Location: Kaimanawa Ranges
Author: Lucas Hebberd
Date: 9th - 12th April 2024
Day 1:
After a slightly delayed start due to miscommunication and Auckland morning traffic, we left the clock tower at about 7:30 to make the journey to Kaimanawa Forest Park. After stopping at Taupo for lunch, we continued the drive to the start of the track. The road was windy and treacherous with a massive amount of pot-holes; Lucas’ slightly impractical car that has about half a foot of clearance struggled at times but we eventually made it to the campsite we were parking our car at.
As we started walking, rain started to set in. The tree cover along the road we were walking down saved us here. We met quite a few people camping along the road in various places; we weren’t quite sure whether they hunting or hiding from the Inland Revenue Department (or potentially both). After powering it through the road section, we arrived at the trailhead after about 2 hours (Ferg waited in the toilet to keep out of the rain - what a man will do remain dry). The rain picked but we were unperturbed and keeped going. However, very quickly we reached a quite large hill which did in fact perturb us and we slowed down a lot. Lucas lost his sunglasses and morale was somewhat low. Visibility was also quite low with all the views off the hill being of cloud, and Max got a bit lost (Lucas took this as an opportunity for an extended break). We eventually made it to the top of the hill, where we discovered Anna and Lance were much better at climbing hills than the rest of us. The sun began to set during the descent (not that we could see it) and soon we found ourselves walking in the dark. We had a few navigational mishaps that involved us climbing under trees but nevertheless we made it down the hill to the Tauranga-Taupo river. The final section to the hut ended up being almost a maze through some trees (there may have been a few circles involved) but we finally got to Cascade hut. We were the only ones there and everyone was very happy that we didn’t have to bust out the tents.
Night-time activities consisted of Lucas taking a signature water bottle shower, no one liking a the bottle of cheap rum and Lance trying to start a fire with wet wood, deodorant and a gas stove (we sadly did not get a fire).
Day 2:
We started the next day in the rain (again) and soon reached another massive hill (again). The climb up Maungaorangi was strenuous and many lollies had to be eaten to keep us going. However, once we got to the tops we were treated to a change in terrain and internet signal
from the cell tower at the top. We had an early lunch on top of some spiky plants (and in some deer droppings that we found half-way through our break). Taking advantage of the rare occurrence of mobile service, we checked the weather and found that it was going to REALLY start raining on Friday. The official verdict was that that would be a later problem. As we kept walking along the tops, the clouds parted and we got to actually to see something that wasn’t grey. Looking further into the Kaimanawas one direction and to the Kawekas in the other, the view was incredible. However, the wind was picking up again and we felt the need to keep going.
It was about now that Lucas and Ferg both ran out of water, which made for a bit of a miserable
downhill section. The descent was steep, but we eventually made it to Oamaru river. We took a
10 minute break, which turned into a 20 minute break, which turned into a 30 minute break
which finally concluded after 40 minutes. The track continued up to a saddle (we were not enthused for more uphill), where Lance, Max and Anna either heard a stag or a branch whacking against a tree. The top of the saddle gave us a great view into a valley where we could see the river we were not looking forward to crossing. As darkness set in, we crossed the river and found
our way up to the hut. We lost the track at several points, but what would be a trip without a bush bash? We again found the hut unoccupied. Lucas tried to set up the solar shower that we found there, but failed miserably and had a cold water bottle shower instead. After a night of card games and drinking, we went to bed on some quite uncomfortable doc mattresses and got some much-desired sleep.
Day 3:
After leaving 40 minutes after the agreed departure time of 7:00, Max joked on the way out “surely we just walk the whole way out today.” Everyone laughed, but this ended up being
prophetic. After some deliberation about the rain on Friday, our goal today was to skip our planned accommodation of Oamaru Hut and camp halfway between the hut and the road end to
reduce our walk on the last day. We got back to the turnoff from the previous day and then expressed extreme skepticism in the apparently 4 further hours to Oamaru hut. The track journeyed
further down the river and eventually to a hill. We did not want to go up a hill and thus decided to proceed with a river bash. Now with wet boots, we eventually left the river and started walking through some fields in the final stretch to Oamaru hut. We were again with resistance as it had started to rain and there were many spiky plants along the track. We persevered through and made it to Oamaru hut for lunch. Some hunters had taken up residence in the hut for the week and while they didn’t have any venison, they did have about 80 cans of beer each. Oh, the beauty of being helicoptered in.
It was about now when the prevailing opinion was ‘screw it, lets get to the road.’ We gapped it to a swingbridge (though we did stop to look at some whio), where the final decision to continue to the trailhead was made. Lucas and Ferg set off ahead with the aim of Lucas getting to the road first to get the car. However, in our way was the final massive hill. Morale was low, we were running out of lollies and things were looking tough. The weather was getting noticeably cloudier and the impending darkness was getting more and more worrying. After passing the site of the old Te Iringa hut, we only had the descent left to go. It was about now we had to bust out the headtorches and progress slowed. As always, the end seemed much closer on the map than it actually was. However, the end was eventually reached. That was apart from Lucas, who promptly dropped his pack and, armed with a water bottle and a dwindling supply of chocolate, set off down the road to get the car. It was with great relief that to finally reach Clements Clearing campsite, where he was never had been so happy to see his car. While driving back down the road blasting Taylor Swift, he missed the rest of the group and had to do a u-turn a kilometre down the road, an act that tempered his majestic arrival somewhat. Now all together again, everyone was very satisfied with the distance they had made that day - Lucas’ phone said 50km, which was almost certainly an overestimate but it makes us seemer fitter so we’re gonna use that measurement. Everyone was in high spirits on the drive home, though this was slightly reduced when the only KFC on the way home was closed. We finally arrived back in Auckland at about 1:00 in the morning, a bit later than planned but regardless everyone was very happy to sleep on something other than a DOC mattress.
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