10 Days in the Kaweka's
29 November 2023
Day 1
We started day 1 at 6am at home in Tauranga. The pre-adventure nerves were in full effect. It was a pretty silent drive down to Clements Mill Rd around 30min out of Taupo. At around 9:30am we took our first steps along what would hopefully be a route that'd take us all the way to Mangaweka deep in the Ruahine Range.
After spending most of my year in the Kaimai Range, a hive of dense podocarp forest, I was simply stoked to be wandering through the open beech of the northern Kaimanawas. It wasn't long before we wandered just below Te Iringa and started our decent down towards the Kaipo River which we reached around lunchtime. Utilizing the new swing bridge for it's shade we took a lengthy break just taking it all in. As the thought of a swim in the river started working its way into my head, I said "alright, it's time." And just like that we were back walking on a highway of a track.
After another 2 hour stint at a cracking pace, the mature beech changed to manuka scrub, and later open grassy river flats. This was quite the sight. Neither of us had ever been in such a place before. As we wandered up to Oamaru Hut we couldn't help but admire the vastness of the Oamaru Valley. The Kaipo and the Oamaru rivers join to form the top of the Mohaka River only a few hundred meters in front of the hut. It's always cool to think about how the water your drinking from will eventually travel over 150km out to the Pacific Ocean.
There was a school group of 18 staying at the 12-bunk Oamaru hut and so we contemplated for a while where we wanted to stay the night. We tossed up options like Otorehinaite Biv, Boyd Hut, or Jap Creek none of which either of us had ever been to. Funnily enough, we ended up camping only 2km upriver on the true left.
Day 2
We woke around 7am to the dramatic view of the valley. Setting off around 8am, we worked our way up towards Boyd hut. We had a massive day in front of us with the goal of making it to Harkness Hut for the night. We were considering going over to Tussock saddle but Ryan talked me out of that idea as while we did have a good skillset between us, we didn't know the area at all and weren't really prepared for a setback as we had a tight schedule.
Once again, I was mesmerized at how the vibrant moss caked every part of the forest floor apart from the track. We were on what could only be described as a highway of a track once again.
After making the slog out of the head of the Oamaru and over Waitawhero Saddle, we were rewarded with another incredible vista of the Boyd Valley and the Ngauroro River. As with the Oamaru, the Boyd Valley is another vast tussock landscape stretching over a kilometer wide.
A quick climb up to the hut proved worth the effort. As we arrived, Helisika also arrived doing a dropoff at the hut helipad. We filled our bottles, tested the very smelly long drop, and briefly chatted with the hunters before heading back towards the river.
After walking the length of the airstrip below the hut, we b-lined down a small ditch before crossing the river and walking through the marsh on the true left. A few more crossings to avoid some bluffs then brought us to the Tussock turnoff. We had lunch here and geared up for our climb in the heat of the day over to the Harkness Valley. The climb wasn't big but it was at least 25 degrees and it is safe to say that we were cooking in our longsleeves.
The decent to Tussock hut could only be described as a pure relief. We were pretty done after that climb. Forest service orange pierced through the trees as we ran down the steep soil track. A quick look inside revealed 3 cans of beer, and just like that, the first of our hut lootings was underway. Me being the top guy I am, carried both our beers down the valley for the next few hours. This was the most technical section of track we had and would encounter for the whole of the trip. The track was simply harder work than any of the others, not bad, just worse. Waist high tussock covered the track making it hard to see. Soon after, the track dropped to the stream where we underwent a countless series of crossings.
As we neared Harkness hut, the travel improved. Right before the hut, we were stumped with a tiny yet annoying 20-meter climb to the hut. Easy if you haven't just walked 28km...we had. We approached the hut only to see a group of hunters. I cursed at myself as we'd passed Tussock hut earlier which had been vacant for about a week previous. "Damn, should've stopped there". Man was I wrong.
As I cracked open my DB Draught on the deck, JT offered us gas to cook on so we could preserve ours, along with a hearty meal of fresh venison backsteaks followed by rainbow trout both of which were fresher than anything I think I've ever eaten.
Day 3
Waking to the sound of JT's anti-snoring device, the morning of day 3 was another stunner. The weather was simply mint. We took it easy and prepared ourselves for the battle of the climb to Te Pukeohikarua which consisted of what had been described to us by the hunters as "a right killer of a climb". I guess it wasn't too bad probably because we were expecting it. My energy was at an all-time low though, yesterday's 10-hour day was finally taking a bit of a toll. Because of this, our hopes of making it to Venison Tops or even Ballard quickly got thrown out the window. We had what could be considered as a rest day only making it to Mangaturutu for the night. Ryan and I peered over into the deep saddle between us and Venison tops and swiftly decided that enough was enough retreating to the hut for an early dinner.
After a bit of lunch at VT, we dropped through yet another deep saddle before climbing out of the treeline to the ridgeline. We were soon met by a wind-blown typical Kaweka-style junction where we turned down to Ballard Hut for the night. The 200-meter descent was annoying but we were excited to reach the hut after battling the average weather.
Beer and a 3-course cook up made our evening. We got the fire roaring and used the garlic and herb seasoning left behind in the hut. Man, this really was the life.
I messaged the parents bragging about how good our dinner was. Venison bites, ramen noodles, mashed potato, and gravy. All washed down by a bit of Canola oil which we defiantly utilized for its high-fat makeup.
