Round the Mountain 2.0
22 September 2023
Day 1-2
Ever since the last trip around Mt Ruapehu in December 2022, I have been keen to walk the track a second time. This time we took on the 63km route towards the end of winter meaning that it is significantly more dangerous than during the summer months. Rivers are high, temperatures are cold, and the weather is even more unpredictable.
Day 1 consisted of an evening walk into Whakapapaiti hut at around 8 pm. We had originally planned to stay the night and then continue to Mangaturuturu Hut on day 2 but Charlie fell sick a few days before the start. Because of this Felix and I waited out a massive blizzard for the first 2 days. We had around 120mm of rain on the day that we were at the hut. We went for a wander up the main Whakapapaiti river to find the 43m waterfall marked on the map but decided that the river was too high to risk crossing, especially if it wasn't necessary for our plans. Instead, we returned to the hut and got the fire roaring before a polar plunge in the river by the hut.
Day 3
Charlie and his dad Anthony arrived around 10am at the Bruce Rd. Our party of 4 finally started making some progress around the mountain. Traveling the Whakapapaiti Valley occupied us until around lunchtime which we stopped for at the top of the southern side. Anthony turned around here and returned to the carpark while we continued on around the western slopes of the mountain.
Soon after lunch, we came across an awesome tarn which we had some fun in. I find it so amazing that these ponds can naturally hold rainwater on top of a ridge. Marsh after marsh, ridge after ridge, step after step, we passed Lake Surprise before making the crossing of the Mangaturutu and stumbling into the hut after what was a pretty cruisy 6-hour day.
Day 4
Day 4 brought more average weather consisting of some pretty gusty winds as we made our way upstream towards the cascades. Luckily the rock was pretty dry which helped to make the almost verticle climb fairly mellow. After being unlucky enough to miss out on a hitch down the road, we set our sights on Rangipo Hut for the night. Only minutes after starting the Waitonga Falls track, it started raining -- heavily. In the space of 10 or so minutes, we altered our plan to Mangaehuehu Hut which we were on track to reach for lunch. A few kilometers in, we emerged out of the Beech and into the marshy tussock land where we were absolutely abused by the -5 degree windchill and refreeze. The boardwalk was getting slick and our sodden jackets were icing up. In my opinion, this is the worst type of weather, I'd genuinely rather walk in a constant -10 degrees than rain followed by a decrease in air temperature.
Day 5
After an early end to the previous day, we made sure we set off early. We set off feeling ready for a longer day. We planned to push all the way to Waihohonu for the night which was 27km away. We had a nice window in the morning too which helped us smash out the first section to Rangipo Hut in just under 4 hours. Tackling the Wahinoa for the 2nd time made me realize that it'll never be easy no matter how many times I do it.
After a brief break at Rangipo Hut for lunch and a slide in a snow patch next to the track, we raced on through the passing cloud, over the Whangaehu River, past the Tukino Access Rd, over the Mangatoetoenui, and into Waihohonu hut at around 4pm. We'd made pretty insane time. The sign said 11hrs and we'd done just under 7hrs walking! Waihohonu was pretty packed especially considering we hadn't seen anyone since the start of the trip.
Day 6
Fortunately, the 6th day of the trip brought some awesome weather. Finally. After plenty of contemplation of which route we would walk, we settled on passing through the Tama Saddle and staying yet another night at Whakapapaiti hut before getting picked up at Bruce Rd in the morning. With a pitstop just before the saddle and then again at Taranaki Falls, we took it slow and enjoyed the views and blue skies.
We restocked in Whakapapa Village for the night getting some chocolate, juice, and some hot chips from the food truck. Absolute bliss. I can't express in words how much I love salty hot chips after a few days in the bush...
The walk to Whakapapaiti dragged on a bit but we decided to bust out the speaker to disturb the peace. My phone had died from water damage on day 2 so we were left with Charlie's Spotify downloads which consisted of about 10 songs. Some notable hits were Peaches by Justin Bieber and Sprinter by Central Cee which each played probably 20 times throughout the trip.
Day 7
Around 8am was the departure time agreed. We had a great night by the roaring fire with our newly acquired chocolate, fizzy, and last backcountry meals. We hopped over the ridge to the north of the hut in the snow. While we were walking I managed to slip twice and landed both times in half-frozen muddy puddles. We were picked up at 10am at Bruce Rd which marked the end of the epic week in the National Park.
