Cow Creek Hut

Arete Forks Hut – Tararua Forest Park

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Date: 26-28 May 2023.
Trip type: Tramp(MF).
Location: Tararua Forest Park.
Author: Leo.
Trampers: Tash (leader) Leo, Richard, Nate.

Day 1: Friday Tash, Nate, Richard, and I met at Wellington Train Station and started driving north, stopping in Masterton for sneaky kebabs. With our stomachs (very) satisfied, we continued to the trailhead at Kiriwhakapapa Campsite. As darkness settled in, we donned our tramping gear and headlamps and set off towards Blue Range Hut. The … Read more

Ups and downs to Arete Forks Hut – Tararua Forest Park

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Date: 1-2 April 2023.
Trip type: Tramp (M).
Location: Arete Forks Hut - Tararua Forest Park.
Author: Jamie.
Trampers: Jamie, Anne, Daniel M, JEM.

After months of amping each other up about Carkeek Hut, the time was finally here. Carkeek or bust! In my bundle of excitement I composed a spotify playlist to capture the vital essence of Carkeek and to keep the momentum up. However, as the week wore on, I watched in horror as the weather radars … Read more

Cow Creek Hut Loop with a little navigation

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Date: 26 September.
Trip type: Medium (Day Trip).
Location: Cow Creek Hut, Tararua Forest Park.
Author: Aimee.
Trampers: Gordon, Michael, Jamie and Aimee.

With Wellington returning to Level 1, and club life starting back up again, I was very keen to get out into the bush on a proper club trip. As the week progressed, the forecast dampened my enthusiasm. Not only was there going to be extremely high winds (between 40 and 90km/h on the Saturday and … Read more

Winter Womble to Tararua Tops

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Date: 1-3 June 2018 (Queens Birthday Weekend).
Trip type: Medium-Fit Tramping.
Location: Tararua Forest Park, Kiriwhakapapa Road End.
Author: Aimee.
Trampers: Tony S (leader), Emily S, Marie, Aimee.

All photos taken by Tony S. Tony’s Tarn Ridge trip appealed to me for two reasons. The first being the physical challenge. The trip had an “MF” label that would usually have sent me screaming in the other direction. However, over the past few weeks I had done a number of long day trips and … Read more

Cow Creek

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Date: 28-30 August 2015 .
Trip type: Medium nav tramp.
Location: Tararua Range.
Author: Mike, Eleonora.
Trampers: Debbie Buck (Leader), Eleonora Bello, Mike McGavin .

Mike: It’s Saturday night, before 8pm. I’m hunched below a top bunk of Cow Creek Hut, feeling very well fed and trying to scribble these notes by torchlight.  Debbie and Eleonora are already trying to go to sleep. Debbie’s had the wood-burner going, and it’s toasty enough for me to have switched to a downstairs … Read more

Cow Creek Hut, Tararuas

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Date: 20-21 June 2015.
Trip type: Medium tramp.
Location: Tararua Range.
Author: Emma Myhill.
Trampers: Kevin (leader), Matt, Caryl, Mike, Nick, Emma.

Originally this trip was going to Howlett’s Hut in the Ruahines, but looking at the weather outside on Friday and the forecast ahead, Kevin and the trip leader of the tandem EM group (Garth) made the right decision to postpone and relocate to the Tararuas. After having a pie stop en route (unusual on the … Read more

Cow Creek Hut via Table Ridge

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Date: 27 - 29 March 2015.
Trip type: Medium.
Location: Tararuas.
Author: Stuart.
Trampers: Angie, Andrei, Guillaume, Emily (leader), Stuart.

Day 1 – The Pines to Mitre Flats Hut Our trip began on Friday evening at The Pines, Wairarapa. The advertised trip had been to do the Northern Crossing starting at the Poads Road End, near Levin and ending at The Pines. However, 90 kmh forecast winds on the Saturday evening and Sunday morning meant … Read more

Cow Saddles and the Garden

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Date: 13-14 September 2014.
Trip type: Easy Medium Navigatino Tramp.
Location: Tararuas.
Author: Henry Fisher.
Trampers: Amanda Wells (leader), Henry Fisher, Katy Glenie, Jo Fink, Meena Kadri, Sarah Fisher.

Armed with maps, compasses and lollies, we headed into the hills from the carpark at Kiriwhakapapa (Ethnicity; lit. genealogical skin) with the trip leader, Amanda, to show us what’s what. After following the Old Tram Track up to the first saddle, we settled down to our first lesson in navigation. Instructions were laid down for … Read more

Cow Creek

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Date: 28-29 September 2013.
Trip type: EM.
Location: Tararuas.
Author: Tracey Black.
Trampers: Barbara Keenan, Derek Moore, Grant Floyd, Jo Mackay, Michelle Rich, Paul Crozier, Tim Bruce, Tracey Black (leader).

This was one of those trips that makes you think the grading system really should have an extra category so you can get a feel for how demanding the “EM” is really going to be. Of course you should be able to tell that from looking at a map (note to self…read map more closely … Read more

Hard Yakka Trips and a Return to the Sunny Tararuas

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Date: 28-29 September 2013.
Trip type: MF.
Location: Tararuas.
Author: Marie Henderson.
Trampers: Megan Banks, Marie Henderson, Illona Keenan (leader), Bernard Smithyman.

There are all kinds of hard yakka trips, but to qualify they must test you to breaking point and beyond. A recent trip back in to the sunny Tararuas cracked me. Not so I couldn’t be put back together again, but I definitely did lose it. Hard yakka trips come from my husband Robert. There … Read more