The Tararua Tops

The first obstacle heading into the Tararuas was a mudhole pretending to be a paddock full of overly curious beasties who kept nudging and licking my pack! Luckily, they couldn’t climb the stile, so we eventually escaped them and headed on up the Gable End Ridge Track. Rob thought it would be a good idea to bypass the first hut, a mere 5 hour climb, and head straight for Te Matawai. So we climbed up and up. We kept thinking we must have reached the junction, but up we would go again over yet more mini peaks which Rob named The Annoyances. From the junction it was the exact opposite – we had to descend to Butcher Saddle, and we kept thinking we must have reached it, when down we would go again. We renamed the saddle Deep Depression.

Then of course came another climb to the hut, which I literally collapsed into. The tracks were wet, slippery and muddy all day long and to add to the cheeriness of the whole endeavour it started to rain. Brilliant.

I woke on my birthday to a cold southerly, swirling mist and an encouraging cup of tea. Rob even gave me a present which he had carried with him the whole time, a lovely butterfly brooch. He definitely earned brownie points for that surprise. It was a wonderful way to spend my day, slogging up over Pukematawai and up and up, scrambling over various rocky bumps.

The beautiful Park Valley

At least the sun came out and the mist slowly cleared revealing wonderful mountains all around, and affording us views down into the magnificent Park Valley. Lunch at the tiny, somewhat cheerless Dracaphyllum Hut, after which we had to climb down a steep, tricky face on to and over a slip near Kelliher – ugh. Some wonderful goblin forest made a nice change, but the afternoon was just as tough; the total ascent for the day was something like 1750 metres.

Rob was patient with me all day – but I did take exception to his suggestion that I lengthen my stride over the easy stuff. What easy stuff? And we haven’t all got giraffe legs. Or spent an earlier life as a mountain goat…

Late that afternoon we climbed up through tussock on Nichols and there below us like a little dot was the hut. It looked like heaven to me. Just as well there were 6 bunks, as a family of 4 were there before us. They were wonderful, couldn’t have been more welcoming, reshuffled all their gear and gave us space on the bottom bunk – we must have looked old and tired (we were old and tired). They then fed us delicious falafel and timtams. This family was amazing – Grandma Mary, her daughter and two grandchildren, and they were doing an intrepid route-finding trip up to Dorset Ridge. Wow, we were totally impressed.

Going over the tops next day we had a very relaxed approach – the weather was good and the panoramic views of the surrounding peaks outstanding. There was a bit of a chilly breeze chasing us up Mt Crawford but we were soon joyfully bounding down the other side to Junction Knob, being careful not to tread on little fluffy black caterpillars on the track.




We spent a ridiculous amount of time lying in the sun at lunchtime – somehow that made the long, slippery, steep descent to the Otaki River seem never-ending. The river was really beautiful, clear clean water and deep emerald pools which would be a delight to swim in during the summer months.



Waitawaewae hut was a welcome sight, and we were just settling in when the Band of Brothers arrived – Mike, Rob, Rene and their friend Greg. Rene leapt forward and shook our hands and pronounced us legends when he found out we were doing the Trail, then proceeded to keep us heartily entertained. I love sharing huts with folks that make us laugh and share their prime rations – gingernuts and sultana pasties were such treats. They even conjured up a Strepsil for my cold!

Otaki River

We fair bounded along next day, even though it was the usual slippery, wet, boggy, tree-rooty Tararua track, and because we wear light-weight shoes we have to take a little more care with our foot placement. Rob reckons that all the tracks were as wet as he had ever seen them.

The plan was to stay at Parawai Hut, but we found the place taken over by 4 adults and 7 children, and we got the distinct impression they really didn’t want any smelly old trampers like us sharing the last bunk. So we opted to carry on down to Schoolhouse Flat and camp in our lovely, friendly little tent. We discovered we can cook dinner in the rain. We can eat breakfast in the rain. We can pack up in the rain. And we already know we can walk in the rain.

We were eager to discover the scenic delights of the new Pukeatua track from Otaki Forks through to Waikanae, and we really would have loved it only it rained or drizzled the whole time, and we never saw the scenery. We did see some wonderful big rimus and ratas though, and we enjoyed the section through pine forest.

We arrived at Riverwood, the home of our great friends Linda and Kevin Milne and their daughter Tommie, just 1 minute past our ETA – to find Kev at the end of their drive with his head and shoulders in a wheelie bin. Hmmm – Kev has some great stories about wheelie bins and we imagined all sorts of scenarios for this. Turns out he was retrieving a self-heating chocolate drink carton for a story he was writing. Takes all sorts. 

We were soon washed, fed, watered and entertained in fantastic style. It was the night of the big Rugby World Cup final between France and New Zealand, and even Freddie the dog joined us round the TV. Tommie made us all flags and there was much leaping up, shouting, screaming, waving and general hysteria when we won - by 1 point. What a night! What a way to end our jaunt through the Tararuas.

