Trip Leader Sally picked up our group with the van at Wellington Train Station Platform 9, along with the three trampers from the Medium Fit (MF) group. Our crew of eleven started our journey departing at about 4:30pm, encountering a decent bit of traffic on our way north. We stopped for dinner in Bulls to enjoy some kebabs and continued on as it got darker. Our driver expertly dodged both a duck and possum on the way to the campsite. As it got darker, we decided to camp at the closer Kuripapango campsite and we arrived around 10pm. The campsite was large and was relatively crowded. It was a quiet, calm night with a beautiful view of the stars.
After a pleasant night, the whole group packed up and had breakfast. We departed at 7.30am to allow the MF group to hit the trail early. We drove about 15 minutes to the Lake Carpark start. Of note, we passed another, smaller campsite on the way there that seemed very quiet. This could be a potential option in the future if the larger one is too full. Once we arrived, we said goodbye to the three other hikers and then started our own trek at about 8.00am.
It was a lovely day with clear skies and good views. We headed up Kuripapango on our way to Kiwi Saddle Hut, and took a small break at a peak junction around 10.30am. We chatted with some other hikers, who told us about the good views a wee bit down the Cameron route, so we detoured briefly to see that. At 10.50am after some snacks and rest, we continued on, and got some really excellent views of Mt Ruapehu and Mt Ngauruhoe, finishing at Kiwi Saddle Hut around 12.40pm. We had the hut to ourselves. A few decided to tent but the rest stayed in the hut. We all relaxed, enjoying reading, napping, or knitting. There was cell service at the hut, surprisingly!
We had an excellent tagine dinner prepared by Ashley and India – definitely no leftovers! The fudge oreos were popular as well. Afterwards, Maj-Britt led us to watch the sunset at 8.30pm just up over the hill, which was truly lovely. Sally checked the weather and the wind was supposed to pick up quite a bit in the afternoon, so we amended our plans to leave a bit earlier. We all headed to bed.
The next morning, we departed Kiwi Saddle Hut at 8.00am. On our way to Studholme Saddle Hut, we had excellent views but the wind was indeed making its presence known. We hustled to get down to the bush quickly, and stopped for a break (10.00-10.20am) at Castle Camp. Of course, we had to check out the thunder box! Marcel found a giant earthworm and we saw a variety of different mushrooms. We continued on, reaching Mt Kaiarahi at 11.15am, and then navigated a tricky steep gravel slip down to Studholme Saddle Hut, which is an adorably bright orange.
On the way though, we encountered a hunter’s shelter featuring a toilet with a view.
We arrived at Studholme Saddle Hut at 12.15pm and again had the hut to ourselves. Another camper showed off her awesome hammock/tent. Four of us stayed in the hut while the rest tented. Rachel found a mouse in her pack.
Intrepid (hardcore) Ashley and Bevan hiked to Kaweka J, which was about a three-hour round trip, while the rest of us continued our reading, napping, and knitting relaxations. A few went to check out the old hut site. Indeed, Studholme Saddle Hut was relocated in April 2025 after erosion damage, and it was obvious the old location was definitely at risk. Around 6.00pm, we all had our meals and then headed to bed at around 8.00pm. It was another clear cool night, with excellent views of the stars.
The last day was our longest, and we didn’t want to keep the other group waiting, so we departed promptly at 8.00am. We backtracked up the steep gravel slope to Mt Kaiarahi, arriving there just before 9.00am. It was a bit windier and overcast, but the views were still wonderful. We took the Rogue Ridge Route back down to the Lakes Carpark. This was an enjoyable ridge walk that had brief wooded breaks and had a mix of ups and downs. There were a few spots where more experienced members had to figure out the right path, but ultimately we didn’t have much difficulty navigating. Our final descent to the carpark was in the woods, which made the downhill portion better (minimal gravel). We reached the river at the bottom, crossed it, and then had a constant uphill trek to get to our van. We met the other team almost on time (they beat us by 15 minutes!) We then departed to Wellington, stopping again in Taihape for hot pies and ice creams. Unfortunately, there was road congestion, so we did sit in traffic a bit, but entertained ourselves by playing the ‘Alphabet’ game, and we arrived safely back at the train station around 6.45pm.
We all agreed that this was a fabulous trip – excellent group of people, great hiking with excellent views and terrain, and wonderful clear weather! What more could you ask for?
Ashley kindly shared her stats from the trip: (times are inclusive of any breaks/rests)
Day 1: 7.96km, Elevation Gain: 823m, Elapsed Time: 4h 22 mins
Day 2: 7.73km, Elevation Gain: 565m, Elapsed Time: 4h 19 mins
Day 3: 9.13km, Elevation Gain: 309m, Elapsed Time: 4h 9 mins