Day 1: Poads Rd to Te Matawai Hut (31st Dec)
Poads rd to Waiopehu: 5h
Waiopehu to Te Matawai: 4h
We met at 8am at Ōtaki Forks, left a car there and drove up to Poads Road. It was 9am and already pretty hot when we started heading up Waiopehu track, which was suspiciously dry. After a few breaks and lunch on the track, we made it to Waiopehu hut, took in the views of the coast and refilled with water. As we started towards Te Matawai hut, we had more great views of the range, spotting our route for the next day, and some of the summits – Lancaster, Mt Crawford… We also spotted not one, but two crosses marking the grave of Ralph Wood. Who was he though? How did he die? Did he love the hills? And why two crosses? We read later than one might mark where he died, and the other where he was buried.
After going up, and down, and up, and down, and more up and more down, we started having deceptive visions of the hut that turned out to just be dead trees. As we inched closer to the hut, we particularly enjoyed going over an unexpected bonus saddle: more down and up again, how delightful! Finally, we got to the hut – after a whopping 1673m elevation gain for the day. We were pleased to find a few spare bunks amongst the many TA walkers – confirming that restricting numbers on this trip was a good call. After toasting the end of our day with mugs of electrolytes, we had a satisfying dinner – homemade dehy bolognese pasta with courgettes, and a bite of chocolate.
Between two bites, we confirmed the rumours heard on the track: water running out at Dracophyllum Hut and no water at our next stop, Nichols Hut. A long conversation followed – would we carry on as planned? Visit Arete Hut and head back down to South Ohau hut? For a second the group even considered an in and out trip to Carkeek. In the end, we decided to walk to Drac. If there was water there, we would refill and walk to Nichols. If not, we would back track to Te Matawai. Having made plans, we crawled into our sleeping bags and the hut went quiet at 9pm, closing on 2022.
Day 2: Te Matawai hut to Nichols (1st Jan)
Te Matawai to Pukematawai: 2hr
Pukematawai to Dracophyllum: 3h
Drac to Nichols: 4.5h
We left the hut early, 7.15am, in between several groups of TA walkers. The walk up to Pukematawai was a good warm up for the day, gaining about 500m elevation. Visibility was low, and the wind and mist very cold – so we ditched the idea of a side trip to Arete and saved our energy for the day ahead. The TA walkers had described a soul destroying track for the first few hours – while it was not easy we found it pleasant. As we dropped back down out of the clouds the conditions improved, the track was dry and the views of the range stunning. Others on the track didn’t enjoy it as much though, and we suddenly heard loud screams in front of us. One of the TA walkers ahead of us was having a bit of a moment, swearing and throwing their walking poles to the ground. “J’en ai marre, p****!” she howled. The mighty Tararuas had the better of her and she was fed up.
A few minor navigational errors and many ups and downs later, we arrived in good spirits at Dracophyllum in time for lunch, where Monique quietly bagged her 200th hut and Tash relaxed in a cosy camping chair found in a corner. We tipped the tank just enough to somewhat top up our water, before heading off again.
As we continued onwards to Nichols, the TA walker – nicknamed Gooseberry for the occasion – had a couple more outbursts, breaking the monotony of the walk and providing entertaining material for discussion. It was obvious that her friend had a crush on one of the boys they were walking with – was Gooseberry fed up with this love triangle?
Most importantly, we slowly made our way South along the ridge, keeping an eye on the adjacent spur, conducting a long distance reccy of possible, creative routes to Carkeek hut. While some of us could hear the longing call of the most remote hut in the Tararuas and dreamed outloud to make it there one day, others declared it would “not happen over [their] dead bodies” (sic).
The rest of the afternoon went by with more ups and more downs, and more ups and more downs. Eventually, we made it to the top of Nichols Peak and looked back at the amazing views of the ridgeline we had spent the day on, what a way to start the new year! 16km and about 1200m elevation gain, as we found out later.
As expected, Nichols Hut was also full of TA walkers. We squeezed 10 inside on 6 bunks + floor, and two tents were set up outside. After asking a stranger if we could have one person sharing his tent (“Sure. I wonder what my wife would say.”). We reverted back to Jamie and Tash sleeping in our own tent, Monique on a bunk with some “TA NOBOs”, and Anne on the floor.
Unlike expected, there was actually water at the hut! All of this for that. We happily made cups of tea and had our dehy meals, before laying down for a well deserved night of sleep.
