Kime Hut, Tararua Range, May 2014

My flatmate, Anita, had purchased her first pair of tramping boots and was keen to give them a whirl. I'd suggested a trip to Kime Hut, being a cool spot and not too far to get to. We'd planned to head to Kime in Easter, but due to the bad weather forecast, we gave it a miss. The weather forecast this weekend was much more promising though, so we decided to head out and up to Kime from Otaki Forks. 

Although both Metservice and Mountain-Forecast.com had promised me fine, clear, weather, the reality at Otaki Forks didn't quite reconcile (I was going to say match up, but reconcile is a much more exciting word for an accountant). 

Although eerily calm, there was a faint drizzle as we pushed our way up the Southern Crossing track towards Field Hut. They'd completed a bit of work on the track from where it enters the bush to just before Field Hut from when I was last up here. The new gravel on the track cuts out a lot of the really bad muddy sections, while at the same time not upgrading the track to a highway, great walk style.

We arrived at Field Hut to a bunch of very loud and excitable teenagers, accompanied by their parents. I was not keen to linger any longer than necessary. The hills are meant to be a peaceful place and this sounded like what I imagine Queensgate Mall to sound like in the school holidays. Ugh. We had to get moving anyway, as it had taken about 45 minutes longer to get to Field than I'd previously done and I'd expected to be there much sooner than that, so we needed to push on to avoid walking in the dark.

The drizzle had stopped by this point, and we enjoyed a calm walk across Table Top. 

Just past Table Top

We finally arrived at the new Kime Hut just on dark. It was quite clagged in and I was disappointed, as it's always kinda nice to take people to a new spot and show it off. But views weren't the forefront of my mind at this point. It was dinner time!

I chucked the pasta in the billy to boil and went to get the container of vegetables, spices and chorizo I'd chopped up earlier. Only to find it wasn't there. I'd left it in the fridge at home. Dammit. So pasta and pasta sauce for dinner it was. I wasn't popular. 

Luckily, we were so hungry we pretty much cleaned the billy out (500g of cooked pasta between three people!) anyway. And we had lots of chocolate and tea for dessert.

The new Kime hut is quite large and without any form of heating. Although it's well insulated (double glazed windows too!), it's a cold place to be. We were sharing the hut with six others and everyone was in the sleeping bags in bed reading by 7.30pm. Much nicer to be doing that than feeling cold sitting around a table. 

After a solid 10 hour sleep, I awoke to a special surprise. 

Kime Hut looking South

Looking North with the rest of the Tararuas in the background

Looking East towards the Wairarapa

`
Not a bad way to start the day, huh? Although the pictures don't show it (it could be seen quite clearly, it's just my camera's not good enough), we could see Mt Taranaki, Mt Ruapehu, the Wairarapa, Wellington Harbour and the South Island all from one spot. It was quite something. I've never before been able to see so many different geographical features from one spot. 

The Tararuas are quite a private range. They are almost always covered up in some sort of cloud or mist. And it the skirt is lifted, it's usually only a tease; a small peek through a brief gap in the clouds. It's quite rare to be able to see the whole range and surrounds in its entirety. So I was particularly taken aback by the views today. 

Looking West with Kapiti Island in the background

The new Kime Hut is large, modern and practical. It's largely based on DOC's template modern hut and doesn't have a lot of character. But what new structure does? Character develops over time. But I think it's quite difficult for a large, popular barn such as this to develop the sense of quaint cosiness that many of the smaller, older backcountry huts have. 

Like the old hut (which actually had a fire and a wood lined interior to give it more of a feeling if cosiness), it's a cold place to be and not the sort of place where one could happily linger for a few days. Although as the sun came out, we opened all the windows in the hut and sat on the deck for a bit to enjoy the calm, warm rays. On days like this, Kime Hut was a nice spot to be, but days such as this apparently only occur on about 40 days of the year in the Tararuas. 

I was so struck with the beautiful sunrise that I forgot to get a good close up picture of the new hut and interior, but here's the best one I took. Nothing amazing. 

After a leisurely breakfast, we began the walk back down to Otaki forks again. 

On the way back down to Otaki Forks

I didn't really want to go back down. On a day like this, I just wanted to get out and explore all those other places I've been meaning to go for ages. Like up to Mt Hector, and back to Otaki forks via Elder and Renata huts, or to complete the section between Maungahuka and Waitewaewae huts I've never gotten around to doing. Ah, the possibilities. 

Approximate timings:

Otaki Forks - Field Hut: 2-3hrs
Field Hut - Kime Hut: 2-3hrs

Field Hut

Rock & Pillar Range Run, Middlemarch - May 2014

I've been to Dunedin a few times, but have never really explored much beyond the city. With my sister's impending graduation in Dunedin, I'd vowed this time was going to be different.

