Ruapae/Herepai Overnighter [ROUTE CHANGED]

Otaki Forks Road is closed (again) due to a slip so we have a new route - Ruapae summit! Another car/driver wanted!

Location: Tararua Ranges, via Putara Road

Difficulty: Easy. 6 hours Saturday, 2-3 hours Sunday. Non-technical.

Max People: Herepai Hut sleeps 10. No bookings. We're looking for another driver!

Costs: Hut $10 + around $5-10 for a group dinner, and probs the same for fuel.

Gear: The typical stuff for an overnight tramp.

Itinerary

Saturday - Depart early in the morning at 9am. It's a 2 hour drive Putara Rd carpark. From there, it's about 3 hours as a casual pace to Herepai, where we'll stop for lunch and to drop off our gear. From there we'll trek up to Herepai summit, where the official DOC track ends, but the trail continues. We'll assess the trail conditions and continue onto Ruapae for some stunning views! Then we're back down to Herepai Hut for card games, yapping, and dinner.

Sunday - We can have a chill start, depending on when people want to get back to civilisation. It's a breezy 3 hour downhill and flat walk back to carpark, then another 2 hour drive. We can be back by midday or early afternoon.