Location: Kaimai Ranges
Author: Emily Steiner
Participants: Emily Steiner, Lily Haffner, Rebecca Southen
Date: 27th-28th September, 2024
On the 27th of September, we set out from the Clock tower for a wee Kaimais overnighter. We drove down to Matamata, and after a quick stop for lunch, headed to the Te Tuhi track trailhead. The beginning of the track went through poorly marked farmland. After getting lost twice, we eventually spotted orange triangles leading into the bush and dodged and ducked our way through the gauntlet of electrical fencing (except when I didn’t duck enough and was electrocuted) and curious cows to the edge of the bush.
The bush track consists of a sharp ascent through podocarp forest (new word courtesy of Rebecca and her botany knowledge) before evening out and meeting the North-South track: a track that goes from the top to the bottom of the Kaimai range. We began heading south on the North-South track and noticed an immediate difference in track quality. The Te Tuhi track is a dry, easy track (and recently trimmed thanks to some lovely AUTC volunteers) with only a few diversions due to windfall. The North-South was much muddier and required a bit of clambering over tree branches and through eroded clay sections. After nearly losing a boot to the mud and crossing some low streams, we made it to our destination for the night: Te Whare Okioki!
Te Whare Okioki was a cosy little hut with 12 bunks, a generous deck, and lots of space in a clearing. We spent the afternoon playing card games and eating snacks on the deck. Once it started getting cold (with the forecast predicting negative temperatures), we headed inside and got a fire going. We toasted marshmallows on the fire before dinner (chickpea curry and couscous). After a cosy evening, we headed to bed pretty early and got a good night’s sleep.
The next day, we returned by the same route which was much quicker as it was all downhill. We made slightly better progress on the farm but eventually got lost again and ended up following a metal road back down to the cars. From there we headed to the Opal Hot Pools and had a nice soak, before grabbing kebabs in Matamata and heading lazily back up to Auckland. Overall, the trip was great for beginner/intermediate hikers looking to go somewhere slightly less busy than Pinnacles or Waitawheta.
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