We gathered at the train station on Friday afternoon and piled into the van, greeted by Sophie who was co-leading the medium group with her human, Sara. She was clearly ready to have the best weekend ever and spent most of the trip up touring the van for pats.
We stopped for dinner at the secret Holdsworth pizza place, otherwise known as the Watermill Bakery, where I swiftly demolished a margherita pizza (some of the more measured members of the group saved a few slices for breakfast the next day).
We then headed up the road to the Holdsworth campsite, where we pitched our tents and turned in for the night.
Saturday
The next morning, the medium group headed off early, bound for Mid Waiohine Hut. The easy-medium crew had a more leisurely start to the day, ambling up the valley to Atiwhakatu Hut. Beware of the slip partway up the track. There is a track along the bottom to bypass it, but it’s easy to miss – which led to us engaging in an unnecessarily adventurous climb up the near-vertical slip, and then some bush-bashing, before we found our way back to the main track. I will claim responsibility for the unnecessary detour, as I was leading the way at the time! My ego was soothed by other groups at Atiwhakatu Hut, that reported that they’d made the same mistake.
We stopped for lunch at Atiwhakatu Hut and then began the slog up Raingauge Spur to Jumbo Hut.
And a slog it was, with a gain of 714 m over 2.26 km. Partway up I was heard to plaintively wonder if the builders of this track had ever heard of a switchback, because there certainly was no evidence of it. The excessively optimistic DOC sign at the base of the track promised 1 hour to Jumbo Hut. However, with a few water & sugar stops, we made it to the very welcome sight of Jumbo Hut in about 2 1/2 hours.
After some chill time, a cup of tea and a few games of cards, the Hut gradually filled up and we (i.e. chefs Elizabeth and Amrita) got started on dinner. Jumbo Hut does have its own gas cookers, but they’re not the most powerful, so it’s worthwhile bringing your own as a backup.
Soon we were tucking into a delicious smoked salmon & cream cheese pasta, which appeared to be the envy of the other hut inhabitants (though perhaps not the couple who’d toted up a marinated steak & fresh salad!) After dinner we retreated to our bunks to chat and read our books before an early night.
Sunday
After a windy Saturday night, Sunday dawned still and clear, and I crept out of my bunk at 6.30 am to nab a few sunrise pics.
The tentative plan had been to complete the Jumbo-Holdsworth circuit via Powell Hut. However, with our plan to meet the medium group back at the van at 2 pm, timing would have been tight. It was therefore decided, after a quick detour up to Jumbo Peak, to head back down the way we had come.
We packed up after breakfast and left our packs at the hut to climb up Jumbo Peak. It’s about 30 mins from the Jumbo Hut and a very worthwhile side trip.
We then headed back down to Jumbo Hut, grabbed our packs and started the climb back down the spur via a lovely Tararua goblin forest.
We made it back to the Holdsworth campsite without incident (managing to locate the correct slip bypass track this time!) and seeing that the medium group had not yet arrived, we went to soak our tired feet in the river on what was a scorching Wairarapa afternoon.
Eventually the medium crew trudged into the campground and, after a quick river paddle of their own, we all (including a much more subdued Sophie!) loaded into the van and headed back into Wellington. On the way back we stopped for a real fruit ice cream in Greytown – the perfect ending to a sunny weekend in the Tararuas.