Neena and I usually go on at least one major tramp together every year. This year it was a four-day walk around Lake Waikaremoana, which is located in the Te Urewera National Park.
For more information check out the link…. http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/east-coast-hawkes-bay/aniwaniwa-area/lake-waikaremoana-great-walk/.
The drive up from Wellington is a pretty long one, and we were mighty relieved when we arrived at the tiny settlement of Aniwaniwa, where we stayed the night.
The weather the next day was not the best with gale force winds, and the promise of rain. The start of the walk is some way from Aniwaniwa and is usually accessed by water taxi. In this instance, the conditions on the lake were pretty nasty, so we were transported by car instead, which while perfectly acceptable, lacked the style and occasion of ariving by boat.
The first days walk was by far the toughest and involved a steep climb up to Panekire Hut (1180m). The standard of the tracks on all the “Great Walks” we have been on, of which this was one, is very high, so it was a bit of a surprise to find that the track was fairly “gnarly” with lots of tree roots to trip over. This is representative of most kiwi bush tracks, and was for me, if not for Neena, a pleasant surprise. There were a number of exposed spots when we got up onto the ridge that leads to Panekire Hut. Due to the very high winds and long drops, these were not places to linger, despite great views looking over the lake. We were both a bit tired by this stage and were relieved when we finally arrived at the hut, particularly as it was just starting to rain.
The next day’s walk was dead easy and consisting of walking along Panekire ridge before descending down to the lake and on to Waiopaoa Hut, where we stayed the night. Once again our timing was impeccable as the rain returned with a vengeance minutes after we got to the hut. Mind you our troubles weren’t totally over, as we ended up sharing the hut with a whole load of boisterous and noisy school kids from Whangarei. Early the next day a water taxi arrived at the hut and much of the kid’s gear was transported of to wherever. Somehow all of our food also ended up on the boat as well, leaving Neena and I with a couple of muesli bars for the rest of the trip! There were a number of schoolteachers at the hut, who all seemed terribly embarrassed at the situation, and who immediately organised a whip around. In the end we ended up with far more (and better quality) food than we started with. If anyone in Whangarei comes across a bag of mouldy cream cheese and salami, then it is all yours.
It was a relief to finally get away from the hut and get some walking in. The track on the third day stayed fairly close to the lake, if somewhat above most of the time. Again this was a nice easy day, even if it did rain on and off most of the time. We stayed the night at Marauiti Hut.
The final days walking was in terms of distance the longest, but was also nice and easy. The weather also put on a fine show with sunshine and lights winds. To be honest this proved a mixed blessing, as for me it was now to hot, and I quickly got nostalgic for the rain and drizzle of the previous few day’s. I guess some people are never happy unless they have got something to moan about i.e. a typical “whinging pom”.
We started off nice and early as we had pre-arranged for a water taxi to pick us up at 3pm, and weren’t terribly keen to miss it. In the end we got to the pick up point half an hour early, which left some time for some sunbathing and paddling in the lake. All in all a nice trip.
The weather the next day was not the best with gale force winds, and the promise of rain. The start of the walk is some way from Aniwaniwa and is usually accessed by water taxi. In this instance, the conditions on the lake were pretty nasty, so we were transported by car instead, which while perfectly acceptable, lacked the style and occasion of ariving by boat.
The first days walk was by far the toughest and involved a steep climb up to Panekire Hut (1180m). The standard of the tracks on all the “Great Walks” we have been on, of which this was one, is very high, so it was a bit of a surprise to find that the track was fairly “gnarly” with lots of tree roots to trip over. This is representative of most kiwi bush tracks, and was for me, if not for Neena, a pleasant surprise. There were a number of exposed spots when we got up onto the ridge that leads to Panekire Hut. Due to the very high winds and long drops, these were not places to linger, despite great views looking over the lake. We were both a bit tired by this stage and were relieved when we finally arrived at the hut, particularly as it was just starting to rain.
The next day’s walk was dead easy and consisting of walking along Panekire ridge before descending down to the lake and on to Waiopaoa Hut, where we stayed the night. Once again our timing was impeccable as the rain returned with a vengeance minutes after we got to the hut. Mind you our troubles weren’t totally over, as we ended up sharing the hut with a whole load of boisterous and noisy school kids from Whangarei. Early the next day a water taxi arrived at the hut and much of the kid’s gear was transported of to wherever. Somehow all of our food also ended up on the boat as well, leaving Neena and I with a couple of muesli bars for the rest of the trip! There were a number of schoolteachers at the hut, who all seemed terribly embarrassed at the situation, and who immediately organised a whip around. In the end we ended up with far more (and better quality) food than we started with. If anyone in Whangarei comes across a bag of mouldy cream cheese and salami, then it is all yours.
It was a relief to finally get away from the hut and get some walking in. The track on the third day stayed fairly close to the lake, if somewhat above most of the time. Again this was a nice easy day, even if it did rain on and off most of the time. We stayed the night at Marauiti Hut.
The final days walking was in terms of distance the longest, but was also nice and easy. The weather also put on a fine show with sunshine and lights winds. To be honest this proved a mixed blessing, as for me it was now to hot, and I quickly got nostalgic for the rain and drizzle of the previous few day’s. I guess some people are never happy unless they have got something to moan about i.e. a typical “whinging pom”.
We started off nice and early as we had pre-arranged for a water taxi to pick us up at 3pm, and weren’t terribly keen to miss it. In the end we got to the pick up point half an hour early, which left some time for some sunbathing and paddling in the lake. All in all a nice trip.
Looking over the lake.
Looking over the lake again.
Panekire Bluff.
Panekire Hut
Typical track scene.
This was taken near Aniwaniwa.
Here comes the water taxi.