Thompsons Track runs across the Kaimai ranges from Te Aroha to Katikati. It's about 10km long. The Te Aroha side is maintained, and the Katikati side is a series of bog holes. I'd heard of a number of solo vehicles getting trapped recently - a Nissan Terrano abandoned in a boghole for 2 days - a Toyota Hilux with two winches stuck sideways in a bog - with both winches burnt out. A run organised by another club was abandoned and a retreat called just a few months before we decided to have a good look. It's getting a bit of a reputation.

There were five of us, Tim in his 101. Garry in his series 3 with twin lockers, Ian in a Range Rover, Brian in his Series modified and me. We left Auckland at 6:30 am, getting started on the Te Aroha side of track at about 9 am.

The first side of the track is fairly uneventful, a gentle climb, muddy in places, but no problems for anyone. At the top we stopped to admire the view, and began the descent.

The first kilometre or two were uneventful - there were tractor tracks and fresh marks from a earthmoving bucket, which we speculated had been hired to come in a pull the Toyota out. This suspicion seemed to be confirmed by the way the tracks stopped at the first big boghole. A lot of fresh spoil had been pushed into the hole, which was quite straightforward to drive (picture above)

The second boghole proved quite a challenge. It had two possible routes - through the hole, or on the upper side was a bank that (if you squinted) almost looked like it could be driveable with some spadework. Tim was in front, and decided (with a bit of prodding) to try the boghole. We checked the depth of the hole - it looked like about 3 feet deep. At the far eand was a very steep exit - probably about a 5 to 6 foot climb in all. On his first attempt, Tim got through the boghole, and the front wheels up on the bank. The exit was even steeper that we thought! He backed up and tried again a few more times. Then, his motor cut out, leaving him parked in a very deep bog. His winch is engine driven, so was not much use either.

He began working on the engine, and we went to have a look at the feasibility of driving the bank on the right. It was very narrow, and had a steep slide off to the left - into the bog. If you slid, you would end up on your side in the bog. At the far end was a platform which would require some commitment to drive off to avoid a roll. Garry thought it was drivable, I wasn't so sure. He manouvered to have a go, while we shovelled away the bank to expand the track. As he winched up the first bank the rear of his wagon slid to the left. If he carried on winching, his wagon was going to slide more. We tried cutting ruts for his tyres to go in, but it wasn't much help. We rigged my winch through a snatch block directly to the right hand side of him and dragged the back of his vehicle back onto the "track". Then we were able to winch him forward, and then he drove off the edge of the platform and bounced across to the hard ground in front of the mudhole. Now he could try winching Tim! At this point Tim's motor started going again, and between the two of them, they winched Tim through.

Next, I followed Garrys path around to the right, also requiring two winches to avoid sliding. I dropped off the platform OK, but instead of making it all the way through to the solid ground on the left, I dropped into a rut in the middle and had to be snatched out by Tim.

Ian and Brian also came through the ledge on the right. I winched Ian up, and Brian managed not to slide to the left like everyone else. Just as well, because there was no-one else behind him to winch him sideways. So after only two hours, we were all through.

There are four or five more serious bogholes on this track, and a whole more that can be driven if you take the right line. In one, we had to join two strechy ropes together for a 15m pull. Ian stuck a rolled up magazine in the join to make sure they would separate. They couldn't be! A piece of hardwood is much better than a magazine in that situation.

We eventually reached the carpark at the other end of the track at about 6pm. As we headed off, there was a smell of burning rubber. Both Ian and Brian stopped to check their trucks, it turned out that a rear spring on Ians Range Rover had popped out and was rubbbing against his tyre. We lifted the Range Rover up with my hi-lift jack and Tim "adjusted" the spring (with his boot.)

Problems: None for me, others had mainly electrical and overheating from the mud and water.

Mud trip checklist

• mud tyres with tubes
• wading plug
• radiator blind
• 20 litre spare water (cleaning radiators)
• check the winch
• groundsheet
• gumboots
• toolbox
• axe
• chainsaw
• spare fuel
• spare oils

Recovery gear

• stretchy strop
• shackles
• pulley blocks
• hi-lift jack
• tree strops
• winch extension strop
• shovel
• ground anchor