Ramblings from Eden Terrace

Whanganui National Park covers an area of 742 sqkm, and ranks in as NZ 10th largest National Park.* However, unlike most other national parks, it offers relatively little in the way of tramping.

There is, however, a mighty river snaking through, peppered with camp sites and DOC huts along the way. Access is via canoe or kayak, and the journey is classified as a ‘Great Walk’, being the only of the nine Great Walks that is not done on foot.

The 82km journey begins at the top, Taumarunui-end of Whanganui National Park, and ends near the bottom, winding its way pas rock-faces, and through gorges, and thick forest, all without cellphone reception at any point. There are very few rapids along the way, and the river is generally safe.  What white water we did encounter was classified as Grade 1 rapids, and no problem for the canoe novices we were.

Joined by Dave, and He who shall be called Dan, we hired a couple of kayaks and one canoe (for Beau and me) from Blazing Paddles. Cost for the three day hire, including hut/campsite passes, waterproof storage vessels, and pick up and drop off services was a very reasonable $220 per person. The company we hired the boats off were curiously relaxed, and their parting words went along the lines of, “Here’s the boat, if you fall out, float to shore, and repack. Knock yourselves out, we’ll see you in three days.”.

So, off we went.

I learnt two things within the hour into our journey.

1. Kayaks are much more maneuverable and quicker than canoes, which just feel like a big plodding river bus. Canoes however, have storage, and require no tetris skills to pack.
2. Unlike tramping, you can’t turn back if you miss a POI. In a kayak maybe, but not in the Mighty Yellow River Bus.

Those two issues aside, it’s an awesome journey. There’s an array of wildlife along the way, many wild goatlings, waterfalls, and even caves to explore. And it’s remarkably easy, even for the novices that we were. Occasionally people do tip out, but conditions have to be stacked against you, and if it does happen, speaking to follow journeyers, it doesn’t sound like much of a drama at all.

Following a six hour paddle, we spent our first night at the Mangapurua campsite, which was picturesque, with some of the nicest smelling bush-toilets we’d ever encountered.

Our second night, and New Year’s eve, was at the Ngaporo Campsite, where we enjoyed a raging party, involving cooking pancakes, and retiring to bed at 9pm. However, once we completed the journey the following day, we celebrated the new year, and the fact that we survived without tipping out, with a bottle of sparkling grape juice. Glasses were hard to come by, but that didn’t stop this group of trampers, and we cheered the occasion with two plastic camping cups, a stainless mug, and one empty coke can.

Good times indeed, and a fantastic way to see in the new year.

View all exciting photos here.

The Whanganui Journey:

• Duration:3 day, 82km kayak through Whanganui National Park
• Start: Whakahoro
• End: Pipiriki.
• Kayak and gear hire: Available from many companies, but we can recommend Blazing Paddles, 10minutes outside of Taumarunui. $220 per person, for Kayak/canoe, waterproof storage and Transport, and hut/campsite passes. Additional gear hire and accommodation is also available.
• Kayak vs Canoe: Canoe probably more comfortable and easier to pack, but handles like a river bus, requires more paddling, and more likely to tip out. We will stick with kayaks next time.
• Amenities: There is a cafe at Pipiriki, but nothing in between
• Huts/Campsites: There are campsites every two hours, all with a shelter, running water, and toilets. There are two huts, of an excellent standard, and supplied with gas.
• Highlights: Bride to nowhere, caves, caves with waterfalls, awesome scenery.
• Experience required: We didn’t really have any, and managed fine, also suitable for children.
• Helpful hints: Take your own map, and study the campsites, and any other Points of Interests to check out. Unlike tramping it’s very difficult to turn around and go back, if you miss the target destination. Also DOC sign-posting could be better, and can be easy to miss.

*For reference, and because the wikipedia list doesn’t exist yet, all NZ National Parks and their corresponding sizes in sqkm are:

1. Abel Tasman, 225
2. Paparoa, 305
3. Egmont, 335
4. Aoraki, 707
5. Whanganui, 742
6. Tongario, 795
7. Nelson Lakes, 1020
8. Arthur’s Pass, 1143
9. Westland, 1175
10. Rakiura, 1570
11. Te Urewera, 2127
12. Mt Aspiring, 2475
13. Kahurangi, 4520
14. Fiordland 12,500

Thelma, is that you?

Spotted at Tieke Marae and campsite, on the Whanganui Journey.

Growing up on a farm, I learned a few things about gates. They come in two varieties, the regular hinged sort, which are fun to swing on when your parents aren’t watching and for the lazy teenager, can usually be opened without needing to dismount your horse or bike.

And then there’s the Taranaki sort.

I grew up with Taranaki gates and wholesomely loathed them. For the uninformed, a Taranaki gate is essentially a broken segment in a regular seven-batten fence, held together with wire loops, and often reinforced with gnarly barb wire.

To open them, you must dismount your bike or horse, and then engage in a battle of endurance to flip over the wire loops.  Succeeding without any cuts can feel like a rite of passage. Alas this is short lived, and after remounting your vehicle and travelling through the gate, you are then forced to repeat the drama.

