Neill Forks Hut

Maungahuka Hut – a tramp with a different purpose

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Date: 7-9 December 2022.
Trip type: Tramp(MF).
Location: Totara Flats Hut, Neill Forks Hut, Maungahuka Hut, Tararua Forest Park.
Author: Sarah F.
Trampers: Sarah F and Tony G.

Maungahuka Hut is my favourite Tararua hut, and the hut that inspired my tramping journey (see my report here on why). So when Tony and I heard from Derrick Field, from Greater Wellington Backcountry Network (GWBN), that Maungahuka Hut needed the tap to be fixed after months of being broken, and a new hut book, … Read more

Neill Forks Haikus

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Date: 14-15th May.
Trip type: Tramp: Medium.
Location: Neill Forks hut, Tararua Forest Park.
Author: Emily, Caryl, Jo, Lynsey, Luke.
Trampers: Emily (leader), Caryl, Jo, Lynsey, Luke.

Tararua Goblin Forest. Photo Lynsey.

The forecast was for rain and wind in the Tararua but we had no unbridged river crossings and only a very short section of exposed tops so we set off on Plan A to reach Neill Forks hut from Waiohine Gorge road end, via Cone, Neill Peak and the unmarked spur NE down to the … Read more

Maungahuka Loop

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Date: 22 - 24 Jan 2022.
Trip type: Tramp: Medium-Fit.
Location: Tararua Forest Park.
Author: Daniel M.
Trampers: Jamie, Amy-Louise, Eoin, Dan.

Sunrise at Maungahuka Hut

Our group of four decided to take advantage of the long Wellington Anniversary weekend to get up onto the Main Range of the Tararuas. Starting (and finishing) at Holdsworth carpark, we’d gain the Main Range via Powell Hut, Mid Waiohine Hut and finally a climb up onto Aokaparangi, before traversing the Main Range to Maungahuka … Read more

Aokaparangi Loop

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Date: 12th to 14th April, 2019.
Trip type: Medium fit tramp.
Location: Tararua Forest Park.
Author: Henry Fisher.
Trampers: Tereza Bublikova, Shauna McAuley, Julian Dunster, Emily Fifield, Gareth Robinson, Henry Fisher (leader).

Aokaparangi

INTRODUCTION This route is one of the few opportunities to make a weekend loop from Holdsworth that gets you onto the stunning middle range of the Tararua Ranges. It does, however, require quite a bit of effort to make it work, with multiple steep climbs and descents, and with Powell Hut currently out of commission … Read more

Neill Forks via Makaka Spur

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Date: 18-20 August 2017.
Trip type: Medium-Fit Tramping.
Location: Neill Forks Hut, Tararua Ranges.
Author: Fiona.
Trampers: Illona (leader), Amanda, Tony, Jessie, Tereza, Fiona.

We set of from Waiohine Gorge road end on Friday night for Cone hut. Our original plan was to navigate to Jak Flats biv North of Mid-Waiohine hut but the heavy rain and wind forecast for Sunday wasn’t conducive to tops travel so we reshuffled it to Neill Forks via some navigation up from the … Read more

Mountainless Snow

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Date: 3 - 5 October 2014.
Trip type: Medium Tramp.
Location: Tararuas.
Author: Katy Glenie.
Trampers: Debbie Buck (leader), Katy Glenie, Spencer Clubb, WeiMin Ren, Sam Thornton.

Off we set into the Tararuas, ably skirting the rock fall on the access road and fording the Waiohine via an outlandishly large swing bridge. Our amble along the tops via Cone was a rare treat of good visibility and only the lightest zephyr of a breeze. Views from Cone extended from the Tararua Peaks … Read more

Oatmeal for the Soul

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Date: 29-31 July 2011.
Trip type: MF Trip.
Location: Neill Forks.
Author: Ian Harrison.
Trampers: Amanda Wells (leader), Kate Cushing, Megan Banks, Sharon Brandford, Paul Christoffel, Ian Harrison.

I grew up happily located between Kahurangi and Abel Tasman National Parks. As a youngster tramping for me was an enviable choice between silver beech in the hills or golden beach on the coast. So naturally, when I first moved to Wellington I looked down my nose at the Tararuas. A fellow Mainlander, John Pascoe, … Read more