Day 4
As the rhythm of the days started to cement itself, we were planning by the day based on the Inreach forecast. Today was a Saturday and the forecast was looking pretty average. 80+km/h gusts and clag shrouded the tops, making navigation harder than needed—the inclusion of misty rain to the mix made for a chilly combo of around 5 degrees. We left early enough in the morning to allow ourselves to reach Studholm, Castle Camp, or even Kiwi Saddle if we were feeling it.
Feeling slightly better about the saddle this time, we said "Well we've got no choice anyways" and continued into the deep saddle. As we descended, the beech grew taller. The landscape had plenty of variety from open tops on either side to mature beech in the saddle.
Climbing over 3 small mounds at the bottom, we anticipated the climb to come. We reached a small saddle where the ground in front of us went up for ages, we couldn't see the top. After a sip of water and a bite of an OSM, we flew up to Venison Tops without a break.
Day 5
We woke to the same weather we left the day previous. Less wind but claggy and again with low visibility. Continuing over the Kaweka tops in the limited visibility, we held a solid pace along the open shingle ridgeline. Our fitness improved with every saddle we had to climb out of. Around 11 am, we passed over Kaweka J where the clag cleared to reveal quite a view. A small snow patch was tucked up in a mellow gully. Soon after we started our descent to Studholm Saddle where we took another break before making the climb up and over Kaiarahi and back down to Castle Camp. We had a speedy lunch break here before the drizzle which soon turned into a downpour.
The sight of Kiwi Saddle Hut was definitely appreciated. We made good use of the sizable porch to take off our wet gear. Over the day, the wind had changed to a southerly which brought the temperature much closer to freezing. The fire warmed up the hut but compared to the claustrophobic old NZSF huts, it barely made a difference. At this point, I realized that I prefer a small hut to a spacious one.
We settled into the 12 bunk hut for the night with another cook up over the fire finishing the last of our venison back steak. The rain was continuous into the night which made us nervous about upcoming river levels.
Day 6
Setting off into the rain and clag of the morning, we made a speedy descent to Kuripapango and Cameron Carpark where we had a resupply bucket waiting for us with another 6 days worth of food. It sure was a relief to find the bucket nestled in the bushes. We now had the food for the rest of our trip. It was also here that we decided not to continue with our original route of aiming for Mangaweka in the Ruahines. Instead, we chose to take the Naipier-Taihape rd to the east for a couple of km and then walk up a forestry road to the Mackintosh Track.
After about an hour of walking on the road, we arrived at the entrance to the forestry road. Right there stood a big yellow sign saying "Public access 2km" with an arrow pointing the way we'd just come from. "FARK." We shouldn't have but we did decide to hop the barrier gate and gas it to along the dead-straight road.
With a sigh, we made it to the car park, took a short break, and flew down to the Tutaekuri River where we crossed the bridge and started an insanely steep climb up to the hut. It was true hands-and-knees material. It was raining and warm so we decided to do the climb shirtless cause why the hell not?
We turned up at the empty and awesome Mackintosh Hut in the early evening. A warm early night and our first proper meals were a treat.
Day 7
The day started with another hot Backcountry meal in the hut before a late 10am departure and a 700m climb back up to Studholme Saddle. Man, the track was relentless. It went up for a solid hour without a single decent. I was stoked to reach the saddle where we took a short break to watch the clouds clear around us. Soon after, I noticed our next climb up to Kaweka J. Sure enough, it clouded back in again soon after reaching the top of Mad Dog. After reaching the J, we turned east down Makahu Spur to Domnie hut for the night. The wind howled through the night and I woke up hoping for a banger of a sunrise only to find 10-meter visibility. Feeling underwhelmed, I went back to sleep for a few hours. We couldn't exactly leave due to the westerly wind which would easily sweep us off the tops where we were planning to head. We decided to wait till midday for the wind to drop. Eventually as forecasted, the wind just stopped as if someone had flicked the power switch. We packed up and made a speedy ascent back to the tops where we turned north and later descended to North Whetu Bivvy.
Day 8
As normal, we woke, ate, and walked. We climbed a few hundred meters back up to the top of the Makino Spur before doing almost a 'U' turn and heading down the spur towards Makino Hut. This section was fast and easy with rewarding views. The weather was hot with no wind. The beech trees were insanely tall and towered above the rest of the vegetation blocking most of the light.
We arrived at Makino Hut, took a break, and continued down to the Mohaka, aiming for Mangatainoka Hot Springs for the night. The 700m descent was a true knee-breaker. The track was dry, steep, and slippery down to the Makino River swingbridge where the highway of a track started. From there it was a 25min, 2km jaunt to the hot springs where we swam and ate all our leftover food next to the Mohaka River.
Day 9
Sitting in the hot pools at sunrise was the best start to a day we'd had so far. Another dip in the Mohaka freshened us up for the walk out. We didn't leave the campsite until awesome midday. More time just cruising in the sun next to the river. We slowly made the walk out towards Mangatutu Hot Springs where we were planning on camping for the night. Only around 3hrs away.
Not far past the Makino River swingbridge, we reached Te Puia Hut which was busy with day-trippers. We took a half-hour rest in the hut because why wouldn't you when you have too much time? We sidled the river for a few more km's getting tempted by the sunny pools at every bend. With the tent set up and the trip walking done, we went for an exploration to find the Mangatutu Hotsprings and a way down to the river. We swam in the refreshing Mohaka before the hot springs where we were kindly gifted juice, pate, and crackers after letting two ladies know of our achievements.
Day 10
On the 10th day, we got picked up at our campsite by Ryan's mum who had kindly driven over 4hrs to come get us. We made sure to restock on calories in Tokaroa with a massive serving of salty hot chips after a footlong from Subway in Taupo...