Eventually in the 90s the barbed wire variety were gradually replaced by a modernised electrified woven wire version with cheap bright orange plastic handles. Unfortunately this was not an improvement. Whereas before my worst fear was avoiding barb-wire scratching or finger wedging, I now had to put up with faint electric shocks pulsating through from the poorly insulated, but tightly sprung handles. My strength was once again put to the test, but now with each passing second gradually weakened by the leaking current. It was a set up for failure, and ultimately instilled a deep-seated fear of all things sparky.

My contempt for Taranaki gates continued.

Sometime in my teens I had an epiphany.

These despicable gates were actually named after the Taranaki region, like, where the mountain is. Or, maybe the Taranaki was named after the gates. Who knew? As the epiphany passed, I put them out of my mind, and after abandoning any possible career in farming, had not given gates of that scale any further thought.

That was, until we visited the Taranaki last weekend.

They were everywhere.

So, when I saw this sign, I was greeted with a flashback of struggling despair, but also  some bemusement.

Finally, I had seen a real Taranaki gate.

In 1910 the NZ government held a land lottery for five allotments of native forest, situated between Awakino and Pirongia.

The lucky winners were then tasked with clearing the steep slopes, for farming.

Despite being surveyed for roads in 1902, they never came, making the assignment all the more difficult.

Then World War I broke out, and the winners were sent off on a gruelling trip to fight for a vague cause on the other side of the globe.  Of the eight farmers, only five were to return. Of those five, four abandoned the land, broken by the soul-destroying job of clearing the forever encroaching bush in an area so remote even today it’s still an arduous journey through gravel roads dodging wild goats along the way.

The most isolated ‘farm’ belonged to Sam Leitch.    He had a vision. His block of land included a gentle flat section running along the headwaters of the Awakino River. He was convinced that it was to be the next big thing, a bustling hub for the upcoming farming community.  Just as soon as the government built those roads.  It would be any day now.  The plans had already been approved.

While he patiently waited, Sam busied himself with bush-clearing, hut-building, and planting macrocarpa trees. Remnants of his home and garden are (apparently) still visible today.

The roads never came. Not in Sam’s lifetime. Not today.

Now, his ‘farm’ has been absorbed into Whareorino forest park. Sam Leitch’s land clearing remains, and is now the site of a very good DOC hut, named after the dedicated farmer himself.

We decided to check it out.

Travelling down to Whareorino forest from Kawhia, on gravel roads, we gained  an appreciation of just how isolated this area was.

There are three tracks accessing Leitch’s Hut, one is a difficult 7 hour tramp and is no longer maintained, the second is  a mostly gravel, several hour drive, even from the nearest township of Piopio.  The third track, starting at the end of Leitch’s Road, is a three hour tramp, accessed within a 20 minute drive from Piopio on almost entirely sealed roads.

Not equipped with PLBs, we opted for the ‘Leitch’s Road’ tramp.

Despite its isolation this is a very pleasant tramp. It is noteworthy for being a remarkably well-maintained track, suitable for all seasons, and not containing any steep hills.

Along the way we spotted several wild goats (despite DOC’s winter culling programme), and one exploratory hedgehog.

After two hours we reached Sam Leitch’s clearing.

It was still clear.

In the middle of the forest, there is a sprawling  section of land covered by lupins and metre high summer grass, with an inviting bubbling Awakino River snaking it’s way through it.

Picturesque stuff.

A pleasant 20 minute walk through the clearing saw us reach the Hut which, with its polished wooden floors, is the best I’ve stayed in yet. We celebrated our arrival by going for a quick dip in the river, before investigating the Hut more closely.

The hut receives visitors about once a week. Of those, a large number are hunters, evidenced by the assortment of makeshift fishing rods, DOC built dog-kennels, and miscellaneous hunting accessories left behind until their next visit.

However, I can see this relatively unknown track becoming more popular in time.   The hut and surrounding area are gorgeous and I could easily imagine spending a day just relaxing in the clearing, exploring the river, or finding Sam Leitch’s old home.

Both the hut and track make it ideal for first-time trampers, or people with children, come rain or shine.

Of the many failed farming attempts by the early government, Sam Leitch’s was one that was not in vain.

We will be back.

View all photos here.

Mt Karioi is an extinct 756m volcano on the coast of Raglan.

It is noteworthy for the spectacular views of the Raglan, Aotea, and Kawhia harbours, as well as the greater central North Island. And, it offers non-surfies an alternative to the seemingly only other local activity -  drinking at the Raglan Hotel.

Mt Karioi can be climbed from two sides, a longer five hour return trek, or a shorter, but steeper 3 - 4 hour scramble. The longer track is the more scenic and exciting, as it doesn’t pass through farmland first.  It also is only a quick 15 minute drive from Raglan township, while the shorter track, requires a lengthy driving along a rough gravel road to the other side of the mountain.

Some highlights from the track include an exciting mountaineer up a steep slope with the help of a securely mounted chain, an initial walk through sweeping summer grassy plains, and of course no shortage of breathtaking scenery, with most of the North Island’s  mountains easily visible, including Te Aroha, Taranaki, Ngauruohoe, Ruapehu, and Pirongia, just to list a few.

On a level of difficulty it is a surprisingly tough climb, and I would rate it similarly to the larger Mt Te Aroha.

Once returned to the car park, the exhausted trekker can either continue down to the beach, or find ice-cream refreshments at the local Raglan dairy, followed by a cool pint, and a  very reasonably priced hearty meal at the Harbour Bar.

Or, there’s surfing.

View all photos here.