Day 3: Nichols to Waitewaewae Hut
Nichols to Junction Knob: 2h
Return trip to Anderson Memorial: under 2h
Walk from Junction to Waitewaewae: 3.5h at a cruisy pace
Today was the day our “Mini SK” officially turned into a section of the TA. We had agreed the night before that our planned third day was a tad too ambitious. We weren’t as fast as we thought we would be, it could take 11 or 12h to get to Maungahuka, which was a bit more than we had hoped for. That and a pair of sore knees in the party convinced us to take the shorter, easier route out. We left the hut before 8 and headed up to Mt Crawford in the clouds – no views this time. We then quickly made our way along the ridge to Junction Knob – and found the track easier to travel than the day before, although more exposed.
We ditched some gear there and headed down for a side trip to Anderson Memorial Hut. It was misty and visibility was low, but almost no wind. We finally found some authentic Tararua mud as we made our way to the cute Anderson Memorial hut, tucked into the side of the ridge, sheltered from the elements. The hut is well appointed and we made full use of the amenities, using the surprisingly clean hut kettle for a cuppa and having a first lunch away from the mist. We then headed back to the junction for a second lunch, spotting nice flowers on the way, including lovely edelweiss covered by droplets of rain.
The weather started to clear, and we caught glimpses of Kapiti Island, and Te Waipounamu/ the South Island below the low clouds. The descent to Waitewaewae wasn’t as bad as expected, despite going straight down 1000m elevation. We gently made our way down taking regular breaks and discussing our respective family histories, sexism, and tramping hygiene. Anne’s calves were dark enough to look like a fake tan gone wrong, and the skin under the multiple layers of sweat, sunscreen and dust seemed like it would never be seen again. Was it acceptable given the conditions? Where should one draw the line when it comes to layers of dirt? Should deodorant be carried on tramps, or not?
We finally made it to the bottom of the hill, where we found the Ōtaki river. The water was so clear Anne didn’t made it to the hut and jumped straight in, while the others went to claim the lower bunks before returning for a dip or a rinse. All freshened up, we had another dehy meal and got chatting to our new mates, the TA walkers. Tash taught them some useful Kiwi English – how to pronounce ‘deck’, ‘meringue’ or ‘sweet as’. We rolled our eyes at all the road walking and poor river crossing decisions, listened keenly to new meals ideas, and felt very slow when a party of four arrived from Te Matawai, covering our two previous days in less than 13h.
Day 4: Waitewaewae Hut to Road end
To Parawai Lodge: 6h
Walk to road end: 45min
Romance was in the air on our last morning, the water was boiling, the sun was shining, the air still and the birds singing. We started our last day with a shortcut, wading through quiet waters and up the Arapito creek to join back with the track. The walk back to Parawai Lodge was a bit of an obstacle course, but nothing too out of the ordinary for the Tararuas. A few important windfalls required a bit of creativity to elegantly crawl under or over them, depending on one’s height. We progressed at a pleasant pace, taking breaks, leapfrogging along the track with a group of TA walkers and assisting them with existential questions. Would it be wise for them to drop from two, to only one pair of undies they asked? Did we have any recommendations for delicious, lightweight meals? And where could they buy a yellow beanie with a pompom?
We eventually went ahead and got to the flat, easy part of the track. While not too challenging, we did have to scramble up a steep alternative track (marked with orange tape) to go around a huge new slip, and find our way through a massively overgrown track, with more or less success. We did make it to the bridge, and trotted down the flats to Parawai Lodge. After a quick break and refill we headed to the nearby swimming hole for a late lunch, and a dip for the braver ones. The water was cool and refreshing, well needed after such a hot day!
We then headed off for the last leg of the trip: a cruisy stroll up the road and a fancy set of stairs later we were over the slip and back to the carpark.
Epilogue
All in all, it was a great trip and a perfect way to start 2023. We had the opportunity to undertake a behavioral study of a good sample of TA walkers, what was driving them, their diet and gear. We had excellent weather considering, with barely any rain and only light winds. We bagged a few new huts and had stunning views of the Tararua range and the coast. We definitely had a sense of accomplishment after a few long days in the hills, and as one would say, it felt like we were pretty amazing.
Other notes:
Times include a good amount of breaks.
There is phone reception here and there on the main range, useful to send updates to our emergency contact and check updated forecasts.
December/January seems to be peak time for TA walkers in the Tararuas. The hut books seemed to suggest other times of the year are a lot more quiet. You can read about some of the people we met here.