Day 16: Poads Rd to Te Matawai hut. 13.8 km
Day 17: Te Matawai to Nichols Hut. 14.7 km
Day 18: Nichols to Waitewaewae Hut. 10.1 km
Day 19: Waitewaewae to Schoolhouse Flat camp. 16.4 km
Day 20: Schoolhouse Flat to Reikorangi Road. 22.4 km

Over the mountains

Tararua Peaks from Nichols

We survived the mountain tops. The weather Gods took pity on us and gave us a couple of glorious days to cross the exposed tops. It was sensational, spectacular, awesome and the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. But that's all you get for now - a full write up will appear in a few days. I am off to enjoy a red wine, a wonderful meal, and THE game with our lovely friends Linda and Kevin and their delightful daughter Tommie. So see you soon...

Roads, roads, roads

My sister Elinor is an Angel – not only did she accommodate, feed and drop us back on track, she then returned from her home with Rob’s rain jacket which he had left behind. My pack cover provided a temporary shelter from the rain that fell all day!

We road walked to Turakina with one unpleasant bit along the main highway, then it teemed just as we arrived and we were soaked by the time we made it to The Old Coach House, built about 1860 and in need of some tender loving care. But we had a lovely room to stay in.

Back roads, the wild Turakina beach and forest tracks took us to Bulls in a near marathon day of 40 kms. No need to say we were both near dead on arrival. We collapsed in a motel behind the Criterion Hotel and staggered across the road for a great feed at the Rat Hole in the other pub. I wondered if I should still speak to Rob after he noticed a glamorous looking woman and turned to look at me and asked “What have I done to you?”

Quiet back roads took us to Feilding and next day it felt like yet another long walk to Palmerston North. Rob stopped often to scoop up worms from the tarmac and place them gently on the grass verge.

We found our way along the lovely Riverside Walkway for kilometres until reaching the Motor Camp. We ventured out later for fish and chips and had to run all the way back with them in a heavy rain shower. I stuffed the package down my jacket and it will forevermore smell of fish and chips – but it kept them hot and dry!

Misinformation on track closures and the lure of a somewhat enticing rugby world cup semi-final meant a change in plan, and we missed Burrton’s Track and instead road walked the length of State Highway 57 between Palmy and Shannon.  The road kill count was phenomenal and included pukeko, mallard, grey teal, chaffinch, goldfinch, blackbird, magpie , stoat, possum, rabbit, hedgehog and dog.

We stayed in the Club Hotel and descended to the bar in good time to have a beer and join the crowds to watch the game on the huge TV screen. But the barmaids were closing up as everyone had gone home! We managed to buy a bottle of beer and headed back upstairs to the guests lounge where we hollered and cheered all alone to our heart’s content at a wonderful performance by the AB’s. Cory Jane is a legend.

From Shannon we finally, after days and days, got back on a real tramping track, the Mangahao-Makahika track. Ross Campbell from Owlcatraz kindly drove us up to the start of the track – our payment goes to the Shannon Progressive Association – and off we set. As you can imagine after all the rain, the track was wet, slushy, boggy, muddy – all those damp descriptors. In minutes my knee was dripping blood, we were covered in mud but we were happy. No cars, yay. The streams were higher than normal, but no problem. We enjoyed some fairly spectacular views over the Horowhenua and as far as Kapiti from the lookouts up top, and descended to the trail end in good time.

We then had a steep haul up our second track of the day, the Arapaepae, which took us into the back of Levin. As usual, it started to pour with rain as we approached town, and by the time we got to the motor camp we were soaked! And exhausted – it was a 25km day on tramping tracks, so hard work, and we got to camp well after 5.00 pm.

Time for a day off and hoping for some better weather for our attempt on the Tararuas. I’m really looking forward to the climb to 1400 metres.

Watch this space!

Day 9:  Wanganui to the Old Coach House, Turakina. 28.2 km
Day 10: Turakina to motel, Bulls. 39 km
Day 11: Bulls to Feilding motel. 21.4 km
Day 12: Feilding to Palmerston North Holiday Park. 26.2 km
Day 13: Palmerston North to Shannon hotel. 33.3 km
Day 14: Mangahao-Makahika track to Levin Motor Camp. 27.1 kmDay 15: Rest day - Hooray!!

Down the River

When we left Wellington in torrential rain we felt despondent, but by the time we reached National Park the sun had come out and our enthusiasm returned. After so many months off the trail, our packs felt heavy, but the Fisher Track presented no huge obstacles and we enjoyed getting underway again. We got out on to Kurua Road and met a lovely family, Jason, Cherie and baby Kaysha. They kindly offered us a place to stay for the night which we sadly had to decline – we needed to clock up a few more kms or the second day would be impossible! So we ended up camping on the edge of Retaruke Road, a few sheltering trees protecting us from an early evening shower. Rob by this time was developing a horrendous cold, and he has suffered all week. At least it slowed him down just a tad, and I had some chance of keeping up with him.

