This is my second trip to the Kaweka's and again its all about bagging huts. A weekend trip which took an extra day due to a number of events.
Took two drams along for the trip, one a fine single malt from an Oloroso sherry puncheon at 53.8%, and the other a Kentucky straight Bourbon whiskey at 50%.
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| Glendronach | Evan Williams |
Friday 24/02/2017
Left Wellington and stopped in at my Mums and Dads and then onto the road heading North for the Makahu road end. Tomorrow arrived before I got there.
Saturday 25/02/2017
Stayed the night in the Mangatutu shelter as was pretty late late when I got there.
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| Where I am going |
Up at 0630 hours, snacked and packed and headed off to Te Puia Hut along the Te Puia track for breakfast. What a beautiful walk.
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| Mangatutu Hot Springs Shelter |
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| Mohaka River |
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| Te Puia track |
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| Te Puia track |
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| Beach on Mohaka River |
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| More of that Mohaka river |
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| Te Puia track bluffs |
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| Bluffs on the other side of the river from Te Puia track |
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| Nice steps down |
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| Mohaka River |
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| Te Puia track bluffs |
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| Te Puia track bluffs |
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| Te Puia Hut |
Got to Te Puia hut and stopped for porridge and a coffee and learnt more about this place from some locals staying there.
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| Looking North as heading u to Makino hut |
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| View from up on the ridge, with spark service |
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| Makino Hut |
Stopped for a cup of tea and snack, had to set fire to a pile of smelly rubbish in the fire.
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| Three wire bridge |
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| Track along ridge to Mangaturutu hut |
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| Track along ridge to Mangaturutu hut |
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| Track along ridge to Mangaturutu hut |
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| Track along ridge to Mangaturutu hut |
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| Track along ridge to Mangaturutu hut |
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| Mangaturutu hut |
After food tea had thought I would have a brief lay down, woke up a few hours later and decided to crash here for the night. Tira Lodge can be tomorrow. So had my dram of the Whisky Galore Glen Dronach.
Sunday 26/02/2017
The morning was a bit claggy at Mangaturtu hut but that made it a very comfortable walk to the next hut with at least three names; Tira Lodge, Venison Tops Hut, Kelvinator Lodge. This part of the Kaweka's is much easier travel than Back Ridge and Kaweka Range as it is not so eroded.
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| Mangaturutu Hut |
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| Easy forest travel with some minor up and down |
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| Tira Lodge, Venison Tops Hut, Kelvinator Lodge |
Stopped for a cup of tea and looked at the map and made a decision to go down to Rocks Ahead hut and bivouac as they are so close. Trimmed my pack down to the bare essentials and left stuff to pick up on my way back. Those additional two huts added more time onto my day and I expected to get out to the road end after dark. The walk down to the Rocks Ahead was just perfect, going to do that again.
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| Venison Top area |
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| Rocks Ahead hut |
The door and the windows where all wide open in the hut with a pile of fishing gear and bits of a trout outside so some people where out and about somewhere. Did not see any body. No problem getting to the hut, dropped my pack here and headed off to visit the bivouac.
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| Cableway |
Took the cable way,easily winched up the bucket jumped in and took off, good fun to ride these things. When it stopped out in the middle I picked up the chain to grab the winding handle. No winding handle, good lesson here, check before departing. Took me a while to pull the bucket over to the other side, very hot work.
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| Rocks Ahead bivouac box toilet |
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| Rocks Ahead bivouac |
On my return I did not take the cable way, just waded across the pool, rather refreshing.
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| River pool |
Had a snack and drink and then headed off back up to Tira Lodge. Stopped at Tira Lodge for a meal then off to Ballard hut on way out.
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| Open rocky tops on way to Ballard hut |
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| More open tops before Ballard hut, interesting patterns |
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| Erosion on way down to Ballard hut |
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| Ballard hut |
Two people and two dogs where at Ballard, having recently arrived via chopper, just filled out the hut book and had a few minutes yakking and then I was off back up the hill heading for Whetu, then down to Middle Hill hut for a rest.
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| Middle Hill hut |
Ended up getting to Middle Hill hut much later than I expected and had issues with my torch batteries so in the end I stayed the night. I had spark service on the tops near Whetu so was able to let people know I was running late and they would not hear from me until early Monday morning; so it worked out that I would not be over due. Ended the evening with the Evan Williams Kentky straight Bourbon whiskey.
Monday 27/02/2017
Well this wasn't meant to be. Got phone coverage as I was heading down the ridge. got to deal to a Stoat along the way, saw a Morepork in the daylight, and then had some time in a hot pool which was very relaxing. \Finished my morning with a long slow drive back to Wellington.
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| Middle Hill Hut |
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| This little fella headed off for his 72 virgins, died a martyr |
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| Morepork just down the track from the stoat |
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| Mangatutu Road End Shelter |
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| Mangatutu Road End Shelter |
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| Mangatutu Hot Springs |
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| The ford |
Map of Trip
Took two maps for the trip BJ37 and BH37, however BH37 has just a fragment of the Te Puia track on it; the bit that has the hut. Dropped a chunk of the map well repair.
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| BH37 and BJ37 |
Trip Times
Saturday 25/02/2017
0657 Left car park
0831 At Te Puia Hut
0912 Left Te Puia Hut
1029 At Makino Hut
1102 Left Makino hut
1638 Mangaturutu Hut
Sunday 26/02/2017
0920 Left Mangaturutu Hut
1033 At Tira Lodge
1118 Heading down to Rocks Ahead
1232 Rocks Ahead hut
1255 Rocks Ahead Bivouac
1330 Left Rocks Ahead hut
1518 At Tira Lodge
1554 Left Tira Lodge
1739 Ballard Hut
1957 Middle Hill hut <
Monday 27/02/2017
0750 Left Middle Hill hut
0842 Meet a trapped stoat
0850 Watched a Morepork watching me
0915 At the Makino track start
0958 At my car at the road end
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