Disembarking from the Friday afternoon ferry to Picton, we drove to Onamalutu Scenic Reserve campsite along with the Medium group and had a cool, but peaceful, night’s sleep under the trees (campsite fee $10 cash per person). The Medium group had a much longer day ahead of them, so we packed up and left Onamalutu … Read more
The snows of Mt Titiroa A climb to the summit of Mt Titiroa – the snowy appearance is white granite sand. We had just come off the South Coast Track after a trip into Westies Hut in Fiordland National Park, and after a quick stop in Tuatapere to restock we ended up in a caravan at … Read more
Richmond Range Traverse – Nelson to St Arnaud “Am I going the right way to St Arnaud?” I am suddenly alarmed as I look around to hear where this voice is coming from and find a Te Araroa (TA) walker who I had last seen many hours ago speeding away from Porters Hut … Now he … Read more
We left Wellington Train Station at 4pm on Friday and drove to our accommodation for the night at Te Wera Valley Lodge (www.tewera-lodge.co.nz) located on a remote road called the Forgotten World Highway – about 37km from Stratford. It was a very cold winter night and we arrived at 9.15pm. We were the only guests … Read more
As the medium (M) group had cancelled their trip to Triangle Hut, the 5 of us had the van to ourselves and decided to leave on Saturday morning instead of Friday night. We left the Railway Station at 8.30am, and after a coffee stop in Shannon we set off from the Renfrew Rd carpark at … Read more
I had my sights set on the Karapoti Rata for a while. The largest rata tree in New Zealand, and even the world? Just 30 minutes drive and a short scramble away from Wellington? I had to see it. Five of us were meeting at 7.50am at the train station, and when I pulled in … Read more
We set off on a beautiful fine day and parked at no 2 reservoir, located at the end of Mangahao Rd, near Shannon. Be prepared to take care on the drive there, as the road is very windy and gravelly—a 4WD isn’t necessary, but would definitely be the preferred option if available. The track starts … Read more
Saturday By the time we pulled up at The Pines at 9am on Saturday morning, there was a stunning, but chilly, forecast for the following two days- with no wind. Yes, you read that correctly…no wind in the Tararuas! The Waingāwa Valley was clagged in, so we set off with not much faith in the … Read more
What a trip, what a weekend, what a day! We had a wonderfully smooth sail on the Interislander, and used the time to scour our maps and discuss where we would go! It’s a wonderful feeling to pour over topo maps and evaluate track options when possibilities abound! So exciting! We had been informed by … Read more
Day 1 – It was a beautiful crisp start to the day as we departed Wellington Train Station at 8 am. We made our way to Carterton and then on to the Waingawa entrance of Tararua Forest Park. We started walking at 11.45 am and had a well-paced walk with plenty of breaks and snacks. … Read more