Kaimanawa Kaweka Traverse – 124km and 8100m vert
Well, this was the run that almost didn’t happen! Delayed a year by cyclone damage then the dates window for our key swap was limited to the weekend of 1-3 March. We lined up access permission for the start at Kiko Rd only to discover it would be closed until June.
What followed was several frantic emails, route planning, permit requests, permit denials and eventually they day before departure permission to go! It meant a longer route than originally planned and a commitment to get through the private land by mid-morning before the hunters were helicoptered in – and it also meant key swap was no longer an option.
The final piece of the puzzle came together when Iain agreed to pick our car up from the Umukarikari carpark on his return from Taupo – we could do it! Now less than 24 hours to departure having given up hope we were on, and I had to get the gear sorted….
Day 1 – Umukarikari to Waipakihi – 14km and 1000m vert
With the time pressure to avoid becoming target practice we needed a head start so we decided to spend Thursday night at Waipakihi Hut. Work commitments saw us arriving at the Umukarikari carpark ready to set off just after 6pm on 29th February – familiar terrain to Paul, Sean and I but all new for Caro. She was in for a treat as we reached the top in time to see the sun setting behind the Maunga of Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe.
There was a pretty cold wind blowing from the South so we didn’t hang around too long but fired up the headlamps and carried on uneventfully down to the hut to be greeted by occupants wondering what on earth we were doing out in the hills at night. A picnic dinner and off to bed ready for an early start.
Day 2 – Waipakihi to Oamaru River – 41km and 2600m vert
It was a spectacular but chilly morning as we headed off at 6:30am straight into the wet undergrowth and up to Junction Top. From there we admired the views and turned away from the Rangitikei and headed towards Ignimbrite Saddle and on over Ngapuketurua.
This section was beautiful with views of Lake Taupo to the West and mountains all round. We startled numerous deer and watched them bounding gracefully down the slopes no doubt into the waiting arms of the hunters in the river valleys below… they looked so effortless next to us clumsy humans! The trail was a little overgrown in places but only one real navigational error saw us dropping towards Ignimbrite Hut – we realised and backtracked to the correct spot without losing too much time.
After a few hours we hit the Cascade Track and were safely through the hunting block – no hunters spotted, and no shots fired – possibly due to the protection of the garishly bright shirt Sean had brought along!
From here we picked up our original planned route heading off towards Cascade Hut. It’s a long way on a now stinking hot day from Waipakihi until Cascade hut – we found one river where we could replenish dwindling water supplies before the final climb and descent through beautiful beech forest to the hut.
By this stage we knew we were behind splits to get us to our planned destination of Boyd hut. The overgrown trail through the first part of the day had taken too long. We did a reassessment and decided we’d aim for a bivvy site on the shores of the Oamaru River. This is where we got lucky – someone had abandoned a 2-person tent at the hut! We had a tarp but a tent would make for a much more comfortable night, so we split the load, added it to our packs and after a nice sit in the sun and refuel (travelling with a Yorkshire man there’s always time for a brew!) we headed off for the shortish but sharp climb up to Maungaorangi.
This spot blew me away! You really feel like you’re in the absolute centre of the North Island! For the first time we could see the Hawkes Bay off to the East, the hills of Vegas to the North, Ruapehu and Lake Taupo dominating the skyline to the West and of course the Kaimanawa and Kaweka peaks surrounding us and stretching in every direction. A warm still spot to stop and admire the views and send messages home.
Not for too long though as daylight was going and we had quite a descent ahead of us to our bivvy site… This next section started with some lovely undulations but then brought back memories of the Marchant ridge in the Tararua as it seemed to be going uphill as much as down!
Tracking the orange triangles through the fading daylight and then by headlamp was a challenge on a meandering overgrown track. It was with relief, tired eyes and hungry stomachs we eventually hit the river and made our way downstream to our camping spot.
Some entertainment as we pitched our borrowed tent and watched Sean try several variations of tarp positioning before settling on the good old-fashioned A-frame. A quick meal (Sean’s Sri Lankan curry was apparently good but the rest of us settled for soup and sandwiches at 10pm!) and we were out to it. A night under the stars and towering trees with a fast-flowing stream complete with Who – where else in the world would you want to be 😊
Day 3 – Oamaru River to Mangaturutu Hut – 33km and 2000m vert
A more leisurely start packing up camp and we were off to Boyd Hut to drop off our borrowed tent for the next person in need. Emerging from the forest path over the Waitawhero Saddle and seeing the spectacular Ngaruroro River valley stretching out below us bathed in the morning sunshine was a good start to the day!
The airfield even had a plane sitting on the runway – we did briefly contemplate hitching a lift out but decided we were all having too much fun! A kōrero with the hunters and pilot at the hut – we were an hour too early for the morning fry up and while tempted to stay and join in the breakfast we bid farewell and carried on our way towards Tussock Hut.
Easy travel down the river valley saw us farewell the Kaimanawa and enter the Kaweka before the climb over the ridge. Emerging from moss lined beech leaf littered pathways leading you through the forest to probably the most stunning hut in the best location I’ve ever seen.
A snack and water refill and we headed on our way to Harkness hut – what looked to be easy travel on the map became a little more challenging as we dropped into the Ngaawapurua River crossing back and forth through the river and pushing through the undergrowth – it was at this point that I seriously regretted leaving the long gaiters at home and started to understand what death by a thousand cuts just might be like – it was not pleasant and my shins are a raw mess while I’m writing this!
