The Cheval Kid crossing the Te Hekenga cheval. Tiraha is to the right and Sawtooth Ridge stretches left. Photo: Peter Laurenson

Curves with teeth

November 2017

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November 2017

Four sunny days on the Ruahine tops, swimming in tarns and traversing knife-edge ridges.

After a steep scramble, we reached a small platform, beyond which was our crux – a narrow, exposed and broken knife-edge (a cheval), leading to the summit of Te Hekenga. With our packs on and no rope, our resolve started to dissolve. “Just pop out there for a photo, Pete,” Joe suggested. “We can’t retreat […]
November 2017

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November 2017

Peter Laurenson

About the author

Peter Laurenson

Peter is a tramper, occasional climber, photographer, editor and writer. His adventures, spanning 30+ years, come together on his website ‘OccasionalClimber’. Richmond-based, Peter is editor of FMC’s Backcountry and has published three books: Occasional Climber (2013) and Khumbu (2021) and Aotearoa Light (2025).

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