Via the DOC website, I'd penciled a few potential trips in to try and make the most of the trip to Dunedin. With only four days in town, of which half was taken up with graduation stuff, I couldn't do any over night trips, so a run seemed like the best way to check out some cool spots with limited time. 

With a fine, calm, day forecast, I'd managed to convince my brother to come along on the run with me. 

The Rock and Pillar Range towers above the village of Middlemarch, about an hour's drive North-West of Dunedin. It's not quite Central Otago, so the area is a nice mix of green coastal Otago landscapes, and the golden tussock landscape of Central Otago. 

There was quite a bit of fog around, but occasionally mother nature lifted up her skirt to reveal a much nicer day above. 

On the road to Middlemarch, with the Rock and Pillar Range Behind

The plan was to run up to Leaning Lodge Hut, then across the tops to Big Hut and back down - a nice loop. But we had to be back in Dunedin by lunchtime to pick my sister up from the airport, so I wasn't sure if the planned route was entirely achievable.

The range is typical of many in Central Otago, with broad, almost rolling, tussock slopes. This, combined with the fact there was a rough 4WD track up to Leaning Lodge Hut, meant that it was an ideal track to run. Although there was still a solid 1100m climb to actually get to the hut!

My brother was not impressed as we pulled into the carpark. The temperature gague on the car informed us that it was -1 outside. I love running in the cold though, and within five minutes, the cold air stopped burning our lungs and we'd warmed up nicely. As we were running above the thick layer of fog above Middlemarch, it actually warmed up quite a bit as we climbed. 

Above the fog, looking SE towards the Tairei Plain 

 Although the first few kilometres of the trip are on a farm, aside from the first kilometre, you'd hardly notice but for the odd bit of deer poo. The hills appear to be quite sparsely grazed (probably due to the elevation and tussock) and most of the farm looks like the conservation park further up the range. Farm crossings can be a bit tedious, so this was a pleasant surprise. The above picture was taken on the farm bit. 

4WD Track climbing up

Cool colours looking NE 

Despite the length of the climb, I really enjoyed it. The track was a fantastic gradient and made the climb much more bearable. 

We finally spotted a building up ahead - was that the hut already? Well, it was a hut, but not the one we were looking for. It was a very basic and shabby affair, with a large rock to hold the door closed. Perhaps a good spot for some brief shelter, but certainly not a place I'd like to have spent a night.

Slightly disappointed, we carried on. It seemed to take forever at this point. After an hour and a bit of running uphill, I'd expected to at least have seen the hut by now. 

Finally, after an hour and a half of running, we came to a fork in the track and Leaning Lodge Hut came into view shortly afterwards. The hut is down off the track about 15mins, at an altitude of 1200m. 

It's a superbly located eight bunk hut, with fantastic views out over the Middlemarch valley and towards the Tairei plain in the distance. It's also a very tidy and clean (probably the cleanest I've ever been to), and well cared for hut, owned by the Otago Tramping and Mountaineering Club, rebuilt by them in 2007. 

It would be a great place to spend the night. Though bear in mind that the only water source is from the creek nearby and there's no form of heating in the hut. 

Unfortunately, we'd run out of time to head up to the top and over to Big Hut. It would have been cool to make it right to the top (only another 150m of vertical climbing) and to see what the other side of the range looked like. But another trip for another time.

Moi standing on a rock near the turn-off to the hut

It only took us about 50 minutes to run back down from the hut back to the carpark.

A great run, with some fantastic views. I estimate that it would only have taken another 20-30 minutes to run to Big Hut, but the track down would have taken slightly longer as it is a tramping rather than a 4WD track.

Access: Kinvara Station, just across Lug creek, 9km North of Middlemarch. There's no DOC sign by the road, so drive up the farm driveway even though it feels like it's the wrong place. There's a big sign by the drive for the station. The carpark is not far up the drive. 

Estimated times:

Kinvara car park to Leaning Lodge Hut via Kinvara Track: Running: 1.25hrs-1.5hrs, tramping: 2-3.5hrs
Return: Running: 40mins - 1hr, tramping: 1.5-2.5hrs

Managaweka and Purity Hut, March 2012

Another great trip to the Ruahines (two years ago, to provide some history to this blog), this time to the Western side of the range.

The weather forecast was looking great, so we decided to give camping on the tops a whirl. 

The first part of the trip, from Mangakukeke Rd, crosses a farm, and we walk across this for about 45 minutes. The last part of this is a VERY steep climb, but thankfully not too long a one, to reach a fence and the entrance to the Ruahine Forest Park. 

The track then tapers off slightly, before climbing steadily again towards Purity Hut. Almost all approaches in the Ruahines are quite steep, but it does mean that the tops can be reached very quickly.

