NOTE - DATE TBC. TRIP DELAYED

Location: Kaimanawa Mountains - Umakarikari Range & Middle Range

Difficulty: Easy Fit/Medium. 6-7 hour days. 700m elevation gain each day. A couple river crossings. Cold and windy ridges. Non-technical.

Conditions: A few steady climbs up to a mostly flat ridgeline, with a saddle inbetween. Day 1 and 3 are poled routes with visible tracks. Day 2 is following a well used hunting trail and backcountry route, or alternatively following the Waipakihi river.

Max People: 10ish, but since we are camping basically as many as cars will allow, there's ample space to camp around the hut.

Note: The trip may be adjusted as weather conditions allow. The ridgeline is easy but exposed, and it may be very cold, possibly still some light snow left.

Costs: Waipakihi Hut is $10 + around $150ish in fuel split among your car + around $5-10 per night for group dinners.

Gear: We'll camp for 2 nights, so you need a tent and other camping equipment. You must bring everything on the overnight tramp list, your own lunches and breakfasts, and plenty of snacks. Warm windproof and waterproof layers are a must. At least one item of bright clothing is recommended as there are sometimes hunters about.

Itinerary

Day 0 - Depart in the afternoon (No later than 5pm) from Wellington on Thursday to make the 5 hour drive to the Waikoko Valley Campsites. Get dinner along the way. Camp for the night.

Day 1 - Start reasonably early to begin the 7 hour walk across the Umakarikari Range to the Waipakihi Hut, the only hut on the western side of the Kaimanawas. It's a small-ish 12 person hut and popular with hunters, so we might have to camp.

Day 2 - This is the weather dependent route. 5-7 hours. Either head up the Middle Range track and follow the hunter/backcountry trail across the ridgeline to the Thunderbolt access, or descend with the Waipahiki River. Some bushbashing may be required. We'll camp at the river's edge. If the weather is absolutely perfect, we can camp on the tops too.

Day 3 - Start off with a river crossing, then head up to the Urchin Track. Excellent views of the Central Plateau. Then descend back down towards the carpark, and be back in Welly by 7pm. OPTIONAL post-hike soak in the Tokaanu Hot Pools if people are ok with getting back very late (10pm-ish)

Daphne Spur Track (Medium)

Come along to a scenic 7.5km hike through the heart of the Ruahine Ranges, showcasing stunning native bush, rivers/streams, a mountain top and two historic huts. It is a steep and rugged tramping route that is short in distance, but big on elevation effort. 

The two huts we'll visit along the way include Daphne Hut itself, a standard 12-bunk hut with many facilities like heating, mattresses, tolets and water via nearby streams. It sits on a river terrace, 50 m from Tukituki River and was built by the Takapau Lions Club in 1986, with support from the Department of Conservation. Second is Howlett's Hut, a standard eight-bunk hut 1000m above sea level, containing a water supply tank and a woodburner for heating. It's current iteration was built in 1958 by the Heretaunga and Ruahine Tramping Clubs. It belongs to the Heretaunga Tramping Club but is open to public use.

• The track begins near Moorcock stream along Kashmir road, with a 5.24km trail that goes above 1000m to Daphne Hut (the carpark is at an elevation of 600m, so this more of an 400m climb), taking around 2.5 hours to reach Daphne Hut.
• Now for the main bit of the trip, the Daphne Spur Track! It's a short 2km track but has an elevation gain of over 750m, taking around 3-4 hours to uphill the track. It is a medium-hard track that is gravelly and steep. It transitions into leatherleaf scrub, then opens up to tussock near the tops. There is also no water on the spur, so you must fill up at the river before climbing up to Howlett's Hut.

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  Trip Route Map

We'll meet at Hunter Carpark at 9:00 AM and leave around 9:15-9:30 AM. Then we'll reach Daphne Hut carpark in 3 hours and 30 minutes, starting the tramp around the early afternoon. We will stay at Daphne Hut on the first track section, then stay at Howlett's Hutt in the second track section for night two. Afterwards, we will wake up early and quickly hike back down and up, then down again to the carpark to end the trip! The maximum amount of people I'll bring is twelve, which is the maximum amount of beds at Daphne's Hut, but we can pitch tents at Howlett's Hut which has a maximum of eight beds.

Rough trip costs is 45$, which only covers fuel. You will need two blue hut tickets which are 10$ each and are seperate from the total trip costs.

Also, if anyone is keen for a shared dinner let me know! 

Garabaldi Plateau is deep in the middle of Kahurangi National Park. This is a but of a sequel to the center mountain trip last year. I was thinking of a 7-10 day transalpine trip that crosses from 1 side to the other(Kakapo hut, Herbert range, garabaldi, Leslie) but only if we can sort out the logistics. Kahurangi tends to be a bit more chill than the mountains further south, so this trip would be open for any keen MH trampers. 

Update: Dates are pretty locked in, starting from Karamea on the 12th and finishing sometime after the 20th

NEW PLAN due to weather: French Ridge 25th, walk out 26th

We are planning a two-night tramp in the Mt Aspiring National Park. We would leave from Wānaka on the morning of the 25th November and would love for anyone in the area to join us. At the moment, there are two spaces left in my car leaving from Wānaka, and if you are coming from anywhere else you will need your own transport.

25th: Drive from Wānaka to the Matukituki Valley carpark. Tramp 15km to Liverpool Hut (<1,000m ascent). Unfortunately the hut has turned out to be fully booked on this day - we will still go up to see it if we feel like it, but in the evening we will camp in the valley.

26th: A day to explore the valley and the river. We will ultimately tramp to French Ridge Hut on the other side of the valley. This is a 5km walk, with a ~1,000m descent and ~1,000m ascent. Stay overnight at French Ridge Hut.

27th: Tramp out from French Ridge Hut, back to the Matukituki Valley carpark (~17km, >1,000m descent). Return to Wānaka.

You will need to pack for three days of tramping. We will likely plan to share main meals. 

Both huts require booking in advance, so please let us know ASAP if you intend to join!

***COST
$50-$60 is an estimation based on current numbers. French Ridge Hut is $40 per person. There will be an additional cost for fuel and food.

This week we will be showcasing our (in)famous taco sessions. Turn up to the Brooklyn address from 6pm with $5-10 worth of the following:

Tortilla wraps, beans, canned tomatos, veggies, salad, sour cream, guacamole,corn chips, etc. Maybe a drink or two

I wil provide mince and cheese. And a cat. Possibly good conversation as well, we will see

38a Clarence St, Brooklyn, Wgtn. Down the hidden-ish steps past the long grass, the top flat when you reach the balcony