Hiking to the Waitawheta Hut in the Kaimai-Mamaku Ranges
Ever since I overcame my fear of heights, I just LOVE suspension bridges.
I whistled Crowded House’s classic ‘Weather With You’ as I walked towards the end of Franklin Road in Waihi. The forecast had been rain, and I had certainly prepared myself for a wet hike to the Waitawheta Hut. With Whakatāne being the current sunshine capital, I like to joke that even in winter, I bring the sunshine with me. I had been sitting in the car watching the sun shower threatening to turn into a downpour, when suddenly the clouds gave way to blue skies.
As I walked along the empty road, I wondered if I would be lucky enough to have the hut to myself that night. It’s well into the winter season - shorter daylight hours and finding weather windows on weekends does mean more chances of cold, wet hikes. If I wasn’t slightly obsessed with hiking, those are perfectly good reasons in my book to stay home. Maybe it’s the eternal optimist in me or I’m just getting better at reading weather forecasts, but I barely had to use my rain jacket that weekend.
Getting there
Waitawheta Hut is in the Kaimai-Mamaku Ranges, about 11km outside of Waihi. The track starts at the end of Franklin Road (I set Google Maps to Franklin Road and drove until I saw the car park) - the car park is about a five minute walk to the trailhead. Cross the ford and walk along the farm road - keep an eye out for the orange DoC (Department of Conservation) markers.
The water was already shin deep at the ford - it had subsided to a trickle when I walked out the next day.
Franklin Road to Waitawheta Hut (approx. 9.5km)
Even though the track was soggy underfoot, there was also plenty of sunshine.
Gaiters are a must on this hike, as the track runs between various waterfalls and streams that eventually makes its way to the Waitawheta River. Fortunately, that also means plenty of glorious drinking water! I did do the hike after a couple of days of heavy rainfall so I wasn’t surprised to be greeted by pools of water and gluggy mud. It just adds to the adventure, doesn’t it?
After the novelty of being a kid jumping in puddles of water wore off, I put the camera away to take in the beautiful bush. The terrain is mostly flat, although being a former tramway, you will come across sections where you’re just walking on rocks. It didn’t really slow me down too much, but it was also a bit harder on the knees.
The track is easy to follow, and there are plenty of orange triangles along the way. It took me an hour to reach the junction to Daly’s Clearing Track, then another 2.5 hours to the hut. I’ve learned that with my fitness, most of the DoC times run true for me. As a guide, I usually add another hour for snack breaks and taking photos.
I came across five women walking out at the first suspension bridge. They had come from Auckland and for most of them it was their first overnighter. I asked them what the track was like up ahead: More mud, more water plus they didn’t do the river crossing because it was already up to the high mark. The river crossing is less than an hour from the hut. If you’re not comfortable with river crossings, follow the sign for crossing bypass. It only adds another 15 minutes, plus it does save you from getting wet. It was around 3pm when I got to the bypass and was surprised how dark some sections were - not dark enough to need a torch but enough to trip over roots.
One of them was nice enough to offer to take my photo on the suspension bridge. I gratefully accepted and after a quick chat, she rejoined her group. It’s times like these that I’m glad I faced my fear of heights - imagine missing out on that incredible view of the river roaring along the gorge.
Baby Yoda admiring the bogies on the tramway.
Remnants of the old tramway.
I really enjoyed reading the historical panels along the track - especially the snapshots of Ruth’s life living in the gorge.
Coming home early one Sunday after a dance we were perched on the empty bogies, pushed along in front of the empty tractor. We came round a sharp 180 degree bend called The Devil’s Elbow, and the bluffs were lit up even brighter than the day. There was this blaze of light and an explosion - we learnt later that it was a meteorite. It crashed into a gully there. I’ll never forget seeing that. —- Ruth’s story (historical panel)
One of my favourite spots along the track - the water flow was incredible.
The river crossing bypass takes you uphill into thick bush. Parts of the track is narrow and was pretty soft underfoot. Even though it does bypass the river, there were still a few side streams that I had to cross (the deepest was up to my knees). There was easily another couple of hours of daylight left at this stage, though some parts made it feel like it was actually closer to twilight. I hadn’t seen another hiker for about a couple of hours at this stage, so I was relieved to rejoin the main track to see that there was plenty of light left.
I got to the hut sometime before 4pm and had the hut to myself for almost an hour. Most of that time was spent trying to light the fire, and by trying, I actually mean going through a fair few pages of the Forest & Bird magazine beside the stack of firewood. Ah firewood, that’s the luxury you pay for in a serviced hut.
Once the sun set, the hut grew dark quickly. I wondered if I would be lucky enough to have a 26-bunk hut to myself for the night. Then their laughter suddenly pierced the silence - I knew that as much as I enjoyed being by myself, it was also nice to have company in a remote hut. Andrew and Ashley had met in high school and up until recently both lived in Auckland. Andrew had moved down to Wellington to study radiation therapy, his second degree. Ashley later told us that he was the comic relief while Andrew was the brains.
The Waitawheta Hut in the Kaimai-Mamaku Ranges.
Janet and her son Luke were the last to arrive. They too were from Auckland. We got chatting during dinner while Andrew and Ashley were outside having their wine. Normally when I’m in a hut with a lot of people, I’m in bed by 7pm. This time there were only five of us, so I made an effort to stay up a bit later. We ended up playing ‘Scum’ until well past 10pm - yours truly even having an almost unbeatable winning streak.
The next morning, Andrew was up before 6am to light the fire. By the time I got up after 7am, the hut was already nice and toasty. Thanks Andrew! Unfortunately I had forgotten to put my jandals in my pack, so it was another cold, squishy, muddy dash to the toilet. Even though my feet were cold, at least it wasn’t raining, in fact we would get blue skies again once the mist cleared.
I met a few day hikers on my walk back to the car park - mostly retirees, not surprising being a Monday. There aren’t many tracks like this one, where you can hike in fairly flat terrain through a stunning gorge, lush forest and then stay in a hut. Very accessible and great for families, beginners and even as a longer day hike.
Ah bliss! Sunset at the Waitawheta Hut.
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.