Two groups were heading to Waipakihi Hut in the Kaimanawa Forest this weekend: the EM group (seven members) travelling via the Umukarikari Track, and the M trip (five members) going in along the Waipakihi River. We all met at the railway station and were on the road shortly after 4:30pm on Friday. With light traffic, we reached Bulls in good time for our customary dinner stop. I had already been thinking about what I was going to have for dinner at the Thai place (the beef noddle soup or the pad thai??) but when we arrived, much to my disappointment, I found it had been replaced by a Korean fried chicken place. I did end up eating there, albeit a bit begrudgingly, while most of the others stuck with the tried‑and‑true kebab shop. After a quick feed, we continued on our way to Urchin Campsite for the night.
When we arrived at the campsite much to our surprise it was almost full with everyone having to spread out to find places to pitch our tents. That night, I dreamt that a small animal had gotten into my tent and was running around. I later found out from Jennifer that a possum had been scratching at her tent during the night, possibly trying to get into her pack, so it turned out it wasn’t entirely a dream after all. (Also just to note this campsite does not have running water so you need to bring your own or get water 150 metres from the campsite down the Tree Trunk Gorge Track).
On Saturday morning, our group packed up our tents and took a quick 10‑minute drive down to the road end. The weather was absolutely stunning — clear blue skies and barely any wind — so with plenty of excitement we headed off and began the climb up.
The ascent to the top of the bushline was steady, taking us about two hours to climb from 700m to 1250m. When we emerged above the trees, we were rewarded with the first of many incredible views for the day, including Mt Ruapehu, Mt Ngāuruhoe, and Mt Tongariro, and then up further both Lake Rotoaira and Lake Taupō. We continued along the track for a little while longer before stopping for lunch, where we all sat down to enjoy our well-deserved lunch and to soak in the scenery (and to reapply our sunscreen).
After lunch, we continued on to the highest point on the track, Umukarikari (1591m). I was confused when we couldn’t find the trig, just a pile of rocks; I later realised I had mixed this track up with the Urchin Trig track I’d previously done with a very similar view. It took us about 4½ hours from the start of the track to reach this point.
From there, we spent the next three hours (including breaks) following the poled route along the top of the Umukarikari Range and then making the fairly steep descent to Waipakihi Hut (1100m). Unlike on some previous trips, the river just before the hut was low and we were able to cross without getting our feet wet. Overall, we completed the 14km tramp in 7.5 hours (DOC’s suggested time is 6–8 hours).
The hut has 12 bunks—six in each of the two separated rooms to the sides of the kitchen—and a large deck that’s perfect for relaxing in the sun. There is room for tents in both the back and front of the hut (which is good as one person who frequented the hut said it can get very busy and is often full). The EM group took up seven of the bunks, while the M group chose to sleep in their tents when they arrived later after their longer journey up the river.
I was getting ready to go down to the river for a swim when Paris asked if I had been to the toilet yet and I replied no, why? I quickly found out. The toilet seat cover was partially broken, and so two pieces of plywood were being used as a makeshift replacement. Not ideal, but it did the job well enough.
Paris, Matthew, and I then braved the river for a quick dip. I remembered a perfect little swimming hole from a previous trip just beside where we crossed the river and the cold water definitely helped my well‑worked legs.
Jennifer and Jacqui took the lead on getting dinner started, using the ingredients Jennifer had kindly picked up before the trip (apparently coconut milk powder is harder to find than you’d expect). Before long, dinner was ready, and we enjoyed a delicious meal of satay noodles, with compliments to the two chefs. Paris, Caleb, Matthew, Julia, and I took on dish washing duty—special shout‑out to Julia who finished off the last of the noodles so we could clean the pot! After dinner with it being such a nice night we spent some time chatting out on the deck before making our way to bed.
The next morning the ascent back up to the Umukarikari Range turned out to be much easier than I thought, and I found it much easier than the descent on the way in. The weather across the top was very different from the clear blue skies of the day before and was quite misty, but I enjoyed the change as it made the same route back feel different. It took us 6 hours to walk out the van to meet up with the M group that had passed us earlier on the track for our ride back to Wellington.
Highlights from some of the trip members
Jacqui – I really enjoyed the company of all of you and must say I was feeling mentally recharged starting the week at work :-). It was interesting to hear about crayfishing and crayfish exploitation / sustainability and health and safety in the work place from Caleb on the way up in the van 😁
Caleb – For me I had a really good time for my first trip with the club and was grateful to go and explore an area I had not spent much time at before, and to do it with a cool bunch of people. Happy that on the Saturday you couldn’t have asked for better weather for the views of Taupō and the North Island Volcanic Plateau, while the slightly cooler weather on the Sunday made the walk out that little bit less draining.
Karen – Amazing views and beautiful weather, an invigorating swim in the river, and a lovely meal and great company for the weekend.
Day 1:
Started 9.15am
Half way point: 1.30pm
Arrived at hut: 4.40pm
Total: 7.5 hrs incl breaks
Day 2:
Left Hut: 7.40am
Halfway point: 10.45am
Back to tree line: 12.15am
Finish: 1.45pm
Total time: 6 hrs