the Cobb. Our second climb of the day, over the Takaka hills, was a nice easy cruise with no issues. It was the climb up the Cobb Dam road that gave us some trouble. Soon a couple radio calls came across the channel detailing worrying lights on dashes as transmissions started to overheat. A 750m vertical climb over 3km was proving hard work for some autos. Dropping into low box, locking a gear and letting things cool for a moment or two eventually saw the convoy reach the top. Cloud obscuring our view, we made for the quiet calm of the Cobb reservoir and camp for the night. The following morning there was a calmness in the air. Silence surrounded us all apart from the gentle whip of Ollie’s fishing rod. The birds were starting to awaken just like ourselves, and soon camp was bustling with the noises of coffee on the boil and breakfast on the grill.
Today’s venture would see us through the Devil’s Boots track, otherwise known as the Aorere Gold Fields. The cloud was high today and the climb out presented us with some epic views across the reservoir. It wasn’t long before we were down the other side and onto the highway heading north. The Devil’s Boots track started as the rest had, pretty much immediately. Shortly after airing down, we were clambering through creeks and climbing rock steps in our attempt to get closer to the caves. Parking up the vehicles, we each grab head torches and start the short walk. I like to try and mix in some things with these trips that you wouldn’t normally do on a 4WD trip. Taking the time to explore these underground caverns was well worth it. Head torches on, we dropped down beneath the earth. The entrance was treacherous. Rocks were slick with damp clay; one wrong foot placement could see you tumbling down the vertical drops next to you. Someone had built a makeshift ladder from logs and planks of wood. It was dam near vertical but aided us as we delved deeper. It had to have been the sketchiest ladder I have ever been on. By now the cave entrance had disappeared and darkness surrounded us. Fending off the dark with our torch light, we pressed further on into the ground. None of us knew how deep we were but the caverns continued. They got smaller and more claustrophobic as we went on and eventually we made the decision to return. Breaking out into the forest felt like walking into hot soup. The cool crisp air of the cave was replaced with the hot and humid air of the bush. The rain started to set in once we got to the vehicles making the already slippery track more of a challenge. As we climbed the slick track turned to rock and soon after, turned to gravel. Popping out into farmland we once again hit the highway and aimed for camp. We camped at a beachside spot in Pakawau. I had been here once before in the beautiful heat of summer, but this time was different. We hunkered down the hatches and braced our awnings as the storm broke on our tents. Wind and rain continued through the night with some of us getting very little sleep at all. With another storm approaching us from the West Coast, we made for the gap of the Takaka hills and headed east the following morning. Sunshine was on the agenda at Marlborough, and we needed a chance to dry our gear. Camping on the edge of the Wairau River made for a short drive the next day to our next track: the Leatham. This little adventure sees you follow mostly what is just a gravel road, up the Leatham valley and into Bottom Gordons Hut. Reaching the hut, the rain had caught up to us. We get some hot food on the go to warm us up. We had been thoroughly enjoying the hospitality of Shanon from 4X4 Offroad Specialties with his Iron Man camp oven presenting us hot pies each day. Warming up from the food we put the hut in our rear-view mirrors and made our way out.
Worrying we may encounter flash flooding from the amount of rain hitting our trucks we kept the pace up and aimed for the road. Crossing one of the three river crossings on the way out I decided to take a bonus line up a bank. Elliot followed me in his 80 series and soon Sean in his Discovery as well. We all gave it a solid boot up the bank and as Sean did so we all heard the echoing SNAP of something in the front. Metal on metal grinding noises resumed as we winched him out. Seemingly he could still drive it without issue and the assumption was he had snapped an axle shaft or similar. We kept to the main lines from there as we continued our road out and hobbled him to camp. Setting up at Blenheim for the night at Rarangi Camp site was great in the evening. We had more chances to dry our gear. That was, until the wind hit in early evening. Gusts of 80km/h and more were blocked by the trucks as our tents huddled close together. It felt like a refugee camp as there wasn’t a lot of room to move around. A good night’s rest came eventually and the next morning greeted us with sunshine again. Last day of the trip and the Molesworth was on the list. More than 190km of isolated gravel roads would see us through to Hanmer Springs for the night. First though, I wanted to climb a hill. We left Sean’s Land Rover Discovery at the bottom. With only two wheel drive we didn’t want to take it up the 1450m climb of Altimarloch. Elliot also had a fear of heights after an incident on a previous 4WD trip and so leaving his 80 series at the bottom, he rode passenger as well. The peak was phenomenal and the views simply epic. We could see rain slowly covering the land from almost all directions and the crisp smell of snow was on the air. No more than seconds after starting our descent we were pelted with hail stones the size of peas. We could barely hear each other over the UHF radio. The noise was deafening. The storm had caught up to us yet again. The hail stayed steady until the bottom, piling up like snow drifts on the rocks and plants. Taking a right at the bottom of the hill saw us start the Molesworth run. Keeping the speed up was the goal as it kept us ahead of the storm and in the sunshine. It was hard to believe we got this all in the same day. Looking back, the peak of Altimarloch was white with hail as the clouds had parted. The Molesworth was beautiful in every way. Smooth gravel roads as it was the start of the season, made for an amazing venture through this isolated landscape. Before long though we came across another storm. We were first pelted again by hail and then, as if we were driving across a state border, the landscaped changed. It was covered with a fleeting dusting of snow. Large flakes were hitting off the windscreen as we roamed the landscape in awe. Breaking over Jollie’s Pass the snow continued until our descent into Hanmer. What an amazingly diverse day to mark the final stretch of Operation Overland 2023. Camp was set up and we shot down to the local pub for a drink and some hot food. It was nice to not have to cook for once. These adventures always come to an end over a hot meal and some good beer. A huge thanks goes to the sponsors as we were also able to give away $550 worth of vouchers to my Patrons who attended the trip. A $300 voucher for 4X4 Offroad Specialties was handed out, along with a couple of subscriptions to Adventure Guide.
This is only the second year I have run this event and already plans are in the works for the next one. It was one epic adventure that was filled with laughs, stories and jokes as lifelong friendships were made. Thank you to all who helped make this trip happen and thank you to all who attended.
See the entire story on the YouTube Channel 4X4 Monthly NZ.
