Te Rereatukahia Hut: Sciatica, climbing over tree falls and chasing sunsets

Sciatica for a hiking enthusiast is a b*tch, it really is. It had been a frustrating month of shooting pains and even struggling to put my shoes on, while waiting patiently for the tracks to reopen after the damage from Cyclone Gabrielle. The mountains were calling, but my body kept telling me to put my hiking plans on hold. Te Rereatukahia Hut was one of the last two huts in the Kaimai Mamaku Conservation Park I had yet to visit, Kauritatahi Hut being the other. I figured the undulating Kaimai Range was as good a test as any to see if my sciatica would let me plan any more overnighters over winter.

I have walked the Hot Springs Road part of the Tuahu Track when I hiked part of the North-South Track a couple of years ago. Leaving the car park at Wairakau Road, the first hour took me through a gravel road and up a 4WD track surrounded by pine trees. Here’s something I’ve learned from hiking in the Kaimai Mamaku - there’s no such thing as downhill at the start of the hike. Everything goes up, and it’s usually pretty steep, but if the weather’s good, the views are spectacular.

Hiking the Tongariro Northern Circuit

I had packed up and was ready to go by 7.30am, feeling pretty pumped to start my hike. I did a quick dash to wash my dishes in the holiday park’s kitchen. When I returned, stubborn resistance on the door knob almost jarred my wrist. Shit. Shit. Shit. I was locked out! The reception wasn’t due to open for another hour, so I took a nap in my car and waited. The slightly later start did mean having to sacrifice my morning soy mocha though. Bummer!

Most people walk the circuit in a clockwise direction, spending their first night at Mangatepopo Hut, Oturere Hut then Waihohonu Hut. I walked it in the opposite direction for two reasons - hut availability, and that I’m a stronger climber than going downhill on loose, dusty terrain.

There were already a few hikers on their way out from Waihohonu Hut before I even reached the Tama Lakes junction. It took me less than two hours to get there. It was only 10 mins to the Lower Tama Lake (45 mins to Upper Tama Lake), so I decided to find a nice rock and sat down for lunch.

The junction sign said I had another three hours to the hut, but it took me almost an extra hour because of the heat. I’m used to walking under a thick canopy, and the 2pm desert sun did hit me with a surprising intensity. It wasn’t hot enough to feel my skin burning (I made sure I had plenty of sunscreen), but I was sweating in a lot of places that didn’t feel sexy.

I was tempted to jump into the Waihohonu River to cool down, but I was only an hour from the hut so I kept going. The last hour was mostly through undulating tussock and a few dry rocky riverbeds.

The current Waihohonu Hut is the second of its name, with the original hut located just 150m away. It was the first hut built in the Tongariro National Park in 1904. You can still visit the original hut, but you can’t stay there.

River exploring in the Ikawhenua Ranges

“Leave it! No! Leave it!” I thought I was alone on the track when her voice boomed through the birds and the light breeze. A few minutes later, I saw a woman walking towards me carrying a dead possum in her left hand, with a dog on her right. The dog seemed proud of his find, and somewhat annoyed that the woman wouldn't let him enjoy it. “I’m trying to find a tree high enough to hang it on so he can’t get to it next time.” We both laughed. She must have been a local living nearby, there weren’t any other cars parked up when I got there.

I was back in the Ikawhenua Ranges in Galataea - I had walked up Mt Tawhiuau a few times, but had never the Galatea Foothills Track. It was a good morning for it, almost-spring weather meant a couple of layers but rain wasn’t on the radar that day. The Kahikatea canopy stood tall, but not thick enough that sunshine couldn’t get through to the forest floor.

Rogers Hut via Moerangi Track in Te Whirinaki Pua-a-Tāne

I stopped by at Volk & Co to grab a takeaway soy mocha for the drive to Te Waiti. Early mornings usually meant fog on the roads, and I had plenty on the way to Murupara. There was some lingering fog as I hit the gravel section on SH38, but the morning sun was actually more of a hazard, especially on the corners. I felt a sigh of relief as I turned into Okahu Road.

The 35km Moerangi Track is shared use for MTB and trampers. For MTB, the ride starts at Okahu Road and ends at River Road. Trampers can walk the track in either direction. I walked in/out to Moerangi Hut from River Road last year, and geez that was a big hill! The great thing about this section of Moerangi Track is that it’s mostly cleared of roots and runs alongside the river. It was incredibly peaceful walking on my own.

Somewhere before I reached Whangatawhia (Skips Creek) Hut, I came across the only people I met on the track that day. It was a group of five that had stayed at Rogers Hut the night before. One of the men in the group stopped for a chat, asking if I was walking in on my own. I sure was! They had met four women on their way to Moerangi Hut earlier, but being a Sunday, there was a high chance I could have the hut to myself. Lucky me.

Day hike to Mangamuka Hut on Te Tuhi Track

Mangamuka Hut can be accessed from SH 29 along the North-South track, or via Te Tuhi track, starting at Te Tuhi Road car park. The track is on the Te Aroha side of the Kaimai-Mamaku Forest, and takes about 1.5 hours drive from Whakatāne. From SH 24, turn-off into Old Te Aroha Road until you get to Te Tuhi Road. It’s a beautiful drive surrounded by farmland. The car park is at the end of the road (there are no toilets). The trailhead is at the bush edge, about 30-40 mins walk along private farmland. Walk past the gate and up the gravel road - there’s an official Depart of Conservation (DoC) track sign about 15 mins up the road. Follow the orange markers to the bush edge.

I don’t mind early starts, and the Sunday morning drive to Te Tuhi Road from Whakatāne was lovely. I missed the turn-off to Old Te Aroha Road the first time, but not far enough down the road that I couldn’t turn around. There was plenty of morning fog on the surrounding farmland, but nothing on the road. There was only one car when I got to the car park. I met the couple a few hours later as they were heading back.

Upper Whirinaki Hut in Te Whirinaki Pua-a-Tāne

It was slow going along the gravel road in Tia’s people mover - in hindsight it was probably more suited to Betty, my RAV4. Then again, there were four of us, a dog, and our packs, Betty would have been a tight squeeze. There were clunking noises as the stones were hitting something below, which kept our speed to about 30km for the most part. I was surprised at how well the road to the car park was signposted - I suppose most people who used this road were either in forestry or heading into the Whirinaki Forest.

I guess you could call this a ‘girls’ weekend tramp, though partners were invited, they didn’t end up coming in the end. Tia, Katri, Jasmine and I planned an overnighter to the Upper Whirinaki Hut, with Diesel, Katri’s dog, joining us on this adventure too.

When we finally reached the car park, we decided to have lunch before starting the tramp. It was only a couple of hours to the hut via the ridgeline track. Besides, Tia and I had been talking about eating lunch for the last hour. She had Havarti cheese and crackers, and I was looking forward to my breakfast bap. There were already a couple of cars parked up when we arrived, which made us wonder if we would end up using the tents after all.