Aborted Southern Crossing; Alpha Hut via Marchant Ridge. Return to Kaitoke via Omega Track and Tutuwai Hut

I have been keen to complete the Southern Crossing after visiting Kime Hut in the snow last year. We had two groups completing the Southern Crossing; one from Otaki Forks to Kaitoke starting Friday afternoon, the other from Kaitoke to Otaki Forks starting first thing Saturday morning. I liked the concept of an early start … Read more

Te Matawai Hut

Te-Matawai-Hut

On the Saturday morning at 7.30 am six still half-asleep but excited punters met at the train station and set off in the van making our way slowly to the Poads Road end to start our walk. The beauty about leaving at an early time on a Saturday morning is that there is no traffic … Read more

Carkeek Ridge (and Carkeek Hut)

Descending Carkeek Ridge in the Tararua Range

I have been determinedly Tararua hut-bagging for a couple of years now, having realised I’d haphazardly visited about three quarters of them. Carkeek Hut is one of the most difficult to get to being right in the middle of the range with no DoC-maintained tracks to it. I was waiting for a good weather weekend … Read more

Alpha Hut via Quoin Ridge

Quion Ridge

I had never been to Hutt Forks in the Tararua Forest Park so I was interested when I saw that this trip to Alpha Hut would go there on the way.  I didn’t know much about Quoin Ridge but it didn’t look too bad on the map. Tash had to pull out of leading so … Read more

Broken Axe Pinnacles day walk

Broken Axe Pinnacles

We arrived at the Holdsworth carpark at 8 am just in time to see the full moon setting below the western hills. Twelve hours later on the ridge between Jumbo and Mt Holdsworth we saw a blood-red full moon rise slowly above the eastern horizon. In between we enjoyed a glorious Tararua early-winter day travelling … Read more

Broken Axe Pinnacles

I was a bit concerned about the weather and this trip certainly had a reputation (as I had been told that the last Club attempt at the Pinnacles resulted in a trip turn-around due to weather). Nevertheless, once the trip was organised and food allocated, we met up at the train station on Friday night … Read more

Jumbo Holdsworth Tramp – Powell Hut (EM)

We all met at Platform 9 at 8.00am on Saturday, a delayed start from Friday night due to a running race being held on the Holdsworth Track. We also changed our route plan, missing Jumbo Hut, so as to avoid the ridge on Sunday. The weather looked good as we headed to the Wairarapa onto … Read more

Waiopehu Hut

We departed on Saturday morning from the Railway Station at 8am with a glorious day ahead of us. This was despite the small accident my water bladder had on the front passenger seat of the van. We stopped for water filling/coffee in Levin, and we also went on a tiki tour of farm land around … Read more

Mangahao Muddy Meandering

An early Saturday morning meet up (7am) and we headed off up the coast turning onto SH57 at the south of Shannon. A gravel road for the last 40 minutes or so to upper Mangahao Dam, the back seaters started to feel woozy and we were relieved to park up and get going on a … Read more

Blue Skies for Blue Range

This was a sunny Sunday day trip into the Tararuas. We had a late start (due to Aimee arriving late with the van!) So after asking my team to be at the Railway Station at 8am sharp, I made them wait for 15 minutes. But we were on the road by 8.15am, and it was … Read more