The shorty's adventures on the Routeburn Track

The Queenstown CBD was pretty deserted on the morning of day one. It seemed like only trampers and tradies were awake before 8am. Katri and I grabbed a quick coffee and breakfast at the Ferg Cafe, right next door to the famous Fergburger. Our shuttle meeting point was just across the road, so I had enough time to enjoy my first coffee of the day.

The drive to Glenorchy was beautiful - I felt like a wide-eyed kid in a candy store. Unfortunately, I was sitting on the wrong side of the van to take any decent shots. We had a quick toilet and coffee stop in Glenorchy before taking the gravel road to Mount Aspiring National Park, where Katri and I would start day one at The Shelter. Routeburn is the only Great Walk that crosses two national parks - Mount Aspiring and Fiordland.

North-South Track (Part 4): Motutapere Hut to Hot Springs Road

The wind and rain had slowed down overnight - I didn’t even get wet on my usual toilet mission in the middle of the night. I have to remember to start packing my glasses on overnighters, as putting on my contact lenses while half asleep isn’t ideal. Even without the fire, the hut had stayed warm and dry. I braced myself as I opened the door, expecting to get whipped in the face with wind and rain. There was a bit of wind and mist, but I managed to stay dry on my quick dash to the bushes.

I had arranged for my parents to pick me up at 3pm at Hot Springs Road in Katikati. The plan was to head north until the Tuahu Track junction and walk out that way - Tuahu Track can be walked from Te Aroha side of the Kaimais too. I figured I would have some mobile coverage by then and I can adjust my pick up time if needed. It usually takes about 1.5 hours to drive from Whakatāne, and more that day because of the summer holiday traffic.

North-South Track (Part 3): Poupou Stream to Motutapere Hut

I must have been tramping at least six hours by this stage, and exhaustion was starting to set in. The track heads back into the bush for a bit with plenty more stream crossings, which was lucky because I was getting low on water. After the bush section I came onto the exposed ridge, greeted once again by thick fog. I had to laugh at how comical it must have looked to see my head bobbing along the long grass - it was like an emo version of the Sound of Music. Some of the blue markers got trickier to spot, but I just put that down to the fog and being vertically challenged. I bet this would have had stunning views in better weather.

It was between the Kauritatahi Hut junction and Motutapere Hut that I really struggled. A section that should only really have taken about an hour, took me almost two. The rain had made the narrow and rooty track much harder going than it really should have. That’s the reality of solo tramping - when you tackle a track, you have to know the limits of your mental fortitude, not just your physical ability. What got me out of my head was seeing a buck run off down the hill - there was just something about it that gave me the energy for the final push to the hut.

I arrived at the hut around 8pm, around 10 hours since I set off from Poupou Stream. Two long days in a row had started to take a toll on my knees. The swelling from the day before was only getting worse, but fortunately still no cramps. I spotted the fireplace and there was plenty of firewood, but decided it wasn’t cold enough so I didn’t light it in the end.

Moerangi Hut in Te Whirinaki Pua-a-Tāne

Nothing like a last-minute hut mission to make a Friday at work go that much faster. There was pretty good weather within three-hours drive in any direction, but I also wanted to spend the night in a hut. Moerangi Hut was a good option for an overnighter because Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne is only 1.5 hours drive from Whakatāne (from River Road car park), walking in was less than five hours and there were no stream crossings. I’m planning a five day mission in Whirinaki over my Christmas break, so I decided to save Mangamate Hut for another day.

I parked my car at River Road for the night. I’ve heard mixed stories about car safety but personally, I’ve never had issues leaving my car overnight. If you’re going for longer then organise a drop off and pick up. Walking to the hut took me 5.5 hours (DoC estimate is 4.5 hours) and walking out was under five.

From the car park, it’s pretty flat as you walk through the iconic giant podocarps that the Whirinaki are renowned for. With the beautiful weather that weekend, I was surprised to have the track to myself until later that afternoon. Walk through Te Whaiti Nui a Toi canyon until you get to the junction for the falls loop track, Mangamate, Central Whirinaki and Moerangi Huts. If you want to see the Whirinaki Falls before heading to the hut, walk the falls loop track counterclockwise (look for the sign before the canyon) and it will take you back to this junction. Be aware it will add another two hours to your tramping time.

North-South Track (Part 2): Te Whare Okioki to Poupou Stream

I knew day two would be the biggest in my North-South mission - covering 30km in 10 hours (8 hours of actual tramping). You can tell which of us at the hut were doing the North-South Track - we were the ones out of bed by 7am. It was overcast with a refreshing morning dew - it was nice while it lasted. I had already started to sweat when I set off for Poupou Stream.

Tessa and Jordan joined me for breakfast - my double portion of porridge and extra strong coffee going down a treat. They were walking out via Te Tuhi Track but taking a detour to check out Mangamuka Hut. Tessa was nice enough to take my photo in front of Te Whare Okioki, and I returned the favour for the girls. We reconnected a week later when Tessa saw my post in the Kaimai Tracks and Huts Users group on Facebook. She confirmed that the track to Mangamuka was hard yakka alright.

When I was doing research for this mission, I was told to do my best to get to Poupou Stream on day two. Otherwise, day three would be massive. That was great advice because knowing now what the terrain to Motutapere Hut was like for my knees, that last push to the Poupou Stream campsite was worth it. The family of four I met the day before were also on their way to Poupou Stream. They were still packing up their tent when I left around 8:30am, but I saw them again a couple of hours later as they passed me uphill. Gosh, they set a cracking pace.

Day mission to Te Waiti Hut in the Urutawa Conservation Area

I have a rule when it comes to choosing my weekend adventures. For every hour that I’m in the car, I want at least a couple of hours tramping. Which usually means that day missions start early. Te Waiti Hut was just that - about 1.5 hours from Whakatāne. We stopped for takeaway coffees and something for lunch in Ōpōtiki, and being a long weekend, of course it was packed. Diesel was such a good boy, waiting patiently for us in the car.

It was around mid-morning before we finally made our way along the narrow, gravel road on our way to Bushaven. “Is your Rav a 4WD?” Katri asked as we drove across a shallow ford with a small stream running through it. I laughed. It wasn’t, but Betty (my trusty adventure Rav) and I have been on plenty of gravel roads together and survived. Te Waiti Road will definitely test your reversing skills - we count ourselves lucky because there was no one else on the road that day.