It was a long road walk to Whakahoro, over 34 kms, and it sure felt like it. We met a local councillor on the way, Elaine, and we chatted to her about the trail and the necessary shortcut up to the Mangaparua Trig. She wasn’t entirely supportive of it, but we hope she will see the need eventually. There was almost no traffic on Oio road, but an angel came along 2 kms before the end and took our packs for us. That included our rain jackets, and she no sooner drove off than it started to rain. We just made it to the Blue Duck café before the heavens opened. We had a long chat to Dan Steele at the café about the fantastic work he is doing to protect Whio (blue duck) in the area, and were very thankful of the DOC Schoolhouse as our accommodation for the night, while the hot shower at the café helped ease our aching bodies.

It was a fine day for our tramp up the Kaiwhakauka Valley and up to the Mangaparua Trig. We had to dodge around a few boggy patches, but most of the track was great, through lovely forest and farmland, and a clear trail to follow. It was a hot and sweaty climb to the trig, but all downhill to Bettjeman’s where we found a delightful spot to camp.

It was kind of sad seeing the grassy clearings and the names of the poor blighters who tried to farm the Mangaparua Valley in the 1920’s – all the farms were abandoned by the 1960’s.

There were some truly scary bluffs to negotiate – the river about 70 metres below us, papa cliffs above, a narrow track wending its way across – and 500 metres before the Bridge to Nowhere we had to cross a recently cleared slip one at a time, again with vertiginous drop-offs. There was fresh spoil on the track, but luckily goats had plugged a track across for us!

We were down at the Bridge to Nowhere in no time, and were met by Ben Adams from the Bridge to Nowhere Lodge, and a small tour group. We had the benefit of his very interesting historical talk, then made our way to the Mangaparua Landing, and from there by jet boat to the Lodge. We were the only guests, and enjoyed meeting our hosts Joe and Mandy, Ben’s son Blake, and brother Matt. It was a great place for Rob to relax and recover a bit.


Thoughts of paddling down to Pipiriki were abandoned next day as Rob was still crook and the weather looked dodgy, so we had the thrill of the jet boat ride instead. From Pipiriki we had a pleasant short walk to Jerusalem, Hiruharama, where we met Sisters Luciana and Meena, and spent the night in a lovely room at the Convent. Rob practically collapsed into bed that afternoon, but he did rally enough to tune in to a sports station on an old radio we found and listen to Wales beating Ireland and France beating England in the Rugby World Cup.

It was a brilliant walk along the fascinating River Road next day, stopping at Ranana to chat to a local farmer, Tricia, and at the Gallery at Matahiwi for a cold drink and a look at the River Queen, the boat used in the movie of the same name. We sat in incredibly hot sun at the old flour mill for lunch, and plodded on along the road. Rob’s classic line for the day: “That place up ahead is where we’re going to”. Yes, well…

We were fascinated to see a swarm of bees, and later on in the day had a few scary moments with a couple of massive bulls loose on the road. 

A gondola carried us high across the river to our destination for the night, a wonderful place called The Flying Fox. John, our host, was just awesome, and looked after us so well. We stayed in the Glory Cart, like a gypsy caravan, perfect for our needs. Every cottage was quirky and unique and the setting peaceful and pretty. We loved it. John sold us fresh free range eggs, avocado and fruit, and invited us into his beautiful studio to share a wine and watch the All Blacks beat Argentina, a great night.

John kindly fixed up a place for us to camp next day by the Pungarehu Marae, on private land owned by a local farming family. Patrene and Donald Wickham were so welcoming, as was their daughter Jane and baby Phoebe. It transpired that  A. H. Reed, the publisher, stayed on this very same farm when he walked the length of New Zealand all those years ago in his 90's.

And so on to Wanganui where my sister Elinor and Jimmy are looking after us and where we have had a chance to wash clothes, dry the tent, eat delicious food, sip fine wine, and enjoy a good rest. So until next time, goodbye for now, and Go the All Blacks!!!




Day 1: National Park to roadside camp, Retaruke Road. 18.1 km
Day 2: Retaruke Rd. to DOC cabin, Whakahoro. 34.1 km
Day 3: Whakahoro to Bettjeman’s camp. 29.7 km
Day 4: Bettjeman’s to Bridge to Nowhere Lodge. 12.5 km
Day 5: Jetboat to Pipiriki, walk to Jerusalem convent. 11.9 km
Day 6: Jerusalem to the Flying Fox, Koriniti. 20.7 km
Day 7: Koriniti to lawn camp, Pungarehu. 25.1 km
Day 8: Pungarehu to Wanganui. 18.1 km

National Park to Wellington

Here we are again, packs loaded and eager to start, but there are now storm warnings and heavy rain warnings and thunderstorm warnings and suddenly we don't wanna go!!!

But the bus is booked, the jet boat is booked, the canoe is booked, beds are booked - we just have to go and maybe look at a few alternative routes in case our tracks are no go. So tomorrow we are out of here, even if we have to swim......

Will try and post from Wanganui in a week or so. And Go the All Blacks!!