Mangamate Loop in Te Whirinaki Pua-a-Tāne

Depending on the time of day, Te Whirinaki Pua-a-Tāne is either rich in birdsong or so quiet that a band of kererū (wood pigeon) flying overhead actually gave me a fright. There were times that the canopy was so thick that I would only hear them flying from tree to tree, their distinct turquoise feathers acting as the perfect camouflage. I especially enjoyed coming around the corner and watching a flock of pīwakawaka (fantails) scatter in all directions, only to have some of them keep me company along the track, telling me about their day.

I was keeping a close eye on the rain forecast the week of doing the Mangamate Loop - especially since days two and three involved multiple river crossings. Being only 5ft tall (that’s 152cm), the deepest crossings were mid-thigh, and these were few and far between. We’ve also had a dry summer, so the crossings were mostly mid-calf. I’m used to those. I planned a three-day tramp, spending my first night at Central Whirinaki Hut (5hr/16km), then to Mangamate Hut (4.5hr/8.2km), then completing the loop at River Road (4hr/10km). You can walk the loop in either direction, but I personally recommend doing Central Whirinaki on your first day as river crossings on your third day makes for a much more interesting tramp.

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.

Explore the breathtaking Mount Tarawera with Kaitiaki Adventures

“We have a saying on this tour - it’s easier to stop than to mop!” Everyone in the van burst out laughing. The van had reached the start of the 4WD track on our guided tour to Mount Tarawera and Dan, our guide, was letting us know that it would be a bumpy 30 minutes ahead of us. He wasn’t joking, but luckily no one gave him a reason to bring out his mop on our tour.

I had wanted to do the guided walking tour on Mount Tarawera with Kaitiaki Adventures for a while now. After months of procrastination, I found myself booking on the Friday morning (I booked through bookme.co.nz) and just like that, I was climbing a volcano the following afternoon. There were seven of us on the tour with a couple of guides, Dan K (our main guide and driver) and Jordie aka Wade - he was so new they didn’t have time to get him a shirt with his name yet.

The van picked up three of us from the car park on Hemo Road and made our way to Ash Pit campground to pick up the last couple. It turns out they lived just down the road and after four years of waking up to the mighty maunga/mountain, they finally decided to climb it. Even though I spent most of the drive talking to them, I actually forgot to ask them their names! They were originally from Auckland and were originally looking to retire in Taupō, but luck would have it that their property popped up on the market and they haven’t looked back since.

Walking the Tarawera Trail and camping at Hot Water Beach

Usually, I like to go somewhere remote on long weekends, you know, to get away from the crowds. This time I decided to stay closer to home and walk the Tarawera Trail instead, adding a night’s camping at Te Rata Bay (Hot Water Beach). I had walked the trail before, the first time back in 2019. It was a humid and scorcher of a summer’s day - pretty much like this one.

A couple of days before, I made a last minute decision to join the Pinoy Adventurers NZ group on the trail. The last tramp I did with them was the Tongariro Alpine Crossing last winter. Unfortunately, 6:30am meeting time at Te Wairoa car park was too early for me (as I was driving from Whakatāne that morning), so I let them know I would be starting later and hoped to catch up with them along the track. That was a good decision in the end since I was the only one walking with a pack. It took me 5.5 hours to walk the 13.5km trail, and they got there an hour before me.

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.