Ōtapukawa Hut in Te Urewera
“The river trail is unmarked, and you won’t see any orange triangles like on DoC tracks. The river levels rarely reached my shins, so river crossings were easy going. A workmate gave me the heads up to keep an eye out for 4WD tracks and I pretty much followed those like the yellow brick road. ”
3 hours, 7km one way from Te Pākau Campsite (Eight Acres)
I haven't hiked much in Te Urewera Forest, and for good reason. Road end access to many of the tracks require several hours’ drive down narrow gravel roads, maybe with the exception of some tracks in the Matahi Valley. The last time I was in Te Urewera was to do the Great Walk at Lake Waikaremoana and it’s not a drive I would like to do too often. That said, the end of Matahi Valley Road was less than two hours’ drive from my home in Edgecumbe.
Walking to the road end of Matahi Valley Road to the start of the river trail.
The start of the Ōtapukawa Awa Trail is at the end of Matahi Valley Road. I asked a few workmates if it would be safe to park at the road end and it was met with a unanimous no. They recommended Te Pākau campsite (Eight Acres) or at the Lions Hut. Te Pākau was only a couple of kilometres to the start of the trail, but the Lions Hut was at least double that. From the campsite, walk south towards the road end until the road forks. On the left the road goes uphill, and on the right you’ll see a grass clearing. Just past the clearing is the river and the start of the trail.
Ōtapukawa Hut was built in the 1960s and was home to deer cullers in the NZ Forestry Association. She’s in pretty good condition and I have a feeling there are some locals who keep it well serviced. It was part of the Department of Conservation (DoC) hut network until Te Urewera National Park was disestablished in 2014. It’s now managed by Te Uru Taumatua and Te Urewera Board. Te Uru Taumatua started work to remove 44 backcountry huts from Te Urewera in October 2022 - for a list of removed huts, check out the Ngai Tūhoe website.
There were plenty of horses grazing along the river.
The river trail is unmarked and you won’t see any orange triangles like on DoC tracks. The river levels rarely reached my shins, so river crossings were easy going. A workmate gave me the heads up to keep an eye out for 4WD tracks and I pretty much followed those like the yellow brick road. I did check the NZTopo 50 app a few times to make sure I didn’t go down a tributary by mistake. I saw more horses than humans, they looked at me with momentary curiosity, then went back to grazing. There were plenty of fresh and dried dung all the way to the hut and even a couple of fresh mounds at the hut.
Low river levels made it easy to cross and navigate.
The hut is uphill from the river trail and can’t be seen from the river. When the NZTopo 50 app told me I should be standing right outside, I looked for a track to take me uphill. I found a narrow track on my left that led to the final steep incline before the hut. The walk in was much easier than I thought and seriously thought about heading back after lunch. But I rarely get a hut to myself, so I decided to stay the night and just leave early the next day. After sorting out my bed for the night, I grabbed my peanut butter and jam sandwich and walked back down to the river for lunch and a wash.
Ōtapukawa Hut in Te Urewera.
I spent the afternoon napping and reading the NZ Hunting magazines left at the hut. Dinner was a packet of mac and cheese, then a cup of tea with a Snickers bar for dessert. Nothing boujee this time. It wasn’t too cold, so I didn’t light the fire. My quilt and thermal liner were warm enough until around 4.30am when the temperature dropped a couple of degrees. I stuck it out until 6am when I got up. I wanted to start walking by sunrise, which in early autumn is around 7.30am. While the water was boiling for my coffee, I slowly packed my things and triple checked that my keys were still in my pack.
Beautiful morning fog in the mountains.
The same horses greeted me as I retraced my steps along the river. Morning mountain fog hung thick above and the river a lot cooler in the shade. I was already on the road back to the campsite before I saw a couple of hunters and their dogs. They asked me if I had seen any deer or hunters in the area. Neither. They were the first people I had seen all weekend. “Were you on your own?” They asked. Yeah. “Oh chur”.
I felt like I spent more time driving than hiking, but that’s OK. Maybe next time I’ll plan a three-day hike to make the drive worthwhile.
Ronna Grace Funtelar is a 40-something desk-fit creative, weekend explorer and cheese enthusiast in Edgecumbe, New Zealand. She has a big butt, chunky thighs and shakin’ more jelly than Destiny’s Child. Her creaky knees discovered an appreciation for Type 2 adventures in the bush and mountains in her thirties, and she’s been hiking ever since.
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