It was with relief that we reached the Harkness hut in the heat of the day and sat down to enjoy lunch before tackling the biggest climb of the day. At this point we noticed Paul’s shoe was not faring well and patched it up with tape – hoping this would hold it together – retaping the shoe became a regular feature of our stops and Sean is now a credible cobbler.
The highlight of this stop was discovering a full untouched can of sprite that had been left behind in the hut – not only that but it was cold!!! We shared that out and then set off up to Te Pukeohikarua. The climb was short and sharp but the views made it worthwhile – that and knowing that if things went to plan we’d be staying up high until our final descent to the car. With daylight against us we made the decision to aim for Mangaturutu Hut instead of pushing on to Venison Tops. A quick message to let Al know our change of plans (he was meeting us at Venison Tops) and we navigated our way across to Ahurua.
Then much to our dismay we spotted people silhouetted in the distance – at first, we thought maybe it was Al coming to meet us but oh no – there was more than one! We knew it was a small hut but how small? We did a count – 3 of them that we could see, and they were ahead of us. Did we do the ungentlemanly thing and try and outsprint them to claim the bunks? Or did we carry on to Venison Top?
There was still daylight left we might make it… In the end we decided to be civilised and make our way to the hut and make friends with the hunters 😊 This turned out to be a great idea as they made space for us (well Sean had to sleep in the loft space), offered us food and beer (our dehy did not smell so great next to their feast of steak, potatoes, onions all cooked in butter with peas and gravy – unfortunately they’d forgotten the custard to go with the chocolate cake!).
We ate and headed off to bed listening to their radio playing tunes and the dulcet tones of their conversation. Unfortunately, this was soon drowned out by the wind starting to build and rattle the hut. A sleepless night for me and we woke to the sound of wind and rain lashing the hut – not what you want when you know you have a full day of tops travel ahead of you….
Day 4 – Mangaturutu Hut to The Lakes carpark – 36km and 2500m vert
Luckily the rain cleared as we thanked the hunters for their hospitality (they were all still tucked up in bed - possibly a result of the beer indulgence) and set off to Venison Top to collect Al. Several wardrobe debates were had, and outfits changed multiple times – coats on, coats off, long sleeves or not – hats, where are the gloves – so many decisions to be made!
We repacked sensibly at Venison Top to ensure the warm and waterproof clothes were all very accessible, loaded up with enough water to hopefully get us through the day without needing to drop to a hut and headed off to tackle the ridge to Whetu. Stopping to throw on the warm clothes as we breached the bush line having heard the wind howling above us, we were pleased to see the rain holding off and we were treated to a view off our tops travel for the day stretching round to Kaweka Junction in the distance where we planned on dropping down Studholme past The Tits and out.
Behind us Ruapehu still loomed reminding us of where we’d started. 5 minutes later we’d stopped to remove the warm clothes and were back to t-shirts enjoying surprisingly mild conditions despite the wind which seemed have eased.
Easy travel and we were loving the views, the conditions, the adventure circling round and off Whetu and it all changed. The wind was back with a force making it hard to stay upright. The layers were back on quick, and the conversation died as we focused on keeping our balance and moving as quickly and safely as we could towards our destination. Hunkering down on the 1668 spot height before the final climb to North Kaweka and the rain arrived with a vengeance.
At this point we knew we couldn’t stay on the tops in these conditions, so we quickly reassessed and decided to drop off Makahu Spur figuring we’d plan a new route from the warmth of a hut. Steeling ourselves for a final battle with the elements we made our way up North Kaweka and across to Kaweka Junction and the Makahu Spur turnoff. A short, sharp, and reasonably gnarly descent and we spotted the welcome bright orange of Dominie Bivvy. We hunkered down, upped the layers, refuelled, and looked at the maps.
The plan now was to drop to Makahu hut and make our way round to The Lakes via Mackintosh hut. With a plan in mind, we ducked out to continue the final 500m of vertical descent back to the bushline and relative warmth of Makahu Saddle hut where we treated ourselves to hot soup and noodles.
The sun came out again as we set off and made our way to the one little piece we’d been dreading – the gorge to the Donald River. That descent is something I never want to do again! So steep and slippery with loose rock underfoot and 300m straight down only to cross the river, refill the water, eat some lollies and climb back up the other side!
Mackintosh Hut and we were on the home straight – just a couple of kms of easy trail, another gorge, a couple of kms of forestry road and we’d be done! It almost came unstuck here when we hit the gorge to discover the old track closed – luckily the new one had just been cut (literally in the last few days based on how loose the dirt and moss was!) and we descended before climbing for glory!
Arriving in the carpark to see Al’s car lonely and waiting for us containing clean clothes, deodorant, and chippies – all of which were much needed after our adventures!
Such an amazing adventure to have ticked off the list. Not the shortest or most direct route but I loved almost every second of it. Would I do it again? Maybe not. Will I go back and explore more parts of the Kaimanawa and Kaweka - absolutely!!! Do I suggest you consider a KKT – yes do it – but the logistics aren’t straightforward so be prepared to be flexible.
Would I do anything differently? Yes – wear long gaiters and don’t eat chicken noodles followed by golden syrup porridge for breakfast – that is not a flavour combo you want to be burping for the next climb….