Randonauting

In late 2020 I was introduced me to the concept of randonauting. The short version is that you generate a set of random coordinates within a given area and then make an attempt to reach them. Sounds simple! Sounds fun! I’m a big fan of using arbitrarty framing devices to inspire trips, and you can’t get more arbitrary than a randomly generated point. A slightly deeper dive into the idea revealed a community and app built around the idea that when generating your random location the Mind-Matter Interaction channels the intention of the user, ultimately arriving at a meaningful location:

...a large number of random points are applied to the map in the area you select, somewhere around ten thousand (the number varies depending on the radius of the area). Then, through triangulation and other mathematical transformations, areas are calculated in which points are distributed unevenly. It is believed that the uneven distribution occurs due to the MMI effect and creates a causal relationship between the intent of the user and the observation of his manifestation... Since the very appearance of statistically significant deviations in the distribution of points is improbable, we believe that they result from the effect of intention on the source of entropy.

I don’t buy it because it makes no sense, but I do still like the idea. So I wrote my own bit of code to generate a random location for myself.

The Random Point

I limited myself to New Zealand, but in the spirit of the project, I generated a single location, and got

(-43.928, 169.197)

Not only was this in the South Island, but it is pleasantly close to a highway – I guess the Mind-Matter Interaction didn’t want to give me too much of a challenge.

The First Attempt

This location was generated in mid-October 2020, and by January 2021 I had planned a road trip that would take me over the Haast pass and close to my location. I was going to be neceassary to cross the Haast river, but I was optimistic about my chances of getting to the point, and hopefully checking out Mt Thomas while I was at it.

I parked on the side of the highway, right next to the Haast, and started walking early in the morning. As far as I could tell there were four braids to cross. I scrambled down the bank, disturbing a Kereru on the way, and easily crossed the first two. The third was a little deeper but I was comfortable crossing with the help of a stick. The fourth was more substantial than the others combined. I waded barely one meter into the water before deciding that reaching my random location was not worth the downside of drowning. I walked back to the car having made it almost 1km.

Secretly I was just a little happy to have avoided all that bush bashing, but I also knew I’d be back.

The Interlude

Somewhat disheartened by my failed attempt, and now living on the North Island, I took the initiative of generating a second location to provide my life some meaning.

(-41.276, 174.991)

Now I don’t want to claim the Mind-Matter Interaction is real, but not only was this point less than one kilometer from a road, but it was also under 20 kilometers from my house.

Motivated by proximity I only faffed around for a month before heading out to reach this backup point, although I did manage to choose the rainiest day I had experienced in Wellington to do so. Having put in almost no actual planning I was surprised to find a “strictly no vehicle access” sign, but there was a foot track leading from a nearby car park to within 300m of the point, and a trapping line took me a further 100m closer. This Mind-Matter Interation is strong stuff. Once off the trapping line the going was slow due to the density of vines, but I managed to wander up a small stream which ran to within 20m of my location, and eventually I was standing on my random spot – or at least I was within the error on my phone GPS – it was doing its best, but that wasn’t great because I was in a narrow gully.

The Second Attempt

Almost exactly one year after my first attempt I found myself on another West Coast road trip – although to be fair, the lure of the random location was a large part of the reason this was the case. I wasn’t particularly optimistic about my chances, as there had been recent flooding up the West Coast, but as I wandered across the river bed my hopes grew. The river had changed course over the year, so I had to walk about half a kilometer before reaching any water. And it it didn’t even look that deep. Remembering to unclip my pack I began to cross, but only made it a third of the way across before the water was above my waist and only getting deeper. I turned back and tried again further upstream. No luck. I tried again at some rapids even further up. Despite being shallower, the water was (oddly) swifter here. But I did get over two thirds across (the first braid…). I made two more attempts at a deep slow moving spot, but by this point I knew what the result would be. Only slightly disheartened I walked off my frustration on the way back to the car.

The Third Attempt

Having failed to cross the Haast twice, I lost some of my motivation, and didn’t make another attempt for almost three years. In that time I had decided that I was probably going to have to change my approach, and come in over the Mataketake range from the Haast–Paringa Cattle Track. But as I was recovering from covid after Chirstmas 2024 I checked the flowrate of the Haast and it looked pretty good, so I promised my parents I’d make safe decisions and opportunistically made my third attempt to cross the Haast.

Historical flowrate data from flowrate.co.nz

I parked up at Thomas Bluff around 11:30, still not really expecting to get across the Haast. The river had of course changed course again, and the first braid was right up against the bank, but provided no issues to cross. In order to cross the next one I had to head slightly upstream, but still didn’t have much trouble. My anticipation grew slightly each time I made it across, until I realised I was only one small crossing from the other side. I may have been slightly too eager because this one was deep (but slow moving), and my feet came off the ground at one point, but I was across! Just under 5 years from my first attempt.

Looking up the Haast from Thomas Bluff

Instead of heading directly for the random point, I headed across Law flat and up the Thomas River to Thomas River Hut for the night, then headed back downstream to make my actual attempt the next day.

Heading up the Thomas River. The random point is just over the skyline ridge.

I’d had a few thoughts about the best route to take, but opted to head about 2km back down, and try to follow the creek that crosses the track just below the 80m contour. The first 200m walk up this creek was bliss, then it abruptly became steep and I was forced to bush bash up the true left, although the bush was surprisingly open.

Leaving Thomas River to follow this creek. Surely this easy travel will last?

After climbing 500m I sidled around to the next stream across, managing to find a pretty good deer track to lead me through some steep terrain dropping down into it. This stream had some gorgeous pools that I regret not swimming in, but all too soon it forked and became gorgey. I climbed the true right this time, and as I was getting close to the random spot I became nervous that I’d have trouble dropping down into the gorge, so I began trying a bit earlier than intended and stumbled onto an ideal route down, which popped me out almost bang on my spot.

Well worth the effort

The random point was underwhelming. Which shouldn’t really be a surprise. Five years is a long time to try to get somewhere, and I’d almost forgotten that of course there wasn’t anything notable at the spot. I had a short lunch then continued on my way up to the tops, then made excellent time down the spur back to the Haast, and even found a slightly easier route back across the river to the car.

Mission accomplished.

The New Points

Riding the high, I generated not one but two new points – one limited to be within New Zealand:

(-43.7829, 170.706)

and one limited only to landmasses on Earth:

(62.1184, 88.3763)

The first might be relatively easy to reach, but the second might take a while…