From Kelleher, Pukematawai seemed impossibly distant along the main range. Photo: Sam Harrison

The Tararua’s forgotten traverse

Features, Off the Beaten Track, Podcast

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Sam Harrison

Sam Harrison is a chocolate addict who tramps on the side and can’t resist a bit of type II fun.

By Sam Harrison

From Lambton Quay to the rugged heart of the Tararua wilderness, two trampers dare to link Ōtaki River’s most remote huts on a four-day adventure.

(Listen to Sam read his story with a follow-up Q&A about the trip with our editor.) Ōtaki River is the beating heart of the western Tararua Range. It flows from under the main range, fringed by dense forest and rugged peaks. Its headwaters are bounded on one side by Oriwa Ridge, a once popular traverse […]

About the author

Sam Harrison

Sam Harrison is a chocolate addict who tramps on the side. When he’s not in the bush he can be found pushing paper for a government department in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Sam graduated from the University of Otago in 2021 with a Bachelor of Law, a Bachelor of Arts, a large student loan and a love of all things tramping. He is easily identified in the hills by his oversized camera and his distinctive knack for finding type II fun.