We met at Wellington Train Station at 6:30 am on a sunny Saturday and piled into the club van.
After dropping off the Medium group at Poads Road, we carried on up to the Managahao Top No 1 Reservoir dam.
I was a bit nervous about driving the van, but had been reassured by others that the gravel road was in good condition, and that it’s just “longer than you think.” This was an accurate description. While it’s a bit windy and narrow in places, it was well graded with only a few potholes. It took around 45 mins to drive along the gravel road.
We started walking just before 10 am and it was already quite hot. The track follows the Mangahao River through the forest and while it looks flat on the map, in typical Tararuas fashion, there are several ups and downs along the way. We reached the second swing bridge at 11:30 am and stopped for a snack.
From here the track gets a bit rougher and steeper as it climbs up above some slips, before dropping back down.
At 1 pm we reached the Harris Creek bridge, sweaty but in good spirits and ready for some lunch. 5 hours after we left the van, we reached the river/inland route junction. Knowing there hadn’t been any rain recently, it was an easy choice to go for the river route.
After crossing the river, which was just above knee level, it was a short walk along the riverbank back into the bush. This was a particularly pretty section and we all stopped to admire the gorges. Shout out to Maj-Britt for kindly correcting my navigation after I wandered off the wrong way, oops!
We arrived at the hut at 3:35pm, having not encountered anyone else on the track. It’s a lovely, well-maintained hut overlooking the river, with lots of camping spots. Despite being a relatively short walk from the road end, it’s not well frequented.
Karen contemplated a swim, but decided the river looked too shallow. So instead we made ourselves comfortable in the hut with some Wilderness magazines and hot tea, enjoying the peace and quiet.
Tiffany and James joined us later that evening from the Medium group and we exchanged stories before having an early night.
The next morning it was a straightforward (and slightly quicker) walk out the same way, which we timed perfectly to avoid the afternoon showers.
Overall, it was a great trip to kick start the summer tramping season. Thanks Karen and Maj-Britt for your lovely company and a nice relaxing weekend!
Stats
Day 1: 5 hours 50 minutes (including breaks).
Day 2: 5 hours 30 minutes (including breaks).