By Justin Atkinson, 12 September 2026
If you've ever walked Dobson's track, you'll know about the mud. This track is located in the Tararua Range by Kaitoke. It's well known to VUWTC from Bush Ball and many a Southern Crossing. It's also infamous for its death traps of quickmud that swallow you up. With grumblings apparent throughout our club, I began to scheme a solution. Fortunately I was not alone.
Enter the Greater Wellington Backcountry Network (GWBN). Led by the fearless Derrick Field and full of intrepid outdoor adventurers, this group have done a mind-blowing amount of hut and track maintenance. Check out their Facebook page for more, shameless plug (examples of their wonderful mahi in 2026 include improvements to the Ohau Gorge track and the Aorangi Crossing). Old timers may know that GWBN used to be called the Tararua Aorangi Remutaka Huts Committee (TARHC).
GWBN had a plan to save many a tramper from getting mucky on Dobson's track. They assembled 24 boardwalks to cover the worst of the mud. These varied in length between two and four metres. I heard about this and offered to lend VUWTC's support. Event planning took several months through 2026, and after many emails and a couple of postponements due to wind (plus a last minute cancellation and un-cancellation on VUWTC's end), everyone was ready to install them. There was just one problem: the boardwalks were incredibly heavy!
Solution: Get tramping sheep to carry that weight! Just kidding, they had a better solution: flying the boardwalks up with a bird's eye view! 4 VUWTC members ventured to Kaitoke camp and rendezvoused with GWBN at 8am, most of whom had travelled from the Wairarapa. It was a frosty but beautiful morning. We donned hi vis vests, and soon warmed up hoisting boardwalks from trucks into piles based on length.
We were soon divebombed by a tipsy kererū, which proceeded to get into a fight with a magpie. We didn't see who won, as they soon took flight. You could feel the chopper before you could see it. We had all prepared for this moment and completed a helicopter safety module. However, a last-minute logistics change meant only one sheep could fly. Our brave President Honiss was chosen to ascend, and after gear was loaded into helibags Air Fleece One took off (we got an air force before a club van!).
Liftoff was the equivalent of a starting pistol being fired. Max and his GWBN group travelled to one end of Dobson's track, and the remaining VUWTC and GWBN people started walking up the other. A friendly competition commenced, with each team assigned 6 boardwalk installation points. You won't guess who installed their boardwalks first...
I was in the walking group, but before we got to the track two German Shepherds bounded up to us. We were separated by a fence, and some inquisitive property owners asked if we were flying 1080 over them. GWBN confirmed only track maintenance supplies were flying, and us sheep quietly escaped from the shepherds. There were more Germans right around the corner, as several German tourists were prepping for a trail run.
From the road, the section of track with new boardwalks is 5km and takes 1.5-2 hours to walk (or just under 10min in a chopper). The thunderous roar of the chopper echoed across the valley as it touch and goed the boardwalks from camp to the rendezvous points. My group began with a steep ascent over a kilometre. The track eventually levelled out and we reached our first drop-off point. After a well-earned beer/coffee break, we left our packs on the track and got stuck in.
The basic drill at each boggy site was to drain water and mud using intricate canal systems. Excess mud was collected to make delicious mud pies. We would then work out the optimal arrangement for laying out several boardwalks. Next we would place a boardwalk and undrill small wooden beams on its sides. These beams were hammered down into the mud and attached to the boardwalk with a drill. Then the earmuffs came out, with a chainsaw NCEA qualification used to detach excess wood. This happened twice at each end, giving stability to the boardwalks. We tried walking across a couple that weren't secured, and it was a literal Total Wipeout course!
This was our rhythm, but we'd started out rough. The wooden beams had accidentally been attached to the boardwalks using two types of screws: hexs and star heads. This meant we couldn't unscrew half the beams. MVP of the day was other Max, who jogged 7km return to the other end of the ridge to get a spare hex drill bit. This was super helpful, but we did some preliminary work on sites 2 and 3 to use our time wisely.
After each site we would retrieve our packs and hike a short distance to the next. We made plenty of time for lunch, snacks, and yarns. Progress was initially slow but my team got into a good flow and had finished our sites by 4pm.
Meanwhile, President Honiss had landed near the old Dobsons hut site, with its foundations and concerte fireplace still intact. His team had to carry boardwalks over much steeper track than mine, but Honiss is certainly fit to be President! Several GWBN folk did an epic side quest to cut tracks on Marchant Ridge using chainsaws and scrub bars.
My group was very confident we'd finished our boardwalks first, but Honiss's team agreed to disagree (we complained about their literal helicopter-sized advantage!). A very enjoyable day was had by all. Massive shoutout to GWBN for staying overnight on Dobson's track to finish off some minor tasks, and for all their awesome outdoors mahi! Keep an eye out for the boardwalks next time you're in the Tararuas, unless you like stomping in the mud lol :)