But I find steep climbs quite motivating, as I love the quick progression to the tops, spurred on by the changes in vegetation suggesting that that final burst through to the open tussock isn't far off. Unlike walking on undulating terrain, you feel like you're making good progress towards your target. 

Not far from the bushline, after about 2.5hrs walking, we reach Purity Hut. 

Purity Hut

Purity hut occupies a spectacular location, with commanding views across the lumpy Rangitikei landscape.  

Only built in 2006, the 6-bunk hut is very clean and tidy. With double-glazed windows and a wood fire, coupled with its compact size, it would be a very cozy place to spend the night. Though I feel the hut's best feature is its longdrop. Although the standard is improving, longdrops are a necessary evil in the New Zealand backcountry. The smell, the grime, the presence of huge blowflies, that you are paranoid about coming into contact with because you know where they ate last. They're horrid, dark pits of filth. In short, they're places to be avoided. Spectacularly shit (haha). Hold on if you can. 

Purity hut's longdrop is none of these things. It is very clean and tidy, almost pure. Like it's the sacred  dunny of the Ruahines. But best of all it has a window in its door (you can see out but not in), and that door faces out to the West, where the views of the Rangitikei and Ruapehu are. A great place to settle in the morning and read the Sunday paper (or FMC magazine as it might be up here!).

But as fascinating as the longdrop is, we have to move on. There's much more climbing ahead to reach our campsite for the night. 

After another hour or so, we reach Wooden Peg (1672m). To our left is the featureless Mangaweka, which at 1731m, is the highest point in the Ruahines. A true peak bagger would probably make the 45 minute return trip, but it's a bit too clagged in when we approach and none of us think we'd get any real satisfaction from the extra effort to the top.  

So after a short break, we turn right, and down towards Kelly Knight hut. Although often brutal in their approach, the Ruahine tops are relatively gentle, wider, and more rolling than their Tararua counterparts. Because of this, and because they're studded with tarns, they're much more ideal for camping. Not to mention that the weather is often more favourable as well. 

The other good thing about the Ruahine tops is that there are a lot more poled routes than the Tararuas. Although they not frequent enough to take away from the wilderness experience, and that there's still only a small proportion of routes with poles, it provides a good option for tops travel in low cloud, and makes them more accessible to people without a great deal of navigation experience. 

Walking down from Wooden Peg - our campsites lay just ahead by the tarns

We spot a nice, flattish section of the ridge ahead where we can plonk our tents for the night, and settle in for the rest of the afternoon.  

We settle down and pitch our tents. We'd brought up mini bottles of Lindauer, which we crack open and enjoy in the sun. Although it's warm lying the sun, as soon as it hides behind the clouds, it becomes freezing. Eventually, the coming and going of the cloud forces us to relent and retreat to our tents to warm up.

After dinner (tramping staple: pasta, pasta sauce, veges and chorizo) we go for a short stroll to a nearby peak to check out the lights of the towns laid out ahead. We can see Palmerston North, Fielding, Wanganui even. It's quite cool, feeling like you're high above them.

Looking East from our campsite

The next morning, we awoke to an incredible sunrise, with views right out over to Mt Ruapehu. 

Not a bad spot to be in while eating your morning porridge. 

Shortly afterwards, we begin the descent down to Kelly Knight hut and the car. The track in this part is hidden by the long tussock grass. Normally this isn't that much of a problem, as you can find the track quite easily as you walk along. But when you're going downhill, on a relatively steep descent, the tussock hides short, sharp drops. It's quite hilarious watching the person in front of you briefly disappear from view as they encounter a drop and slide down between the tussock on their bums!

Heather, Nick and Bart: Re-grouped after a bit of sliding down the hill

The walk down is very pleasant - nothing too steep or nasty and the sun and calm winds make for a nice morning on the tops. 

Not too far from the road-end, we hit the turn-off to Kelly Knight hut. The sign says it's about 30 minutes walk away, and we vote not to bother with the detour. Though I now wish I'd made the effort, as it looks like a pleasant hut, and with my current obsession with hut-bagging, my 2014 self would never miss such a close opportunity to bag a hut. Hopefully I can make up for it in future by spending the night there. 

The rest of the trip is a straight-forward, easy descent along the Pourangaki river and across a pleasant few kilometres of farmland back to the car.

Heather proving that she's not just a pack with legs

A fantastic loop in the Ruahines, that's easily achievable in a weekend. A pleasant combination of bush, farmland, tops and a bit of river, along with a couple of very cosy huts (presuming Kelly Knight is as nice as it looks in pictures on the internet!). 

Approx timings:

Mangakukeke Road-end to Purity Hut: 2.5-3hrshrs

Purity Hut to Wooden Peg: 1.5hrs

Wooden Peg to Kelly Knight Hut: 2-3hrs

Kelly Knight Hut to Mangakuke road-end: 2.5-3hrs