“On a Mish” #97 My Hip and the Havelock Valley (Part Three). Havelock Valley. Hakatere Conservation Park.19.5.2020. Having something taken away is a good way to find out if you really love that very thing. Initially I lost my mobility when my hip was mangled by a fridge door. But before I could really start feeling sorry for myself, everyone was sent home, and remained there for more than a month. That is why, as soon as the Covid restrictions were lifted, my cousin and I headed west with only outdoor adventures on our minds…
With many trucks bearing down on our location (Growler Hut), we decided to push on. We had all of our camping gear anyway and, ironically, we wanted to be by ourselves, even after the weeks of Covid lockdowns! Eventually we settled on finding some flat ground near the aptly named ‘Camp Creek’. With the valley in complete darkness, we called it a day and retreated to our sleeping quarters.
Early-ish the next day we were up checking out where we had got ourselves to. A still day with a clear sunrise got us up and ready for more. But before we could go anywhere, we needed a meal in our stomachs. It was while we ate that we discussed how far up the valley we should go. At this stage we were confident we could make it all of the way up to Mistake Flat Hut. However, after around twenty minutes of driving we hit the rocks of Carneys Creek.
On the map the track disappears into the stones, rocks and boulders of the Carney Creek riverbed. Although it looked flat it was anything but. The sentence ‘it’s just over there’ was used many times as we got so close to the other side, only to be turned back and forced to look for another way through the rubble. The bouncing was really getting to my hip, so I decided to walk most of the riverbed to avoid repetitively bashing my hip and back. As frustrating as it was, the stunning scenery made up for the many missteps.
Eventually we bounced our way onto the other side of the riverbed. The difference was like night and day once we were on the flat ground beyond the rocky mess. We had lost a lot of time negotiating Carneys Creek and our goal seemed to be getting further from us as the day rolled on. After getting out of the riverbed we went from creeping along in first gear to second and even third gear, as we regained the track and pushed further on towards the hut at Mistake Flat.
Our plan of winging it meant we didn’t ‘have to’ reach Mistake Flat, and with my hip saying stop we decided to check out a possible camping spot up near a big waterfall. The small ledge looked perfect for camping, with a grand view of the valley to match the epic-ness of the waterfall. At the western end of the plateau there was what looked like a 4WD track leading up to the grassy flat.
After gaining the ground above the valley we looked around for a place to pitch my tent and chill. What looked innocent enough was actually a trap. Hidden amongst the grasses was a large rock and after driving over it the Jimny was put into a precarious position. A large thud was then followed by the sound of the wheels spinning in the air. We were mid Havelock Valley with no one else around us, and now our way back home was bellied up on a big rock with three of its four wheels spinning in the air… oh dear!
