We left the station on the dot of 4pm, with a van full of Wellington’s finest. Our trip to WTMC’s legendary, lovely Ruapehu Lodge was disturbed firstly by a tramper performing some emergency mergers and acquisitions in Levin, and later an emergency burger stop at the piiza[sic] shop in Bulls.
Once we arrived at the Lodge, our crew of 12 scampered up the rocks to our home for the next couple of nights. Some herbal teas precluded the main event of the night: old caving maps produced by Daniel which were poured over by eager minds. The maps revealed a fascinating treasure, the name of a section of cave on the map was “Hinkle Horn Honking Hole.” This name will live on in infamy, as it was repeated no less than 300 times across the trip.
The two groups split the next morning. Daniel led an Easy-Medium group on the Taranaki Falls loop track, with Ellis taking a Medium group on the Whakapapaiti Valley Track.
Taranaki Falls was as stunning as ever. The Easy-Medium crew was made up of many trampers new to WTMC and made the most of the beautiful surrounds. There was even time for a quick ice-cream stop in the village while waiting for the Medium group.
Meanwhile, the Medium crew made our way along the Whakapapaiti Valley track. We were soon able to see the extent of the fires that had recently hit the area. This was a sobering sight. From our viewpoint, we also spotted what looked like a couple of hot spots smoking, which were duly reported to DOC.
After continuing our way down the valley, we eventually found the charming Whakapapaiti Hut and stopped for a quick bite to eat. A half-finished jigsaw puzzle sat on the table and a couple members had to be dragged away from it so we could continue our journey. The mountainous scrub soon gave way to beech forest, followed by a fast flowing river, which had to be navigated with a carefully timed jump across the rocks. The final section of the track took us along a boardwalk alongside the river and uphill towards Whakapapa Village, where we found the chauffeur in chief (Daniel) waiting with his mighty steed (the WTMC van) to drive us back up the Bruce Road to the Lodge.
Not to be outdone by the Easy-Medium group, the Medium group also stopped for an ice-cream pit stop before heading back to the lodge. We had a relaxing afternoon, and some of the group went for a gentle walk to explore Iwikau Village.
As the sun started to set, a delectable dinner of jackfruit tacos was prepared by India and Hugo. This was followed up by some delicious home-made meringues, cream and berries – a feast fit for the festive season. The night ended with some particularly impassioned rounds of Articulate, which revealed the more competitive edges of our crew.
The next day, after oats were consumed and coffee was inhaled, we cleaned up the Lodge and set off on our next quest – Zekes Hut.
We stopped just outside of Taihape and begun the muddy slog up the Hill. It’s fair to say that there was more bog than track at many points, with the mud regularly coming up to ankle height. Just like the previous day, we split the group, with Ellis leading a group up the hill to have lunch and turn around, and Daniel leading a faster group to the Hut.
The quick rate of ascent led to many mentions of “type 2 fun” and the track chats became a bit breathless. The gradient does flatten out, and the track along the top of the ridge was pretty well maintained and we made good time. Coming down the other side was equally challenging, this time for the knees. Soon Zekes Hut came into view and a 20-minute break was negotiated amongst the group. The Hut itself was a cozy 4-bedder and in good condition, but is rarely visited according to the visitor book.
After getting fuelled up, the second leg of the tramp back to the van was easier than many of us feared (although we were at this point, covered in mud). After removing as much of the bog as we could, we climbed back into the van and headed back to Wellington, satisfied after a wonderful weekend.
Whakapapaiti Valley Track (Lodge to Whakapapa Village) – 14km, 5hrs with breaks
Taranaki Falls Loop – 7km, 2.5hrs with breaks
Zekes Hut – 13km, 665m ascent, 5hrs with breaks