Day tramp from Ōtanewainuku to Otawa Trig Track

You know, some day missions don’t always go as planned. Mayer turned up with a slight hangover from his work party the night before and I totally missed the car park on Quarry Road in Te Puke, making us start much later than planned. There were already a few missed calls on my phone before I could do a u-turn along the narrow gravel road and make my way back to the Otawa Scenic Reserve.

It was around midday by the time we pulled up to the carpark at Ōtanewainuku in Ōropi - a place I didn’t even know existed until a year ago. Thank you Tinder haha. My legs were full of energy as we powered through to Whataroa Falls (it was the easiest hour of the tramp) - the track is well maintained and easy to follow. I also recommend checking out the 400-year-old Rimu along the short Rimu Track loop.

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.

Savlon and Tokenui Huts via Tutaetoko Stream to Manganuku campsite

“Ronna, if you had balls, they’ll definitely get wet today.” My friend Mayer likes to keep it real. We’ve done a few day hikes together now, and just when I think I’ve cracked his sense of humour, he’ll throw something left field that keeps me wondering what actually makes our friendship tick. Being the introvert that I am, going into the backcountry definitely appealed to me. Less people, more chances of having a hut to yourself - just add cheese and that’s my dream getaway. Being my first time, we had originally planned on an overnighter to Savlon Hut, but Mayer convinced me to take the Monday off work so we could check out Tokenui Hut too. As gruelling as our three days were on my body (after a week my legs still looked like I got my ass beaten by a cat), I would do it again in a heartbeat. Just don’t tell Mayer that.

A ute was already parked up as I pulled into the Tutaetoko Road end where Mayer and I would start our walk. My friend Kat was driving my Rav back to Whakatāne and brought along her dog Diesel to keep her company for the drive home - he was so good in the car, I think he’s going to be a great adventure dog for sure. We managed to head off late morning, but being daylight savings, there was plenty of daylight left so I didn’t mind.

Bay of Plenty: Aongatete Long Loop Track

Aongatete has been popping up on my social media for awhile now, and I didn’t realise how often I had driven past on my way to do other tracks in the Kaimai-Mamaku forest. It’s a small, rural community between Omokoroa and Katikati, just an hour and a half from Whakatāne. There are three track options: The short or long loop, as well as a short 15-minute nature trail (this links up to the short loop). There’s even a swimming hole half an hour from the car park, but I ran out of time to check it out.

The car park was close to full by the time I arrived mid-morning, though there was plenty of room to park along the side of the road too so I didn’t mind. I saw a couple of small groups already heading up the track as I stopped to use the toilet - I ended up passing a couple with three young children not far into the track. One of the boys, who looked about six years old, started walking behind me as he got ahead of his family. After about ten minutes I could hear his dad calling out to him, so I made sure he turned around before I passed the track junction.

Discover Our Local: Hiking the Mt. Tawhiuau track

I met a trail runner at the trig - thank goodness he came after I had had time to catch my breath, because I was a damn mess! Like, how the f@#* do people run up tracks like Mt. Tawhiuau and not die? Are you even human? My quads took two days just to be able to sit on the toilet again without feeling like I’d just finished a killer squat session. It was my first hike after almost a month in lockdown, so it wasn’t surprising that my fitness levels were pretty low.

Hiking up Mt. Tawhiuau the weekend after coming out of lockdown was probably quite ambitious on my part, but hey, I survived. The track to the trig is approx. 9km with an elevation gain of over 700m, so I knew it would be hard yakka anyway. I was very happy with my decision to bring my hiking poles, especially on the way down.

Kaimai Mamaku Forest: Henderson Tramline Loop

We were greeted by a sun shower as we pulled into the car park to the Henderson Tramline Loop. There was only one car before us, and I caught a glimpse of the trampers as they disappeared around the corner along Old Kaimai Road. In hindsight, it made sense to walk the road section first - it was the most exposed part and rain was expected later in the afternoon. The track is fairly boggy and crosses a couple of large tributaries of the Rataroa Stream (there are no bridges), so bring your gaiters and prepare to get wet feet.

The track starts at the western branch of the Henderson Tramline, with the first section linking up to the North-South Track. I had seen a great photo of another tramper sitting on some boulders in a stream the night before, and I must admit that I got a bit obsessed looking for the spot. I did find it in the end, but I was too wobbly (think a newborn lamb) during the stream crossings so I didn’t get that photo after all. As the weather wasn’t looking too good for later that afternoon, we decided to bypass the waterfall and swimming hole about 15 minutes from the car park. I will save that for the warmer months.