East Coast road trip and climbing Mt. Hikurangi
We made it! At the Mt. Hikurangi trig in Ruatōria, New Zealand.
Mt. Hikurangi stands at 1,752m.a.s.l. (5,748 ft) and is the first place to greet the sun in mainland Aotearoa / New Zealand. The trail starts at Pakihiroa Station in Ruatoria, 80 km north of Gisborne or 50km southwest of Te Araroa. The track to the summit wasn’t always as accessible as it is today, having listened to stories of bush bashing and backcountry orienteering. Nowadays the track is well marked until the final boulder/scree uphill to the summit, where a fair bit of scrambling is needed. We booked a night at the hut (1,250m.a.s.l.), then planned to summit and walk out the next day. My body was definitely not mountain-fit enough for the hike we had planned (we ended up walking for about 11 hours on the Sunday), and my legs especially found the steep downhill exhausting.
My friend Kat and I drove from Whakatāne to Ruatoria via SH35 along the East Coast on Friday afternoon of ANZAC weekend. We were staying with family friends, Ron and Salve Hedley, who ended up hosting us for two nights. If you’re planning on hiking Mt. Hikurangi and want accommodation in Ruatoria, get in touch and I can pass on their contact details. Also, if you’re driving at night like we did, be extra careful with livestock and horses on the road - we definitely had a few near misses!
Pakihiroa Station in Ruatōria, the start of Te Ara ki Hikurangi (the track to Hikurangi)
Pakihiroa station to the hut (day 1)
The track starts at Pakihiroa Station, which is about 20 minutes inland from Ruatoria on Te Araroa Rd. The road follows the Waiapu River, passing through farmland surrounded by the Ruakumara Ranges. We parked at the first car park before the bridge, but learned later that there’s a second smaller car park further uphill.
Walking from the carpark to the hut took us over four hours, although most of the other hikers took on average just over three. This section is approx. 10.5km, with an elevation gain of 1,000m (the hut is 1,250m.a.s.l.), and it didn’t help that we were walking in the hottest part of the day! For those who know about my legendary ability to get lost, there’s no literally no way you can get lost - you simply follow the yellow markers along a farm track.
Kat living her Country Calendar moment - stopping by to say hello to the sheep along the farm track.
We had planned to have lunch at the worker’s hut, which was approx. 6km along the track. By the time we reached the hut, it was much later in the day so we decided to keep going to the hut instead. The toilet certainly provided comedic relief for a couple of hungry hikers!
Great East Coast humour - the toilet with a view that you never knew you needed in your life!
Apart from a couple we met earlier in the day, we had been walking the track by ourselves. Not being used to carrying a pack, the walk to the hut had worn me out, much more than expected. As we walked the final uphill to the hut, I told Kat that I felt drained and I don’t know if my legs had it in them to summit and make it back down safely. It was the first time I had ever felt that low on a hike. However, being in an alpine environment I also didn’t want to put either of us in danger because of my ego.
The view of the whakairo / carvings from the hut.
I felt a sense of relief when we reached the hut. We met up again with Lisa and Liam, the couple from Auckland we met earlier in the day. Within a couple of hours we were joined by seven more hikers who all planned to summit for sunrise. The hut was a hive of activity until the mountain silhouettes disappeared, giving way to the almost full moon. I closed my eyes and I drifted in an out of sleep - waking up to someone snoring or the howling of the wind.
The hut at Mt. Hikurangi just after sunrise.
Hut to the tussock lands (day 2)
I woke up just after 6am, so I quickly got dressed to watch the sunrise. I’ve never stepped on so much sheep poo just to watch a sunrise! It was worth it though, and it was just what I needed to get me motivated for the climb ahead.
Kat and I were having breakfast when we were joined by four hikers from Mt. Maunganui - they had started walking from the car park around 3am! After they left, four more hikers came along, they were loggers from Gisborne. One of them was a 57-year-old man who had climbed Mt. Hikurangi 17 times before, with the aim of making it to 20 before his 60th birthday!
