A club trip to Lewis Pass in Canterbury was initially scheduled for Matariki Weekend. That changed on 21 June, when the ferry, Aratere, ran aground – so our sailing to Picton was cancelled and we were unable to secure another booking at a suitable time.
We scouted around for other trip ideas for the weekend – Te Puia Lodge and the hot pools looked promising for a while, until there was heavy rain in Hawke’s Bay (which made the ford unpassable). By now it was Tuesday (25 June). Then Harry suggested Mackintosh Hut in the Kawekas. The weather looked promising, so it was all on.
Five of us met at Wellington Railway Station on the Friday morning and departed in the club van by 7:45am. We travelled via SH1, with a stop at Brown Sugar Cafe in Taihape for coffee, and then headed east on the Taihape-Napier road. It’s a long winding road with pleasant hills and rivers. We paused briefly at the road end to change and then posed for a pre-trip picture.
The track beyond the gate at the road end is flat for about 500m and then descends steeply to the Tutaekuri River. The river was running high and there’s a sturdy, one-sided, bridge to get across it. Then there is a stiff climb out of the valley. The track is shown on the map as following the river for a few hundred meters, and then turning uphill. However, there has been a slip and the well marked diversion now goes steeply up the hill. We found the diversion and managed to scramble up the slope. Then the track eased off and we finished with a pleasant walk to the hut.
Although there was evidence of recent rain, the track was not boggy and we made good time.
Mackintosh Hut is an 8-bunk hut set in a pleasant bush clearing.
There was already a family group there and with a little shuffling (and Harry sleeping in his tent) there was room for us all. Dinner was quinoa and chickpeas and we settled in for an early night.
The weather forecast for the Saturday was overcast, with possible showers. This was good enough for us to venture up Mackintosh Spur towards Studholme Saddle, with the intention of going as far as time and motivation permitted. This is a climb passing through pine forest and bush, with occasional views over Hawke’s Bay.
On our way, we observed some interesting growths on the trees – Orange Button Jelly Fungus.
Although the weather in the bay looked good, that wasn’t the direction we were heading – there were ominous dark clouds directly ahead of us. We turned back at differing points, with Jane and Rory making it most of the way to the saddle, and all of us having an enjoyable walk.
Dinner for the night was satay noodles. This was very well received – the secret is in how well the vegetables were cut up, and in the extra cashew nuts that we added to the recipe. Again, there were other family groups in the hut, but we all fitted in and most of us had a good night’s sleep.
Sunday dawned a cold but fine day. We had been discussing whether to return via the Kaweka Lakes track or back the way we’d come. Initially, we were keen to avoid the steep descent of the slope we’d climbed on our inward walk. However, another party had taken about 6 hours on the Lakes track and been in water up to their waists. Also, scratched on the Lakes track sign was a warning: ‘track is f****d’. So, as discretion is the better part of valour, we decided to return the way we had come.
To make up for the shorter walk back, we opted to stop at the nearby Lakes car park and walk to the lake. This was a short (one hour return) walk down to the water’s edge, with a good view across one of the lakes. As can be seen in the photo below, there was evidence of recent rain.
We decided to drive back to Wellington via SH2, with a stop at the Paper Mulberry cafe on the way. The eastern stretch of the Taihape-Napier road was shorter and there were sections of the road down to one lane due to wash-outs. We also saw many soggy or inundated paddocks as a result of the rain.
Overall, although we did not make it to Lewis Pass, the trip was a good easy-medium tramp – with good weather, a warm hut, great food and good company. It was great to be in the bush for 3 days!
Times
– Wellington to car park 5hr 15 min (including a coffee stop)
– Car park to Mackintosh Hut – 2hr 20min
– Mackintosh Hut to car park – 2hr 15min
– Car park to Wellington 5hr 30min (including a coffee stop)