A WORLD AWAY, IN FOUR MINUTES

As much as we would all like to, its not always possible to disappear and escape everyday life for a week or more at a time. Often, you need to cram an escape into a weekend. But where, and how can you get that escape without feeling like you have spent most of your free time travelling or doing prep work? Well, the crew at Heli Sika and the Oamaru river in the central North Island is a top place to start!

The look on Saras face when I explained to her that her Christmas gift consisted of getting dropped off in the bush by helicopter, and two days trout fishing roughly 13km from the nearest flushing toilet was a mix of both fear and complete wonder and I watched as her imaginative brain started drawing mental images. An avid angler it has always been a wish of Saras to catch a trout, and with her high stress career in Real Estate being extra demanding lately, I thought what better place to tick off a trout and cleanse the soul than on the banks of the Oamaru River which forms the boundary of the Kaimaniwa and Kaweka Forest Parks.

Given our time constraints, only having Friday, Saturday and then Sunday morning free we opted to fly into the Oamaru DOC hut with the team at Helisika. I’ve had the pleasure of hanging under the spinning blades a few times now, so I made sure that Sara rode shotgun to take in the incredible view as we had our short four minute flight over Poronui Station to our landing point on the grassy flats in front of Oamaru Hut.

Unfortunately Sara didn’t get much chance to take the sites in, as she was far too busy clawing at the Helicopters interior while the machine ducked and dived in the incredibly turbulent weather we had once again managed to encounter.

Thankfully the pilot knew exactly what he was doing and with slightly shaky legs, we set foot on the flats and began to make our way to our chosen destination only a couple of kilometres further up the valley.

Even in the less-than-ideal weather this place is beautiful. It’s become a part of the country that is special to me, and I only invite those closest to share in the memories this place tends to conjure.

It’s an easy walk sticking to the poled route, the ground is mostly flat and stable, and the few small creek crossings are easily jumped even with my 22kg backpack and a slightly dodgey knee. A good pair of hiking boots is still recommended, no doubt you will be shouldering some weight if you plan on doing a multiple night stay, and on the odd occasion you can be caught out with poor foot placement as you stare at the stunning landscape views in the distance.

Walking along, I watch Sara as she soaked in the sights and sounds, watching a loved one decompress is an incredibly satisfying feeling and this place I find really has that immediate effect. We talk about the Sika deer sign (poop and tracks) we encounter along the way, we watch big brown trout lazily hold their position in the crystal-clear water and laugh at the constantly changing weather that adds to the truly wild feeling of this place as we walk in.

On the flats we find a point that is well clear of the main walking trail, with good wind cover from the prevailing side and its right on the bank of the Oamaru River. In this area, finding a flat site for our small 2 person hiking tent is no great task and we set to creating our home away from home for the next two days. The noise of the river, the sight of the tall ToeToe swaying in the wind and the sight of swallows plucking hatching insects from the water’s surface all provide a stark contrast to Saras daily life in Mount Maunganui and my windowless office, that’s for sure.

Now, the best thing about utilising Heli Sika and ‘avoiding’ the 13km walk through Poronui (as amazing as it is) is that you can afford to be a little indulgent when it comes to food. Normally, my pack is crammed with packets of dehydrated food and mars bars. On this trip however, eye fillet steak, garlic butter, asparagus and nan bread found their place right along side a veritable smorgasbord of quality foods, ready to be cooked over the open fire. For anyone wanting a weekend away with their significant other, trust me… its worth bearing the extra few kg’s of food to make sure everyone is happy, regardless of the weather or fishing success.

Speaking of which, our second day in camp was our main fishing day and of course as per our general luck, it was wet, cold and windy! However, being the trooper that Sara is the wet boots were pulled on regardless and we began stalking the numerous pools that we knew had to hold fish.

Not far from camp we managed to find our way onto a small beach where the river doglegs back onto itself. A series of shallow runs drop into a deep pool, and as the river then turns back on itself, a magical looking underwater seam of stone runs down river bottom for about 30 metres flanked on both sides by beds of river rock. The cream-coloured stone creates a stark contrasting background to the big trout hanging in mid water above. We watch as they periodically move into the main current, white mouths open as they let the river deliver them tasty little morsels, like a waiter at a cocktail party.

As this was Saras first foray into river fishing we opted for two, four-piece travel rods from my friends at Kilwell, on these light rods we had small reels and extremely light braided line which made casting the relatively light bladed lures manageable in the howling wind and rain.

After explaining Trout’s natural tendency to attack anything brightly coloured that gets in their face, Sara tied on a hot pink, Blue Fox bladed lure and began working the river in front of her, all the while cursing the several very visible fish right in front of us who seemingly knew exactly what we were up to.

Not long into the afternoon and I was snapped out of my frustration at trying to do a braid to mono knot in 40 knots of wind by a squeal of excitement and the site of a fat Rainbow leaping several times from the river. Luckly for him, the fishes third jump proved to be successful as the line slackened and the lure came back to the rod tip, minus one fish.

That night, a feed of Venison back strap and salad, with a double strength coffee was a perfect accompaniment to our chat about the wins and losses of the day. All of it really good fun and something we will remember, unlike the short thrill of an amusement ride even terrible weather and lost fish in a place like this become a memory to treasure years after the event.

Drinking, cooking and cleaning are all easy tasks camped by the river, and the sound of the light rain and rushing water over smooth river rock makes for a brilliant nights sleep, even on the thin Thermarest mattress and rock hard pillow made of spare clothes.

The walk back to the Helicopter meeting point was absolutely glorious, serenaded by cicadas the whole way and being drawn in again by the river, as the bright sun and blue skies highlighted several fish. Meeting a group of fellow fishermen and nature lovers on the way out reinforced my regular thought that places like this attract a certain kind of human, my kind of human!

As the helicopter came into view and touched down in front of us, I was excited that this time Sara would get to experience the sights from above as id hope she would be able to. Banking around to the right our pilot pointed out several fish tucked behind a fallen tree which led me to start doing mental arithmetic of when I might be able to find a short window to get back here.

Just because you don’t have a whole week spare. Or just because you may not be overly experienced with a ‘properly wild’ situation away from the comforts of a DOC campground. Just because you are roughing it, doesn’t mean you can’t eat like a king.

And, just because one of your brand new hiking boots accidentally gets burnt to ashes on the fire, doesn’t mean you’re stuck in the bush…. Oh oops, sorry Sara, I promised I wouldn’t bring that up didn’t I?

If you have a day or two, give Heli Sika a call and head to the flats of Oamaru for a quick but incredibly invigorating break. While you’re there, respect the land, fish and other wildlife and just enjoy being a part of nature. The real world can wait.