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
Day one – The tramp started with a meet up at Wellington train station under a reasonably grey sky. The drive was long, so it was hard to pick what the weather was going to be like when we made it to the start point – but we ended up with rain. Steady slow rain. … Read more
My hopes to complete a circuit in the Kawekas over King’s Birthday weekend were compromised by the ongoing impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle. Without being able to confirm road access or track conditions, we were onto plan B: a delightful off-track adventure in a remote part of Whanganui National Park. However, with heavy rain in the … Read more
Day 1: Shields Flat car park to Field Hut Weather: Humid and no windDOC travel time: 1-3 hrs from Otaki Forks plus 45mins from Shields Flat carparkElapsed Time: 3.38hrs, Time moving: 3.09hrs. Distance: 10.51km, Ascent: 744m, Descent: 158mThe trip was planned for a 4-day Anzac break so that a leisurely pace could be taken around … Read more
Route: Return trip from Kiwi Ranch Road carpark to Joe Gibbs HutWeather: Humid, no windDOC travel time: 8hrs Group time: 9hrs (with 3 stops). While others were at home no doubt preparing for the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, a small group took to the hills on a hut bagging mission to find … Read more