It’s all uphill to reach Mt Hector on the Neill Ridge route. The first stretch from Waiohine Campsite on the trail that leads to Cone Hut climbs about 500m.…
The start of the Orongorongo Track is an ugly mix of gorse and gravel, but it soon enters native forest. Close to the start, the track descends to Catchpool…
We have a family tradition of taking our children on their first overnight tramp when they turn six. For my son’s inaugural tramp, I decided to rope in a…
There’s been a Powell Hut for 80 years now, perched on this vantage spot, just above the bushline on the eastern edge of the Tararua Ranges. When hardy Hutt…
There’s something about the topography of the Tararua Ranges that results in few tarns – especially when compared with the Ruahine Range. Small tarns exist in a number of…
Kime Hut is a secluded weekend getaway in the Tararuas – if you can handle the five-hour uphill slog. Multiple routes from Kime Hut provide many options for further…
Belmont Regional Park stretches along the hills that form the western side of the Hutt Valley. An extensive network of tracks travels through the bush and across farmed open…
I began the climb to Cattle Ridge Hut with the ominous words of one of my companions ringing in my ears: it’s the steepest* track in the Tararuas. While…
This trip begins in the most exciting way possible: walking across one of the country’s highest and longest suspension bridges. The bridge over the Waiohine River is 124m long…
Field Hut and Table Top, Tararua Forest Park If it has been more than a year since your last tramp, like it had been for me, the three hour…
When my husband wanted to go overnight tramping for his 40th birthday, along with our two kids and three other families, I was hesitant. The last time I had…
This three-day loop in the Tararua Range features unique huts and a nice mix of track, route and off-track travel. We beat the Queen’s Birthday traffic by leaving Wellington…
A mid-week refresher There is nothing worse than sitting at a desk in Wellington looking out over the sun-drenched Tararua Range and not being able to lace your boots until…
Most have heard of the Seven Summits challenge, where climbers scale the highest point on each of the world’s seven continents. But there’s also a seven summits challenge much…
From Otaki Forks, a footbridge crosses the Waiotauru River and begins the climb towards Field Hut. The track initially passes through regenerating scrub, but soon enters more mature forest…
In late summer, the grassy expanses of Totara Flats become a sun-baked golden brown, with the small totara copses offering shady lunch spots or sheltered camping. Several huts have…
Birdsong on Te Au The Te Au Track starts in the aptly named Tui Crescent – where we were serenaded by tui swooping, diving and chortling. It involves some…
An alternative Southern Crossing From a casual glance at the map, Neill Ridge looks like a handy shortcut to the Tararua Southern Crossing. But look again and you’ll see…
A rewarding scramble The promise of only four hours walking and a gentle gradient lured our group on an overnight trip to Mitre Flats Hut by way of Barra…
The trip begins at the Holdsworth Road end, along the easy-going track to Atiwhakatu Hut. Be warned, this track is a remarkable juxtaposition to what lies just ahead, on…
Sometimes it’s nice to walk without a pack, even if that means the views you’ll find at your destination will not be as spectacular as those that can be…
Penn Creek Hut is a seldom-used and highly undervalued gem of a hut. A dedicated team of Victoria University Tramping Club members give the hut a solid spruce-up from…
This trip can be done in either direction. The route described here and shown on the map goes first to Jumbo Hut. From Holdsworth Lodge, strike out on the…
Tagging the 1500ers If you’re looking for a round-trip overnighter and you’re up for two big days, Arete Hut is definitely worth the effort. It’s a two-bed charmer nestled in…
A lonely grave For a remote, though relatively easy, track in Tararua Forest Park, with the reward of visiting the park’s loneliest grave site, head to Mt Bruce National…
A rock’n-hopping day trip A day trip to Eastern Hutt Hut is perfect for those occasions when the Tararua tops are clagged in. But because the tramp involves river travel, it’s…
The badlands of Wellington A light rain fell as my boots crunched along the gravel riverbed. Ahead loomed a grey and ominous moonscape filled with towering rock formations. The conglomerate columns...
If you’re seeking a feeling of remoteness, without having to lug a heavy pack for days, then the route linking Dundas Ridge and Cattle Ridge in a loop from Putara…
A 20-minute boat ride from the marina at Paremata was all it took to reach Mana Island. We skimmed across the sea, the houses behind us faded away and the…
There are many ways to get to McGregor Bivouac, a nice stopping point on a number of different accessible routes in the Tararuas and which also provides some great…
Bannister has the reputation of being among the most arduous of all the Tararua’s many ridges. Starting from Kiriwhakapapa Campsite, the track starts out enclosed in forest; a world…
The newest section of the 3000km Te Araroa Trail opened in April 2016, positioned above SH1 between Pukerua Bay and Paekakariki. From the Pukerua Bay railway station car park, head...
A few minutes down the track, cross a swingbridge and follow the Mangatainoka River for about an hour. It’s an easy walk with several short tracks along the way down...
The Rimutaka Range is the most accessible high country on offer to Wellingtonians and, while it might not be the loftiest, the range has a rugged Tararua-like aspect to…
This delightful picnic and camping spot has drawn Wellington walkers for generations and provides a retreat into a secluded wee valley dominated by beech forest. Kowhai Track is the…
The eastern Tararua valleys offer sheltered tramping through fine bush, with a smattering of huts, excellent camping and plenty of swimming holes. During a hot summer, this route makes…
In clear weather, the Tararuas offer lovely views and, arguably, some of the best can be enjoyed between Mt Hector and Elder Hut, which sits just above the bush…
The trail to Mitre Flats Hut only gains 70m but with plenty of ups and downs and tree roots. After a constant three-hour plod you,ll reach the 14-bunk Mitre…
A tramp to Pukeatua, 812m, on a clear day promises magnificent views. Starting at Otaki Forks, you quickly gained altitude for the first 30 minutes, climbing steeply among kamahi…
There are a couple of ways to reach Mid Waiohine Hut, with the easiest and quickest being over Mt Holdsworth. It takes two hours to reach Powell Hut along…
The well-trodden track from Holdsworth car park begins easily, with the final push up to Jumbo Hut, via the Raingauge Spur Track, cranking the calf muscles. From near the…
A trip over the scenic stretch of Tararua ridgeline encompassing the Broken Axe Pinnacles is a delight. The ridge weaves through rolling tussock hills, with darker and larger peaks…
Jans Hut is the perfect place to go if you have young children and you want to introduce them to tramping. There are several DOC huts in the Orongorongo…
Getting to the hard-to-reach and seldom-visited Dorset Ridge Hut requires an early start and a long day’s tramp. The first half hour follows a gravel farm road and short…
Renata Ridge is a long bush-clad ridge reaching from the tussock tops of the Southern Crossing out to the Akatarawa Road, and enables a keen tramper to walk the…
Blue Range Hut was built by the Masterton Tramping Club over two years in the 1950s. The track up to the hut ascends some 700m, but is fairly easy.…
This tramps leads into the headwaters of the Mangatainoka River along a densely forested track that has a deep-forest feel to it. The bush here is lush and the…
The track to Mitre Flats Hut follows the Waingawa River and is named Barra Track after Bert Barra, a renowned deer culler. The track is well worn by weather…
Busy only in birdlife, with cosy huts and impressive views, Aorangi Forest Park offers Wellington trampers an isolated alternative to the more popular Rimutaka and Tararua ranges. The trip…
The Waiopehu Track is the creation of the Levin and Waiopehu Tramping Club (LWTC) and provides trampers with access to the backcountry of the Tararuas. It took eight months…