Pirongia - Feb 2009

Photos from the Mahaukura-Summit-Tirohanga Circuit. Started from Grey Rd car park took about four and a half hours. Had mixed weather on the day with a really cool view across the tops of the clouds from Wharauroa lookout. Was completely clouded in at the summit but had good views again from Tirohanga and Ruapane lookout.

This was my first trip in a new pair of boots. I finally decided to try a really good/expensive tramping boot, went with Meindl Island Pro's. No blisters or anything so that was pretty good for first trip. The soles are really quite stiff though a completely different feel to the trail running shoes that I often wear when tramping.

Kopu-Coroglen

Sam and I went on a cool tramp near thames from the summit of the kopu-hukuai road through to Rangihau road end near cologlen. The first day we went over some steep peaks on a rather cloudy day, the weather was a bit of a mixed blessing as it made the steep climbs a lot easier in the cooler conditions but then we missed out on the spectacular views that are to be had. The climb up to Kaitarakihi peak was particularly steep and the chain that doc have installed was most welcome in one section that was definitely one of the most vertical that I've come across.. We got as far as the pinnacles hut after about 8.5 hours we camped there at one of the designated camping spots. There is a fee of $7.5 per person to camp by the hut.

There are a few other options for camping spots if you want to save the fee and steer clear of the crowds at the hut. Billy goat basin has a nice clearing with a toilet as you head towards the pinnacles on the billygoat track the campsite is a couple of minutes along from the junction with the tawawaere track (the one that comes from kopu-hikuai). There's another small spot to camp just before the first river crossing as you head north from the pinnacles hut on the moss creek track, this would be a nice spot.

The second day started with a steep descent to a river crossing (where the nice camp site is). This was quickly followed by an equally steep climb, once at the top the track begins to follow a rough road that is used to maintain the power lines that run from Thames through to Whitianga. The quality of the road quickly improves as it head through areas where the vegetation has been destroyed by fires, most of which were caused by fallen power lines. It's easy walking along the road but I much prefer the smaller tramping tracks. After 4.5 hours we were back at the waiting car which we had dropped off earlier.

The doc track times say it's about 13 hours from the kopu-hikuai summit to the pinnacles hut and then another 6 hours from there to the Rangihau road end.

Kaimais

hakarimatas

Photos from a walk along the hakarimata ranges which run north from Ngaruawahia towards huntly.

Wairongomai Loop

A great 6-8 hour loop in the kaimai ranges. Takes in the kauri grove, pylon ridge and a piece of the recently remarked but still fairly rugged old north-south track.

For the old north-south track you definitely want to have a fair bit of tramping experience ... it's quite easy to wander of the track in a lot of places as it's not very well defined. The DOC signs say "This track is rugged and unmaintained, please do not use". So we spent a fair amount of time pushing through undergrowth but it wasn't to difficult ... the track was actually in surprisingly good condition having been marked reasonably well and someone has even been cutting a few branches back here and there. Rugged enough to be fun without being too slow going.

Karangahake - 2006