Not far from the wine-tasting destination of Martinborough, the Tauanui River flows from Aorangi Forest Park into the Ruamāhanga River near the sea. In its headwaters is Tauanui Hut,…
Ellis Hut, in the Wakarara Range, just east of the Ruahines, has a worthy and dubious history. A hut was first built on the site in 1884 and it…
Toka Bivouac faces east and has a lovely position in a subalpine basin on the Ngamoko Range. One of a few surviving ex-Forest Service S86 dog box-style bivouacs, it…
From Holdsworth Campsite, take the easy Atiwhakatu Track to Atiwhakatu Hut. The track is well-groomed and levelled with bridged streams. It’s designed for families and is about 1.5 hours…
A marked farm track leads to the Tukituki River, and from there you follow the river’s clear waters upstream. There is no marked track, but the banks of the…
A couple of minutes beyond the car park is an extensive grassy picnic area with a shelter, fireplaces, picnic tables and flushing toilets. It’s a place to camp before…
It starts with an easy stroll down a wide farm track to an arch bridge over Umutoi Creek before crossing into Ruahine Forest Park where, after 20min, there’s a…
This walk starts from the Ashhurst-end car park on the closed State Highway 3, where a well-marked path heads downhill towards the road with the gorge river to the…
The start of the track to Iron Gate Hut is only an hour from Palmerston North and it’s an easy(ish) four- to five-hour tramp to the hut. Parking at…
Only twenty minutes’ drive from Palmerston North, the Sledge Track was created from one man’s vision and thousands of hours of volunteer work. By Anna Sophia Local farmer Ian…
After a trip to Ruahine Corner Hut, our tramping team had descended to Ikawatea Forks Hut, and from there assumed it would be a couple of easy days out…
Taumarunui to Ohinepane Campsite 22km, 3-5hr The lesser paddled upper reaches of the river will give you a greater chance of solitude, and enjoyable sets of rapids as you drift…
The track begins over farmland before heading under the tree cover on the Deerford Loop Track. After about 10 minutes, the unbridged Makiekie Creek is crossed. Care should be…
Here’s a chance to experience historical sites, enjoy a summer swim in some of the deeper pools of the Makaroro River, and enjoy the varied vegetation of Ruahine Forest…
There’s something for every tramper at the wonderfully accessible Sunrise Hut. For beginners, it’s a chance to safely spend a night in the mountains, for experts it’s a diving…
Since the 1930s, there have been several different versions of Rangiwahia Hut along the tops of the Whanahuia Range, which underscores just what a superb and accessible location it…
Up and down in an afternoon Deerford Loop Track starts with a flat walk over farmland before heading down into the bush. It seems easy to start, until looking…
The mist was still lingering in the early morning sun, making the forest eerie. Intermittent sunrays probed their way through the trees, the forest still except for the occasional…
The northern Ruahine, accessed from the Napier-Taihape road, is an area steeped in colonial history. Much of the area was farmed in the late 1800s and evidence is still…
Foreboding and gnarly with a dark, threatening backdrop, or serene and inviting with early morning rays tentatively touching the snow capped tops, the Ruahine and Kaweka ranges can’t disguise…
Hinerua Hut, located on the eastern side of the Ruahine Range, is a small four-bunker perched in a clearing among the beech trees near the bushline. Access is possible…
A multi-day river journey that penetrates a wilderness of gorges, waterfalls, rapids and unbroken tracts of lowland forest – all of it steeped in culture and history. Paddlers usually…
There are some huts that you keep returning to throughout your life, not because they are especially close to home, but because they feel like home. Waikamaka Hut is…
Deep in Whanganui National Park, spanning the Mangapurua Stream, sits a 40m-long arch bridge, known as the Bridge to Nowhere. The simplest way to get there requires a 40-minute…
From North Block Road end, go up the greywacke staircase of the Waipawa River, heading for Waipawa Saddle, which is a clearly defined like a scoop. Above it rise…
This four-day backcountry tramp involves a 33km loop, taking in the Ruahine tops, with the chance to swim in tarns and traverse knife-edge ridges. The majority of the trek…
There’s something satisfying about reaching the highest point of a significant land mass, but this often involves several days of time and strenuous effort. Not so in the Ruahines.…
It’s long day’s walk to Waterfall Hut, an historic hut at the head of the Kawhatau River and located on a beautiful sand bank at the confluence of Waterfall…
Burn Hut is in the northern Tararua Forest Park, not far from Shannon. The access road is gravel and winds its way towards the Mangahao Hydro Electric Power Station…
The circuit from Kawhatau Base to Crow Hut and Colenso Trig is a fantastic trip encompassing a superb range of fauna and scenery over two or three days. One…
The Manawatu River existed long before the Tararua Ranges, now south of the river, or the Ruahine Ranges, now to the north. So, as the ranges rose, the unrelenting…
Matemateaonga is a comfortable four-day walk. Most people walk the track from west to east, starting at Kohi Saddle. This approach is largely flat with a downhill to the…
Deadmans Track begins as an open easy trail through red beech and is typical of many tracks in the Ruahines in that it heads straight up for the first…
Top Gorge Hut is a hidden treasure in the Ruahine Ranges. Visited by maybe a dozen trampers or hunters a year, the hut is tucked up on a flat…
For trampers who can spare just one night away, for whatever reason, the Ruahine Ranges, with a huge variety of huts a relatively short walk from the road end,…
From Renfrew Road end, take the well-maintained track to Rangiwahia Hut (1300m). Continue along the tops, much of which are exposed and may require ice axes and crampons in…
To make the most of this weekend trip, start it on Friday night with a 1-2hr walk to Rangiwahia Hut (13 bunks). The following morning, head up the ridge…
From the Limestone Road end car park, climb to the high ridges of the Ngamoko Range via Knights Track. Like all Ruahine Forest Park tracks, there are no gentle…
The marked track up the Waipawa River is not accessible so this is a wet feet river bash – some 20 crossings are required on the way to Waipawa…
A comfortable day walk for those wanting to enjoy a mix of easy bush and river travel. Iron Gates Gorge is a narrow chasm where the Oroua River squeezes…
Climbing steeply from the road through lowland forest to a height of 572m, Skyline Track circles Puketapu Hill which was once a fortified hill-top pa. Puketapu translates to scared…
