I had never even heard of the Whakanui
Track until this year’s Wellington Xterra trail running series headed in there
for round two. After suffering myself through the 12km run in some spectacular
bush I decided that I must head back here at a more leisurely pace to do some
further exploring.
Over the next couple of weeks I pored over
maps, websites and online trip reports and pieced together what looked to be a
challenging but achievable loop that would take in the Whakanui Track, the Big
Bend Track and then the McKerrow Track. According to DOC’s recommended times,
this was an undertaking of between 13 and 14 hours but in the back of my mind I
was thinking, at a good pace, should be able to be knocked out in 7 to 9 hours
of slog.
Picking a weekend day that would offer up
some favourable weather seemed to be the biggest problem given that winter was
fast approaching. I got lucky though, and set out from the trailhead in Sunny
Grove, Wainuiomata in a frosty -1degC, rising quickly above the mist that was
hanging low in the valley.
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| Looking back over a frosty Wainuiomata from the Whakanui Track. |
A big consideration
when prepping was the nagging thought of what if the DOC
time indications were a closer of the time this hike would actually take? Just in case I’d added in an extra warm layer, some spare food
and a headlamp. My concerns were quickly allayed though. Setting out, the first
sign indicated that I would reach the Whakanui track in 30 mins… I got there in
under 11 mins at just a steady walking pace.
The grind up to the highest point of the
Whakanui was made easier by the fact that it was such a beautiful morning, and
not having to (attempt to) run it meant I could pause repeatedly to take in the
sounds of the native forest and to snap off a few photos. There are numerous signs reminding you that
you are in Kiwi country and it was a little saddening to recall that despite
all the reminders, only a few weeks earlier a dead kiwi, the victim of an
unleashed dog, was found in this very area (http://www.gw.govt.nz/protect-kiwis-from-your-dog-in-wainuiomata/).
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| Just one of many reminders that you are in the heart of a Kiwi recovery project. |
The other signs that were very evident was
that of deer. Every few metres there seemed to be clumps of fur on tree trunks
and branches and hoof prints in the mud. This made me just a tad nervous! It
was still the ‘roar’… prime hunting season and as I had pulled up to the
trailhead, a hunter was just setting out. Knowing that he was just 10 minutes
or so ahead of me and that no doubt his eye was much more attuned to seeing
such animal activity, I just had to hope that he, and any other hunters in the
area, were responsible enough to not be looking to bag an easy kill.
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| Whakanui Track |
The only other time I’ve seen a wild deer
has been at quite some distance on the lower slopes of Ruapehu, above Horopito.
So easily the highlight of this walk was coming around a bend on the steep
descent down to the Orongorongo River and coming face to face with a young stag
no more than 20 metres away. We both stopped and stared straight at each other.
Me thinking WOW! and him letting off a steamy snort. After just a second or
two, but what seemed much longer, he vanished… crashing off into the bush.
Instantly my nervousness about gun-toting cowboys looking for that easy kill
returned and I half expected to feel the searing impact of a high calibre
bullet rip through my body at any moment. Nope… all good and after another 15
minutes I was down beside the river, having successfully tackled the first of
today’s two big hills.
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| Amazing native bush on the descent to the Orongorongo River valley. |
The second ‘third’ of this walk was a
gentle sidle for 40 minutes or so along the Big Bend track which follows the
Orongorongo River until linking up at Hump Bridge with the popular Orongorongo track, that connects the river with the main Catchpool Valley entrance to the park.
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| Big Bend Track |
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| Swing bridge on the Big Bend Track |
After the wilderness experience of the Whakanui where I had seen no-one
and the only human engineered sounds were the occasional plane overhead, the
river valley was positively urban. Dozens of four wheel drive owners were using
the stony riverbed to either access the numerous huts or just for a day out
burning fossil fuels and someone else was doing something on the other side of
the river involving an incredibly loud chainsaw. I just put my head down,
stuffed some marshmallows in my mouth and did my best to admire the views
across to Mt Matthews, the park’s high point.
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| The Orongorongo River and heart of the Rimutaka Forest Park. |
Hump Bridge across the picturesque Turere
Stream, represented a rough half-way point, and a good spot for a sit down and
more substantial bite to eat. Lunch was the guilty pleasure of a pork pie and
can of Dr Pepper… fat, salt and sugar. Not very nutritional but pretty
satisfying on a walk like this. This was also the popular point for accessing
the river with a number of large groups of hikers crossing the bridge above me
as I rested.
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| Hump Bridge over the Turere Stream. |
After 10 minutes up the well graded and
metalled Orongorongo Track I saw the sign that marked the final ‘third’ of this
outing, indicating the start of the McKerrow Track. This was a blink and you
could miss it moment. There was no track junction to speak of, just a an orange
track marker nailed on a tree up a bank that required a bit of grabbing tree
roots and hauling oneself up to access. This was pretty much the going for the
next hour and a half… a steep and gnarly climb up to the ridge that would lead
to the Mt McKerrow ridge.
This was tough but somewhat enjoyable
stuff. It was pretty clear that not too many people put themselves through this
level of suffering. The quality of the track didn’t really improve until the
junction with Clay Ridge track which leads back down to the Catchpool Valley
park entrance and campground. After a few more minutes and only a bit more
vertical climb the summit of Mt McKerrow was attained at 706m above sea level.
This was another blink and you miss it moment. The summit itself is enclosed in
bush and offers no views, and it is marked by a rusty pipe sticking out of the
ground. If you didn’t know that this was a “mountain”, then it would be pretty
easy to pass by and merely wonder what on earth possessed someone to poke a
pipe in the ground in such an odd location! Five minutes or so either side of
the summit though, there are windfall clearings in the bush that offer an
incredible vista across Wellington Harbour and to the city off in the distance.
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| Summit marker on Mt Mckerrow |
Descending off McKerrow was like
negotiating a minefield with lots of boot sucking mud now being the main
characteristic of the track. Here my trekking poles came in handy for sussing
out potentially solid ground ahead of each step. This slowed the pace a bit,
but any thoughts of being out here after dark were now well and truly behind
me. For me anyway… at about 3:30pm I did come across a chap who was heading up
and who didn’t seem too perturbed to be told that the summit was still about an
hour away. With only an hour and maybe a bit more of good light available I
hope he was prepared! There were no news reports of anyone missing… so all
good.
After the McKerrow track linked back up
with the Whakanui I was back on familiar ground. In fact I was still feeling good enough to break into a bit of a jog to liven up the relentless descent. Things were getting pretty dark in the trees and the winter shadows long when I made it back to the car around 4pm.
All up from start to finish: 7hrs 46min (5hr 12min moving time)
Distance: 25.1km
A shout out must go to the tireless
volunteers of the Rimutaka Forest Park Trust. Their vision for protecting and
restoring the unique flora and fauna of the park and their efforts in supporting DOC to trap mustelids
and rats, are a massive contributor to why Kiwi can be re-introduced to the
area.
Check them out… http://www.rimutakatrust.org.nz/ and support them!
I think $25 to
sponsor a trap is a small price to pay for being able to enjoy such an
incredible day out on the doorstep of our capital city.
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