Kat was all smiles, having made it past the steep grassy slope section from the hut.
Our climb started just behind the hut, where a steep grassy slope awaited us. We’re talking 50-60 degrees steep - the kind that burns your achilles and calves. It was a solid 30 minute slog to the start of the bush line, where the shade was a welcome relief as the morning began heating up. The grassy slope was very exposed, and I could only imagine how cold it would have been for the sunrise hikers.
Walking through the bushline reminded me of the Panekire Ranges at Lake Waikaremoana. We came across one of the sunrise hiking groups at the start of the bush line - which gave us a chance to find out more of what was ahead. They had stayed at the summit for a couple of hours and told us to be careful at the last section towards the trig. A message we heard a few more times as we met up with other hikers on their way back to the hut.
Kat as we walked through the tussock and around the back of the mountain.
Walking through the tussock to ‘the shute’
The marker poles are fairly easy to spot along the tussock, but the track isn’t always easy to follow. It’s more like animal tracks and I found myself tripping over a few times from the long tussock. Be careful of the Speargrass (Naenae) - it might look ornamental, but it sure packs a sting when you accidentally brush up against it or grab it. I recommend wearing pants for this section, unless you want your legs to look like you had a fight with a cat!
Walking through the tussock is deceptively long, as it takes you to the back of the mountain. I personally think this is the most scenic part of the hike (apart from summit of course). As we got close to the scree slope before ‘The Shute’, we spotted the loggers in their hi-vis shirts. They disappeared up ‘The Shute’ before we got to the start of the scree, but it was reassuring to know we were heading in the right direction.
"The Shute’ is a steep scree slope with boulders - with plenty of scrambling!
‘The Shute’ to Te Tipi o Taikehu (trig) - 1,752m.a.s.l. / 5,748 ft
Three words to describe ‘The Shute’? Lung busting scree. I’m not shy about telling people how much I dislike scree. Climbing (and descending) scree is tricky because your footing is rarely secure. There was nothing pretty about that climb, we scrambled, grabbed and sometimes crawled up the scree and boulders. Even though this section is unmarked, if you keep to the left you can usually make out a rough path to follow.
We met up with the loggers again near the top of ‘The Shute’ - they told us that we were only 15 minutes from the trig. “Take your time at the last part, it’s pretty craggy,” said the youngest of their group. He was right, parts of the track were less than 30cm wide. I’m not sure I would want to be up here if the wind picked up. Kat led the way, and as we got closer to the trig, we could see the group from Mt. Maunganui. They waited for us to get to the trig before heading down themselves.
Kat along the final section of the hike before the trig.
After a quick snack and getting the photos we wanted, we started the long walk back down the hut and eventually the car park. My legs were exhausted by the time we reached the hut, which was packed with members of the Napier Tramping Club who were staying overnight. Kat and I packed our big packs and had a quick lunch before starting the long walk back to the car park.
It was already around 4pm, and we knew that it would be dark before we walked out. Fortunately there was another group that was walking out late too, and we aimed to keep them in our sights. I think they sensed this too, and one of them even stopped to help us climb the fence by a locked gate. We finally got to the car park at 7.30pm, and Kat drove us back to the Hedleys home because there was nothing left in my legs.
My legs had stiffen even more during the 20 minute drive back from Pakihiroa Station, and I joked to Kat that I might just sleep in the car if I couldn’t climb the stairs up to our room. It felt forever trying to climb those stairs, but by sheer stubbornness I got there! “Where have you been?” Kat asked with a cheeky grin. “I couldn’t get up the bloody stairs!” We both laughed.
I hobbled up and down the stairs for a few days at work, but most of my workmates are used to it by now. I’m always grateful for mountain memories and time in nature, and even happier when I get to share it with friends.
Kat and I at the trig.
fivefootronna is Ronna Grace Funtelar - a thirtyish adventurer, graphic designer and writer. A woman with a curious mind who lives for hiking mountains, outdoor adventures and eating pizza. She has a unique brand of optimism that is a combination of her great enthusiasm for life and cups of coffee during the day.