Intro
Sally arrived in the hire van just before 4.30, no WTMC van this weekend as it was heading to the South Island. We piled in and set off to bulls. The majority of us picked a kebab for dinner. From there we made our way to Kuripapango campsite. It was busy with huge family tents and gazebos, but we found space for us all to set up. I wanted an early start so a 7.30 departure was arranged with the EM group. I’m not sure everyone was impressed given their day wasn’t too long!
Day 1: The Lakes Carpark to Rocks ahead biv
We set off from the Lakes Carpark at 8am, after a small nav error (by me) we were on the right track toward the rogue. I chose this route because the rogue sounds awesome! It was in fact rather steep, but definitely enjoyable. We made it out of the bushline and continued onto Studholm Hut (at the location of Studholm Biv on the map). We arrived at Studholm Biv around 11am where we had a bite to eat and chatted to a hunter.
From there we climbed back up to the main track (200m or so). It was at this point that James told us about the ‘upwards bum slide’. We continued our climb, Next stop Kaweka J. Around 1pm we stopped for lunch at one of the highest non volcanic peaks in the north island. We could see Ruapehu and Ngarahoe. While there a guy came up and pointed at Ruapehu and asked us ‘what’s that hill’ which made us all chuckle.
Beautiful Kaweka Tops. Credit: Ellis
Kaweka J. Credit: James
Over and along back ridge before dropping packs to visit Back ridge hut. A mandatory hat dip in the river and we were back on our way. We got to Back Ridge Biv around 3pm and it was an awesome spot. The biv was in great condition and the area had a nice vibe. We had all run out of water so we bashed down to the stream to fill up for the last push to Rocks Ahead Hut. We were all pretty tired at this point but we pushed on knowing it was mostly downhill once we regained the ridge.
James with his favourite (and successful) trap. Credit: James
The climb out of back ridge biv on tired legs was tough but the decent to Rocks Ahead Hut was gentle for the most part.
We arrived at Rocks Ahead Hut around 6.30pm. The hut was being worked on by BCT and James’ idol Megan. After a quick chat to see what they were doing (taking out the open fire and replacing it with a stove, replacing a window, and building a deck and veranda) and patting the dog we went to the cableway. I had not used one before, so I volunteered to go first. I got stuck 3/4 over and had James yelling at me that I was turning the handle the wrong way. Turns out it was him going the wrong way! Jamie came next and James brought up the rear.
The biv was empty and in decent shape (it looked like it might get quite damp in the rain/winter – judging by the hut book!).
Mouldy hut book at Rocks Ahead Biv. Credit: Ellis
We all went down to the river for dip and to fill our bladders and Billy. Dinner was 3x real meals. We weren’t long into bed knowing we had another big day tomorrow!
Day stats:
25.6km
2400m gain, 2386 decent
10.5h elapsed time (9h moving)
Day 2: Rocks ahead biv to Kiwi saddle hut
We woke up to a beautiful morning around 7am – very soon after that we heard the sounds of construction from across the river! They weren’t messing around, straight into it!
We set off at 8am and began climbing the spur. It was steep and a bit of a slog but a great way to flush out those tired legs! As we emerged from the bushline the wind began to whip past us. The Manson tops were stunning to walk over, at times relatively flat with small rolling peaks. As we looped around to Manson we could see Manson hut in the distance. We made it to the hut at 11.30 where we were greeted by two hunters who quickly put the kettle on for us! After a bite to eat and a hot drink we dropped down to the historic hut which was awesome and based on the hut book entries – occasionally gets overnighters!
James and Ellis on the Manson Tops. Credit: Jamie
Old Manson Hut. Credit: Jamie
We departed Manson hut (one of James’ favourite huts in the Kaweka) around 12.40 making our way towards Kiwi Mouth hut. As we started descending the spur, the wind dropped off and the heat hit us. The bush was largely Manuka scrub so little shade was to be had. This was easily the worst part of the trip for me. The heat was inescapable and my tired legs were not enjoying the relentless decent.
Jamie and James descending the spur. Credit: Ellis
Despite this, we made great time and in only 2h were at the hut. We crowded into a bit of shade behind the hut to eat.
We decided to test the river route to kiwi saddle – James and I had read that the worst crossing was the first one, so it was easy enough to get a read of the flow.
The just over knee deep crossing gave us the go ahead. As opposed to the decent dow to kiwi mouth, this 3.5km section of the river was the best part of the day for me! Rock hopping and crossing through the refreshing water was just what I needed. At one point we came across a beautiful deep pool and a mini waterfall. As I continued on, I heard a splash behind me. I turned around to find Jamie in the middle of the pool with a massive grin on her face! James quickly followed and I dropped onto my waist for bit (I regretted not doing the full swim later!).
Jamie enjoying the river. Credit: James
The track wasn’t marked the best, but there was a decent foot trail (especially for the first 1km or so) and faded orange triangles at times but mostly you just follow your nose up the river and use the foot pad if you find it. The climb out is marked by a cairn about 3.5km up the river, this could be missed so keep good track of your progress up the river! We filled up our water and set off on the steep climb up. James leading the way we slogged it up about 200m at which point I told James we had cracked 4000m gain over the two days – we still had more to climb too!
Part way up and near the junction to the high route between the two kiwi huts we hit a steep and scrambly section. We carefully climbed up and were then back onto solid ground. The rest of the way to Kiwi Saddle Hut was a relatively gentle climb for about 200m or so.
We arrived at a shockingly empty Kiwi Saddle Hut just before 6pm.
Another 3x real meals for dinner and Jamie broke out her emergency ration of real meal chocolate pudding!
Another tough day but we are all buzzing after the river travel! We had officially done more vert in 48h than James’ marathon banister trip late last year! We had ticked over 4200m in the last two days! I should note that our travel, while grunty, was not technical.
While the days weren’t long in terms of duration, in the Kaweka, you can cover some serious ground very quickly- but that doesn’t mean it’s easy going!
Day stats:
21.6km
1860m gain
1440m loss
Just under 10h elapsed (8.5 moving)
Day 3: Kiwi Saddle hut to the lakes carpark
With our day expected to be relatively short and the EM group needing around 4h to get out from Studholm hut, we had a slow start. Not needing to get out of bed until 8.30 for a luxurious 9.30 departure.
We climbed a few hundred meters to the junction that heads to Kiwi Mouth Hut via the high route and then made our way along the ridge to Kuripapango. This was nice, comfortable travel, from here the decent was quite steep, especially on our tired legs! Short work was made of the ‘day’ and we arrived at the Lakes carpark just before lunch time. We found a nice spot in the shade and waited for the EM group to arrive. Our late departure was rewarded when they strolled out of the bush just after 12!
The winding path. Credit: Ellis
We piled into the van and set off to Taihape for a pie and beverage of choice. We were all stoked to have had an awesome weekend in the hills, but our legs would be complaining for the next day or 2!
Day stats:
6.8km
386m gain, 834m loss
2h15m elapsed
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